Thread: Integrating social media into your website

Hi all,

I've just now joined twitter and added my fan page from Facebook and my twitter feed to my website. I like having it all on my website, but now my home page is even more cluttered than it was.

I seem to be a dolt at figuring out a more elegant way to present all this info. Does anyone have some really nice examples of webpages that include social media without looking schizophrenic?

Here's a link; try not to laugh - I added the new stuff this morning.

Belly Dance in Dallas with Tamra Henna - Bellydance Classes, Shows, Bellygrams - 214-616-8017

Look at my contact page.
I don't use live feeds for twitter, I feel like it's too cluttered. I don't really use twitter as the Bellydance Tanya anyway.
It's a tiny blurb at the bottom, but I'm not really good at pimping myself out.

Originally Posted by _Tanya_

Look at my contact page.
I don't use live feeds for twitter, I feel like it's too cluttered. I don't really use twitter as the Bellydance Tanya anyway.
It's a tiny blurb at the bottom, but I'm not really good at pimping myself out.

Haha, my site looks like a neon sign.

I like the twitter feed, because it matches the website colors. The FB feed I think is a big problem. But I like the traffic it could generate....

Eh, I tend to write dumb stupid things that pop into my head which would look stupid on my site.

Also I only maintain "Tanya" not "BD Tanya" on Facebook, I have a fan page but even there I'm mostly silly and light hearted.

I feel like an idiot for volunteering myself, but a lot of people have told me that they love how I supplement my website content with Twitter, a blog and a Flickr account:

Carrara Nour | Professional Belly Dancer in Connecticut (CT)

Take from it whatever you'd like Social media isn't for everyone, and it can take a bit of a learning curve. But clients seem to love how I convey a dash of humor and approachability to round out my professionalism.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

I feel like an idiot for volunteering myself, but a lot of people have told me that they love how I supplement my website content with Twitter, a blog and a Flickr account:

Carrara Nour | Professional Belly Dancer in Connecticut (CT)

Take from it whatever you'd like Social media isn't for everyone, and it can take a bit of a learning curve. But clients seem to love how I convey a dash of humor and approachability to round out my professionalism.

I was just about to suggest your site don't feel bad. Before I saw your site I thought it was a waste of time to even link social media to websites. I think it raises your star and makes people feel like you're more approachable if it's done right.

Oh, and one more thing? Don't be surprised if your Twitter feed occasionally acts up and doesn't display your tweets. Twitter's constantly changing its scripts, and this can sometimes interfere with whatever code you've used to get the Twitter feed on your site. This type of SNAFU is usually pretty short-lived.

OK, the first thing is, you can sync your facebook and twitter, so in theory, you won't have to have both on the same page.

I've sort of spread myself out over my Web site. I used to have my twitter feed on my about me page, but I find it to be fickle, so I just removed it. Andalee Belly Dance - Professional Belly Dance in Durham, NC

I also recommend that you get the smaller badge for your FB feed. It takes up less room and people just need to see that you're on FB and the live link...they don't need to know who your fans are and your last five updates (cause it's integrated with twitter now, right? ;) )

Let me know if you have any questions.

Good call on the Facebook badge. You can also do this for LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace and any other networking sites you might be on!

Originally Posted by SamarDahab

I was just about to suggest your site don't feel bad. Before I saw your site I thought it was a waste of time to even link social media to websites. I think it raises your star and makes people feel like you're more approachable if it's done right.

Thanks! I was skeptical at first, since a lot of dancers had initially said, "Ya know, that might not be a good idea"

But once I got past a short learning curve and came up with my own system, I found that the results have been overwhelmingly positive. It's nice to feel like you're presenting yourself as a well-rounded personality, rather than a one-dimensional "product," if that makes sense. When people hire an entertainer, they want something a little bit larger than life, you know?

