As social media use continues to increase, the social media presence of your business has become just as important as your website. However, many businesses overlook the importance of integrating social media directly into their website. Because the current user experience takes place through multiple channels, it is key to connect those channels in order to foster greater user engagement with your brand. With the following tips, you can successfully integrate social media into your company’s website.
Link Buttons
One of the easiest and most important ways to integrate social media into your website is to simply add link buttons. You should have buttons that either direct to your social media accounts or allow the user to like or follow your pages directly from your website. Make sure that you keep the social media accounts that you link to updated regularly.
Twitter or Facebook Feed
Another way you can add social media to your site is to embed a feed from your Twitter or Facebook Page. Along with a feed of your recent updates, you can embed Facebook comments into your website to allow users to comment on your content using their Facebook account. Again, remember to only integrate social media that you use consistently.
Share Buttons
In addition to link buttons, you can also add share buttons for various social media platforms to your content. For example, if you post a blog entry or an article, a share button will allow users to share that content on Facebook or Twitter. For products that you sell, you can add a Pin It button that connects to Pinterest.
Google+ Authorship
For the content that is posted on your website, integrating Google+ authorship is a key way to connect with your Google+ page as well as to give credibility to your content. Google+ authorship associates the author of the post with his or her Google+ profile, and when your article appears in search results, a name and face will be attached to this content. You can also add +1 buttons to your website and verify your site with your Google+ page.
Stay Current
Finally, the most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to social media integration is that your social media presence must stay current. This includes not only posting regular updates to your accounts, but also ensuring that your buttons, feeds, and other integration techniques coincide with the latest changes in social media. For example, “fans” on Facebook are now “likes,” and features offered by LinkedIn and Google+ have also changed. Stay current to ensure that your customers remain engaged.
For a consultation on your business social media, contact our sister company, SteerPoint.