When it comes to building a community of interested consumers online, there is nothing better than social media. You can reach your potential audience, whenever you like, by making the most of social media platforms, and social media marketing. But translating this audience into actual sales, and sign ups on your website, or in the real world, is a tricky task. One thing that is key to this transition, is social media integration on your website. Here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design experts. That’s why we create stunning web design solutions, for businesses and companies across the North West. This includes Southport and Wigan. As a result, we have produced this guide to including social media as part of your web design.
Including social media as part of your web design
With so many different social media platforms available, it can be a challenge to know exactly how to join your social media activities, and community, to your website. So, we’ve broken this down into the three most popular social media giants, whose logos are universally recognised:
Including social media as part of your web design: Facebook
Top of the social media pile is Facebook. For written content, pictures, and videos, Facebook covers all manner of content types. And it can be helpful to remember this when considering social media integration. In fact, it means that share buttons, designed to call users to share the content to their own Facebook page can be incredibly effective. Position these buttons at the top and the bottom of the content, and users will have two prompts to share what they’ve read on your website, with their friends on social media. This is also effective for video content on your website too.
Including social media as part of your web design: Twitter
Twitter is a fantastic social media platform for building a community. And one way to celebrate the community aspect of Twitter, is to add a Twitter feature. This should be designed to fit in with the rest of your page, and it will show Tweets about your products or services. Of course, these Tweets will all need to be pre-approved before being displayed on your website.
Including social media as part of your web design: Instagram
Instagram is a social media platform primarily focused with sharing stunning imagery. And even a few videos. So apart from the generic social plugins, and share icons for Instagram, how can you integrate content on this platform, with your website? Well, you could go for a share wall feature, like the Twitter option earlier. Or you could look at more subtle integration.
If your Instagram is full of stunning images, of your workplace, office, services or products, you could embed these images, in suitable places, around your website. Although you will have to be sure that these images are high quality, professional, and responsive. By embedding the image, you will create a link to your Instagram, and this can even be noted in the image caption.
If the images on your Instagram account are good, but not THAT good, you might not want to use them as major parts of your web design. Instead, you could think about embedding these images in your blog content or articles. To illustrate your content and create something more visual.
For more information about social media and it’s role in professional web design, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.