Is Your Website Social Media Friendly?
Every small business owner knows that they need to establish an internet presence. This includes a website, blog, and strategic social media strategy. Ideally, these pieces should be woven together in a coordinated effort so you maximize your efforts and present in the most professional way possible. Putting all of this together takes time and money. If you have a website it is wise to take a quick look at the following pieces to ensure it fully supports your social media efforts.
1) Social media share buttons: Hopefully, when a user visits your website, they will find very useful information that relates directly to their needs and issues. Make sure they have the opportunity to share your content with others across social media platforms like Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. You can see a great example of these buttons by clicking here. A bit of caution: there are many clever ways to display the sharing buttons including moving along the side of the page. I have tried many and have yet to find a set that displays well on a mobile device. That is why, for your social media hour I anchored them at the top of the page.
2) Social media connect buttons: While the icons are the same, connect buttons give your visitors the ability to find you and your business on social media platforms. You can include a link to your LinkedIn and Google+ profiles or your Twitter account. This way visitors who would like more information about you can easily connect with you where they are comfortable.
3) Google Analytics Account: Knowing how visitors are coming to your website is critical so you can concentrate your efforts where you are experiencing success or where you need to put more effort. To get started you need a Google Analytics Account and some code needs to be placed on your website. Once you are set-up you can investigate a number of metrics related to your site’s traffic including acquisition through social networks.
I use WordPress and have a “do it yourself” attitude. So with some research and trials, I did figure most of this myself. However, if you want someone to handle these issues for you, I would highly recommend my friends over at Royce Brook Media. They have helped me customize my websites.