Musician Website Quick Fix #7: Add Social Links

Guest post from musician website and marketing platform Bandzoogle.

We always say that your website needs to be the hub of your online strategy (and we mean it). But, when people visit your website, they might only have a short time to check out your content. Also, let’s face it, social network sites are amazing tools to engage with fans and create frequent, short-lived interactions with them.

If you add quick and easy ways to connect with you on your social media profiles, it will capture even the most casual fans. That way, even if they spent a minute on your website, they can quickly “Like” your Facebook page or follow you on Twitter. Then, you can draw them back to your website with the content you put out through those social media profiles.

Where to place widgets and icons on your website

Widgets:

Social media widgets work best right on your Homepage. If you’re active on those networks, you can place a Facebook “Like” box, as well as a Twitter Feed on the sidebar (left or right side of the page), so people can find and connect with you right away when they land on your site.

Here’s an example of a Facebook “Like box” from Bandzoogle member Sara Tindley’s website:

And here’s an example of a Twitter feed from Bandzoogle member Alex Vissia’s website:

Facebook Like box: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like-box/

Twitter feed widget: https://twitter.com/about/resources/widgets (if you’re a Bandzoogle member, there is an option to add a Twitter feed through your account, as Alex Vissia did on her website)

Note: Having these widgets on every page of your site isn’t necessary. Just placing them on your Homepage would be enough.

Social Media Icons

Another option to get people to connect with you on social media through your website is to display icons that link to the various social media sites you’re most active on.

Here’s an example from Static Cycle’s Homepage, where the social media icons are right below the header image:

These icons can be displayed throughout your site, either running along the top of the page, sidebar, or footer. But besides your Homepage, another section of your site where you want to be sure to have social media links is on your Contact page. Often people click on a Contact page to see how and where they can connect with you, so it’s a good idea to have your social media links included in that section.

Note: If you’re a Bandzoogle member, this is easily done using the “My Sites” feature, which has 32 different sites to choose from, as well as several different icon styles.

Don’t Over Do It

You should simply link to the social media networks that you are most active on. The goal isn’t to send people away to 10 different places other than your website, but to make it easy for them to keep up with your latest activity.

Chances are, people will click on the link to the social media site that they themselves are most active on, so if they see a page that hasn’t been updated for months, it will create a negative impression. Don’t feel like you have to put a link to every social media site that you’ve created a profile for. Your website isn’t a display for your collection of website profiles! If you’re most active on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, you can simply display those links.

Previous Website Quick Fix posts:

Hypebot contributing writer Dave Cool is the Director of Artist Relations for musician website and marketing platform Bandzoogle. Twitter: @Bandzoogle | @dave_cool

admin on 05/14/2012 in Music Marketing | Permalink | Comments (0)

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