A company’s presence on social media is closely interlinked with the company’s website. Effective integration of social media in web design is essential to realise the full benefits of social media.

In the first part of this post on essential social media features in web design, we looked at 6 widely used social media features every web design should include.

Here are 6 additional web 2.0 features you can include in your web design to maximise your return.

7. Newsletter/Other Email Registration

Email list can be one of the biggest assets for a business, no matter how small or large. Newsletter is one of the best ways to start your email list. Newsletter subscription forms are a common feature on Web 2.0 or social media enabled websites.

Another effective way to build your email list fast is to offer a free resource such as an eBook or whitepaper tied in to an email subscription form.

Many websites also use plugins that display a sign-up form in a popup window automatically when a visitor arrives at the website. This hsd proved very effective for encouraging sign-ups and most websites that use this have reported significant increase in conversions as a result of this.

8. Comments

Comments are a great way to promote visitor engagement and interaction. You don’t just benefit by getting comments on your blog, but they can also be useful on regular websites. However, unlike on blogs, comments may not be suitable for every section of your website. Sections such as news, discussions, or general articles on your website are perfect for accepting comments from customers.

9. Star Ratings & Reviews

Ability to rate feature is another interactive feature on website that has become common in web 2.0 enabled websites. It adds interactivity and can improve the quality of your content. Reviews are slightly different to comments. While both involve customer feedback, reviews are more suited for content such as products and services whereas comments are better suited for other general discussions or content.

10. Individual Share Buttons for Specific Networks

In addition to common sharing tools that link to most networks, you can improve your performance by giving special focus to networks that are particularly relevant to your business. E.g. some business receive most of their traffic from sites such as Stumble Upon, Digg or Reddit. It thus makes sense to include individual share buttons for the networks that convert best for your website. Relatively new sites such as Google Plus or Pinterest that have become very popular among users also deserve a special focus.

11. Top List (Top Content)

Features such as ratings, reviews and comments also present opportunities for other interactive features and widgets on the website such as ‘Most Rated’, ‘Most Commented’ or ‘Most Reviewed’ content. Other content suitable for top list widgets include ‘Most Popular’ and ‘Latest Content’. The list is automatically generated and offers another way for users to explore content. It also allows you to cross promote items or content from across your website.

12. Social Login

Social login refers to the facility to allow visitors to sign in to your website with one of their existing social network accounts such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc.

You may wish to offer content on your website that is only available to users after successful registration and login. Studies have shown that you can increase your registration rate by allowing your users to login with their social network account.

Another study on how social media can boost e-commerce sales, has shown that social logins can reduce the abandonment rate of shopping carts (customers who start the shopping process but end up discarding the purchase before completing).

There are many ways to integrate social login on your website. You can either integrate a specific network such as Facebook or Twitter using the respective api or you can use a common service that supports multiple social networks.

Conclusion:

More than 90% of companies believe that social media is most effective in building brand reputation and awareness (Marketing Sherpa). However, social media marketing can be very time consuming for businesses.

By integrating your website effectively with social media and incorporating the right features in your web design, you can involve website visitors in promoting your content and website on social media. It also adds interactivity to your website and allows you to engage with website visitors.

What Social Media features do you offer on your website?

I use many of the social media features listed above on my website and blog. Although I do not offer social login as yet, this is something I am looking to offer in the near future. What features do you offer? Please share your response by leaving a comment below.