Going Social: 5 Tips to Add Social Media to Your Site

Half the world is on Facebook. The other half is on Twitter. And hundreds of millions of people are on both, not to mention LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Digg, and more. It’s how product intros, news flashes, viral jokes, and revolutions of all kinds get going these days.
Graphic Illustration by Matt Hamm

Every business owner knows that word of mouth is the best advertising there is, and growing your social media presence just might be the best word of mouth ever. The more fans and followers you have on Twitter and Facebook, the bigger your reach. The bigger your reach, the more help you have getting the word out about your site, your products, and your services.  That’s a great way to generate revenue.

So how do you make social media work for your website and your business?

Here are five easy ways to start spreading the word. Our Widgetbox Gallery plus this tutorial will have you up and running in minutes – just copy the code we provide into an HTML widget in your Sitebuilder, and you’re on your way.

1. Add a Facebook “like” button to your home page. Follow a few simple steps, and you’re ready to be “liked”. Encourage your FB friends to come on over and become followers and fans of your site. Bonus points: start a FB page for your business, and include your site’s link.
2. Add a Twitter button to your site, and get people tweeting (and retweeting) about you. Include a “Follow Me” badge and be sure to get active on Twitter yourself.
3. Include your Twitter feed (or someone else’s) on your home page. Here’s how. A Twitter feed refreshes your site with a constant stream of new content. Plus, it encourages you to keep on tweeting.
4. Post a LinkedIn button on your site. If you’re a consultant looking to make professional, expert, or business-to-business connections, LinkedIn is a great place for your site to shine. You’ll find 100 million influential, connected, affluent members across the globe, plus some good resources for business owners. LinkedIn has recently added new sharing functions that are especially helpful for small businesses like yours.
5. Share your website and blog posts (have you started your blog?) through Digg, StumbleUpon, Bebo, or any of your other favorites.

Got any other ideas for making social media part of your site? We hope you’ll share them. And let us know how your own social media strategy is going, too. We’d love to hear all about it.