I have a twitter feed on my homepage which has worked really well for me and I have my facebook site on my "contact" page, but I may move a badge to the homepage as well. I think it's been helpful - my gigs have increased and I think it's because of the "human" aspect social media adds.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Good call on the Facebook badge. You can also do this for LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace and any other networking sites you might be on!

Oh, off to get a badge for MySpace! Thanks.

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

Oh, off to get a badge for MySpace! Thanks.

No prob! You should get one for your Flickr, too, if you're actively using Flickr to market your dancing ..g.:

Originally Posted by MaryRaks

I have a twitter feed on my homepage which has worked really well for me and I have my facebook site on my "contact" page, but I may move a badge to the homepage as well. I think it's been helpful - my gigs have increased and I think it's because of the "human" aspect social media adds.

I think there's a lot to be said for using social media. Today's consumer, more than ever, is driven to do business with people they like and trust. The more you can convey warmth and a sincere connection with clients, the better.

Not to mention, social media can also boost traffic to your website if you use it correctly.

It's really a win-win, IMO.

Okay, I redid it - not in a big way yet, but it is less cluttered (I relented and took down the FB fan box, but I really do like the twitter feed). I've got some more ideas on how to improve the site, so it will be changing slowly over the next few days.

OMFG, I'm tweeting. I think this is a sign of the impending apocalypse.

I hereby solemnly promise not to tweet every time I scratch my butt.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I hereby solemnly promise not to tweet every time I scratch my butt.

Easier said than done!!!!! .w.:

Updated this morning with some cute icons I downloaded for free from Komodo media (Komodo Media)...

It's getting better, I think (never mind that it really needs a total redesign)...

Keep in mind I've only updated the index page so far....

(Link below in sig)

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

No prob! You should get one for your Flickr, too, if you're actively using Flickr to market your dancing ..g.:

No, flickr is more of a personal thing for me. BTW I looked high and low and I could not find a myspace badge to save my life. I did however, inadvertently invite all 600 of my gmail contacts to become my friend on myspace. That really sucks.

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

No, flickr is more of a personal thing for me. BTW I looked high and low and I could not find a myspace badge to save my life. I did however, inadvertently invite all 600 of my gmail contacts to become my friend on myspace. That really sucks.

Keep poking around - I know MySpace badges are out there. My web guy put one on my site (even though I don't use my MySpace anymore). So odd that you haven't found one yet!

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

No, flickr is more of a personal thing for me. BTW I looked high and low and I could not find a myspace badge to save my life. I did however, inadvertently invite all 600 of my gmail contacts to become my friend on myspace. That really sucks.

Hi Andalee - there's a myspace icon in the package I downloaded yesterday from Komodo Media. I googled "free social networking icons" or something like that when I was searching.

I didn't include my myspace page on my website because I'm curious about how many people use myspace any more. Is it worthwhile to keep up with it?

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I didn't include my myspace page on my website because I'm curious about how many people use myspace any more. Is it worthwhile to keep up with it?

It might all depend on what's going on in your market, but I haven't even gotten a single friend request on there in months. On FB, I get several friend requests, messages and comments each day. It's so much more active. Last year, I got tons of leads on MySpace. It dried up pretty fast. (Maybe that's also because I changed my relationship status from "single" to "taken," and fewer people have been enticed to click on my profile )

Plus, FB indexes higher with a mature demographic (25-54) than MySpace, which has always been more popular with an 18-25 crowd. If you think about the people you've done business with in recent months, you'll probably find that the majority are 25+. In fact, most of my gigs have been 40th, 50th and 60th birthday parties. So there's something to be said for targeting a more mature "heavy user."

I'll have to pull up some articles from AdAge for you, but there are way too many statistics that demonstrate this mass exodus from MySpace to FB, and a huge amount of growth among more mature users (age 45+).

