Challenge #7: Social Media & Your Website
We get many website owners asking us about social media and how they should be using it with their website. First and foremost, you want your website visitors to be able to easily achieve the following on your website:
- Be able to EASILY find your social media accounts links; i.e. a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest etc icons on your site. Ideal locations for social icons are your website header or footer regions, or both. This will enable the site visitor to easily click on the icon to visit your accounts; where they can then view your posts and ideally decide to follow you.
- Have a “Call To Action” to encourage your site visitors to follow you on social media; providing them with an incentive to do so – take a look at this fab example below on Fox Valley Cottages website in Cornwall: (click on the image to visit their site)
What is the benefit of getting followers? Each time you post something new on to your Facebook page, if one of your followers “like” your post, this may get your post seen by their friends, who may decide to take a look at your page too – leading to more likes and followers. It’s like a ripple effect; and one post can get seen by many hundreds of people if it’s of sufficient interest. (Note); posts that are: funny, sad, have baby animals or lovely scenery are likely to be liked and shared. The key point is to make your posts as interesting as possible to get the furthest reach.
You can take this so much further too!
If you have a wordpress based website chances are you will be able to do quite exciting things such as embedding your facebook feed or latest tweets on your website, or even nicer; have your instagram photos pulled into your site.
Take a look at Wallops Wood Holiday Cottages website – their footer area includes both a Facebook page and Instagram embedded: (click on the image to visit their site)
Your website should always be your best marketing tool; so everything you do online should be focused on getting as many visitors as possible onto your website; and social media is one of the best ways to do this.
If your website is not wordpress, or you aren’t able to do any of the above you may wish to visit Web Design For Accommodation (our sister site) which specialises in creating websites for self catering / bed & breakfast accommodation.
To recap on the challenge – take a look at your website – and add your social links if they aren’t already in your header or footer area. Add a call to action, asking your site visitors to follow you, or like your page. Let us know how you get on!
xoxo
