Let’s assume that you’re running a small business online. It might be a tech start-up, an e-commerce site, or you might be a freelance creative with an internet portfolio. These are just three among countless examples of business models that would use a website as well as at least one social media platform.
Your website is your home base: itis your storefront, where potential clients and customers check out what you’ve got on offer and make purchases. It’s where the serious business gets done. Your social media presence, meanwhile, is like a roving promotional tool. You’re out there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest spreading the word about your company or your product, engaging, networking, making connections and building brand awareness.
From this analysis it might seem like the two things serve completely separate functions and as such should be kept separate as well. But in fact, there are good reasons to integrate social media with your website, as we shall see.
It helps to build a consistent brand identity
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While your website and social media serve separate functions, they should be promoting the same message. Often this is a question of tone and finding the right voice for your brand. Light-hearted or serious? Fun or educational? Whichever you choose you should be consistent across all platforms and linking them together will help you to achieve that.
It lets you keep your customers informed
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If your customers come to you via your website they may make a purchase or not, but they may not come back for some time. They may even forget about you! Having a link on the site where they can follow you on social media lets them stay informed about special offers, new products and other promotions. Plus, it increases the chance that they’ll remember you and stay loyal to your brand.
It will improve your search engine ranking
Source : sellics.com
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex business, and the algorithms of search engines like Google change frequently. Nevertheless, including social media links increases the opportunity to add keywords and otherwise meet the criteria that will increase website traffic. Online marketing experts like California’s Iconic Industry use these kinds of data-driven analytics to help small businesses prosper on the internet. Iconic industry also understands the potential of social media as a powerful marketing tool if used in the right ways.
It builds a sense of community
Source : sonicsinc.com
The most successful online companies make their customers feel like part of a family. That is done bycreating a distinct identity, as described above, and through making sure that they hear from you regularly. That doesn’t mean a constant hard sell; it means making them feel like they’re part of a conversation. Linking to social media shows that your website isn’t just a place of business; it’s a portal to joining a whole like-minded and friendly community.
It’s the best way to share content
Source : oratorconsult.org
Content marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing there is, and the best publicity you can get is organic. Posting great content on your website and sharing it on social media combines these two approaches, as your followers will share your content to their friends, promoting your brand in a “word of mouth” way that people are receptive to.
Your website is static and social media is liquid
Source : outsourcetous.com.au
As mentioned in the introduction your website and your social media feeds do different jobs. Your website is a solid presence that is a repository of all the important information about your brand, while social media is an ongoing conversation. In a sense it is liquid and is constantly flowing, picking up new followers along the way. But the end goal of your social media stream should always be to funnel them towards your website. Your website and social media complement each other and need to be linked in order to function most effectively.
Having a social media button clearly displayed on your website allows any visitor to instantly follow you on a number of different platforms. You can also get a social media plug-in that lets you stream your social media feeds on your site. You should also let people share website content on their own Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Social media is a great marketing tool, but it needs to be linked to your website to be used to its best advantage. Using all these platforms in tandem will boost your brand successfully.
