Social media is hot, hot, hot right now! It pretty much
doesn't matter who you are or what business you’re in, you can't get away from
the different social sites out there. That means you don't want to miss out on the
opportunity to integrate it into your blog. And more than likely, you probably
already have accounts set up and are active on them so it only makes sense you
would 'advertise' it to your blog visitors by adding the different icons to
your blog.
Your blog will very likely have two types of social media
buttons: Those that drive traffic to your various accounts, such as Twitter,
Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, and those that enable readers to share the
content they find on your site.
The first type – those that link directly to your social
media pages – typically appear in the header, the footer, or somewhere in the
sidebar. I need to add these to my blog! The second type generally appear at the top or bottom (or both) of
each individual page or post. You can easily tell the difference because the
fist type will be just a button, while the second may have a counting feature
that lets readers know how many times an article has been shared.
This part of the blog makeover is a win/win situation. Not
only are you giving your readers the opportunity to connect with you on a more
personal level through your social media channels. But, this is also a way for
you to show those around you that you're an expert at what you do.
Adding social media buttons in your header or sidebar is as
simple as making a clickable image out of a button. You can find hundreds of
free buttons available on the web, and some themes come with matching buttons
for you to use. You could even hire a designer to create custom buttons for
you.
Sharing buttons are added via a plugin or a widget, and again, there are
many to choose from. Some offer dozens of social icons to choose from, while
some specialize in only Twitter or only Facebook. A search through the
WordPress or Blogger plugin/gadget directory will help you find the right one to meet your needs.
There are a few things that are worth noting when it comes to social media engagement. First, make sure that you're actually interacting with people who take the time to connect with you on these different channels. Second, don't always be pushing promotional things down their throats - make sure you're sharing more of other content than promo type things. And lastly, don't make the mistake of being active, then inactive for a while and then active again. Stay consistent!
