Anyone who wants to build a social following needs to use social media. However, using social media for the first time can be really confusing. How do you get people to “like” your posts on Facebook? How many tweets should you send out each day? Which social media platforms are worth your time and effort? WordPress is an incredibly useful tool for blending social media with your blog or dynamic website. This blogging software may not make it any easier to learn about social media, but it does make it easy to implement what you learn. These are just some of the ways WordPress makes it easy to use social media like a pro.
Social Media Widgets
WordPress has a number of social media widgets (through plugins) that make it easy for your website visitors to connect with you on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social networking sites. These widgets display your most recent social media posts and tweets so that your readers can see what you have been up to lately. Most of the widgets also allow readers to reply to your posts by logging in to each social media platform right from your site. Instead of trying to convince visitors to open a new browser window, log in to a social media platform, and reply to your post, all you have to do is install a social media widget.
Creating a Following
Widgets and plugins make it easier to create a social media following for you and your business. These tools allow you to install social media buttons on every page and post of your site. When someone likes your content, they can click on a button to “like” it on Facebook or follow you on Google Plus. You can even set up your site so that people can follow you on Twitter and other social media platforms.
Centralized Location
WordPress makes it easy to create a centralized location for all of your social media traffic. When you tweet about something or post about something on Facebook, you need to have somewhere for people to come and learn more about your business. WordPress gives you all of the tools you need to create a full-featured site that has all of the information your visitors need. If you plan to use social media to generate publicity, use WordPress to create a press section on your website. Post press releases, high-quality images, and other information members of the press can use to learn more about your company. If you are using social media to attract new list subscribers or customers, make sure you install a widget that allows you to create a customized subscription form for your site. This makes it easy to collect visitor information and start building relationships with the people who visit your website after learning about it on social media platforms.
Traffic Generation and Analysis
Since social media is a great tool for generating traffic, WordPress will quickly become one of your favorite SEO tools. WordPress has thousands of free plugins specifically to make it easier for the search engines to find and index your content. You can use social media widgets and plugins to enhance your SEO efforts. These tools make it possible to analyze where your traffic is coming from and even see how many times your content has been shared via Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Being able to analyze your social media results gives you the opportunity to adjust your marketing plan and focus your efforts on the social media platforms that get the best results.
If you do not know how to use WordPress to maximize your social media marketing efforts, a WordPress consulting company can help you get started. Professional consultants can help
you install WordPress on your server, configure it according to your business needs, and select themes, widgets, plugins, and other features to make your site a success. WordPress consultants may also offer advice about which plugins to use for promoting your site via social media. Taking the time to work with a consultant is a great investment in your business, as the increased sales and traffic you experience as a result of your work will well outweigh the small cost of getting help.