Sunday, April 27, 2014

Social Media Integration to your Website is a must

Social Media is a great way to be social! We are more connected today because of the Internet and social services like Twitter, FaceBook, and Google Plus. Families, friends, and even businesses are taking advantage of the Social Media phenomenon to connect, converse, relate, and collaborate. In my opinion, a website is not complete if it does not contain a few links to your social media presence online. A Web Designer should take this powerful venue into account when planning and designing a project.

There is good reason for this. Many companies are using Social Media as a way to connect with both potential and existing clients. For example, Taco Bell's website (www.tacobell.com) has links to several Social Media accounts owned by that company. Taco Bell's Twitter account is known for being light-hearted and fun to read. For example, look at the following tweet:

Courtesy of http://www.searchenginejournal.com/10-social-media-accounts-can-learn/102729/
Indeed, Taco Bell's Twitter account is considered one of the top 10 social media accounts a business can learn from (http://www.searchenginejournal.com/10-social-media-accounts-can-learn/102729/). Taco Bell uses social media to their advantage. For this reason, if you are designing websites for businesses or individuals, you should be asking your clients about their Social Media presence.

Another good reason to integrate Social Media to a website is the potential reach this medium has. In 2013, 57% of marketers used Social Media for advertising (http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-trends-2014/). This is a powerful statistic that shows how many businesses are leaning into Social Media with the objective of generating new business. Businesses are putting time and money into the Social Media marketing and servicing avenue. 
And if money talks, then Facebook's recent earnings report is shouting out from the mountain tops that Social Media is definitely a must for any business's website (http://seekingalpha.com/article/2165053-facebook-destroys-earnings-estimates-and-is-offered-a-cold-glass-of-apathy-from-mr-market).

So, the bottom line is this: if you want to have a successful website make sure to integrate Social Media links. Then, get people talking about your website by reaching out to them. The more social media real estate you engage in, the more potential visitors will come to your website.
Courtesy of http://www.frogameni.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/social-media-seo11.jpg

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