If MySpace is working for you, then keep it by all means! Every market is different and some nightclubs continue to use MySpace. I've gotten leads in the past from being on there. But if it's not working for you, or if you don't wanna add one extra social networking persona to your multiple internet personalities....then, you're probably not missing out on much if you forego MySpace. I'm thinking of canceling my account, as well.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

It might all depend on what's going on in your market, but I haven't even gotten a single friend request on there in months. On FB, I get several friend requests, messages and comments each day. It's so much more active. Last year, I got tons of leads on MySpace. It dried up pretty fast. (Maybe that's also because I changed my relationship status from "single" to "taken," and fewer people have been enticed to click on my profile )

Plus, FB indexes higher with a mature demographic (25-54) than MySpace, which has always been more popular with an 18-25 crowd. If you think about the people you've done business with in recent months, you'll probably find that the majority are 25+. In fact, most of my gigs have been 40th, 50th and 60th birthday parties. So there's something to be said for targeting a more mature "heavy user."

I'll have to pull up some articles from AdAge for you, but there are way too many statistics that demonstrate this mass exodus from MySpace to FB, and a huge amount of growth among more mature users (age 45+).

If MySpace is working for you, then keep it by all means! Every market is different and some nightclubs continue to use MySpace. I've gotten leads in the past from being on there. But if it's not working for you, or if you don't wanna add one extra social networking persona to your multiple internet personalities....then, you're probably not missing out on much if you forego MySpace.

This pretty much echoes my own firsthand experience with Myspace. I myself rarely go there or update it because FB is so much more interactive.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

This pretty much echoes my own firsthand experience with Myspace. I myself rarely go there or update it because FB is so much more interactive.

Yes. More interactive, less "meat market 2.0"

Now, on second thought, any dancer who's actively pitching a Super Sweet 16 package or classes for teens should consider setting up a MySpace profile.

Here's a nice article on the demo breakdown of social networking sites. Facebook, MySpace Divide Along Social Lines : NPR

My area has a lot of low-income, inner city demographic, and in my experience these people are just as likely to be interested in belly dance. Unlike Satin, I do not serve a high-end demo and instead focus my plan on reaching everyday people. It's mostly because of my area and my personality.

BTW, thanks for the icon pack link, THTX. Here's how I used it on my site: Andalee Belly Dance - Professional Belly Dance in Durham, NC

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

My area has a lot of low-income, inner city demographic, and in my experience these people are just as likely to be interested in belly dance. Unlike Satin, I do not serve a high-end demo and instead focus my plan on reaching everyday people. It's mostly because of my area and my personality.

Of course! That's why it's ultimately your own personal call. I live in the second most affluent county in America, so my typical clientele's preferences are sometimes radically different from those in the rest of the country and even in other parts of my own state. Half of the battle, when running a dance business, is grasping the delicate science of who your customers are and what they want.

Can't wait to read that article!

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

Here's a nice article on the demo breakdown of social networking sites. Facebook, MySpace Divide Along Social Lines : NPR

My area has a lot of low-income, inner city demographic, and in my experience these people are just as likely to be interested in belly dance. Unlike Satin, I do not serve a high-end demo and instead focus my plan on reaching everyday people. It's mostly because of my area and my personality.

BTW, thanks for the icon pack link, THTX. Here's how I used it on my site: Andalee Belly Dance - Professional Belly Dance in Durham, NC

I love your design, Andalee! Very pretty and clean.

*ETA* I live in a highly-brown area of the country, though it's also a highly savvy one. I may rethink myspace if it's a good way to connect with a more Hispanic audience, though my experience with quinceaneras so far has been that the GOH wants to BE the main attraction and learn a whole routine before the party, and doesn't want to pay for private lessons or thinks it's something that can be taught in an hour.

Tamrahenna, thanks for that komodo link. Just updated my site with the icons. (here: Monica~~San Francisco Belly Dance~~Performance, Instruction, Supplies) Much obliged!

I had to get creative with the tribe icon, though.

Cool, I'm glad everyone is liking the icons! Make sure you're linking to his site, though (and I may also send him a donation) - I want him to be happy that we belly dancers have found him!