Social connectivity is imperative for the success of your WordPress site.
Well, any site, really, but WordPress offers so many opportunities for easy social media integration that you have absolutely no excuses not to make it a priority.
So, if you’ve been reluctant to dive in or just don’t know where to start, I’ve put together some great WordPress social media resources that will have you tweeting, liking, and sharing like a pro in no time.
Social Media Plugins
Digg Digg
Digg Digg by Buffer puts a floating share bar on the lefthand side of your blog to make it super simple for visitors to share your content with their followers and friends. It’s straightforward and obvious, but not intrusive.
AddThis
AddThis actually offers several social media plugins that are rather useful. For instance, there is Share Buttons by AddThis, which makes it easy for visitors to share your content. Then there’s Follow Buttons by AddThis, which allow visitors to easily locate your social profiles and follow you.
Flare
Yet another social sharing plugin, Flare adds a little pizzaz to the whole share bar concept. It’s eye-catching and nice to look at. Besides, you can’t have too many options, right?
Shareaholic
Add floating share buttons, shareable images and related content to your posts and pages with just a few clicks thanks to Shareaholic. The share buttons are nicely styled, attract attention, yet aren’t intrusive.
Jetpack
Most WordPress sites can make use of the Jetpack plugin, even if you don’t consider the social components. But it’s got that task nailed down, too. Specifically, the Publicize module makes it easy to automatically share your new blog posts when they go live on your social networks.
WordPress Social Media Resources
Now, you could have all the best social media plugins in the world installed on your site and it won’t make a bit of difference if you don’t know how to use them. And it’ll matter even less difference if you don’t understand some basic principles of social media and engagement.
With that said, below are some resources that will prove invaluable as you make your first foray into social.
Social Media Image Cheat Sheet 2014 [Infographic] – While it might not impact what you post on your social accounts, having your profiles properly configured is essential to making the biggest impact. Knowing precisely how images in headers, banners, and profile photos should be sized marks a huge leap in professionalism.
The Best and Worst Times to Post, Pin & Tweet [Infographic] – Another excellent resource that breaks down when you should and shouldn’t post on your social media accounts. Every industry is a little different but this is an excellent primer to get you started.
7 Point Checklist to Dominate Your Personal Brand Using Google Plus – An insightful post about how to make the most of your Google+ profile and how to better integrate it into your overall social media strategy.
20 Social Media Tips to Rule 2014 – A straightforward list of tips to help you set your social priorities and build a better strategy.
Conclusion
While there’s no one-size fits all solution to using social media and incorporating it into your WordPress site, the above resources should be more than enough to get you started out on the right foot.
Are you active on social media? What’s the best tip you’ve ever heard for integrating social into WordPress?
About the author: Tom Ewer is the editor of the ManageWP Blog, a freelance writer and a professional blogger.
