You can have a phenomenal WordPress site, but if you’re trying to monetize, or if you’re using it as an advertising platform, it’s not going to do you much good unless you can manage to get it in front of more people.

Today we have the added benefit of social media and sharing capabilities, but how do you go about setting it up so that it works flawlessly together, without eating your budget or your time? Social Media plugins work by giving readers the ability to instantly share your site with their own social network with just the click of a button. Some of them are free, and some of them come with a price tag. We’ve put together a selection of the best social media plugins to help get your followers to do some of the work for you.

Buttons

There are many available button plugins for WordPress to help you get your message out on social media that will allow your users to share your posts effortlessly. There are options available that show up at the bottom of the article, the top of the article, and now, there are even scrolling panels that allow the “share” function to be available at the side of the page no matter where in the post your reader happens to be.

Comments

Adding a comments section to your blog allows for the social media user to interact with your blog, giving you much needed traffic, as they return and return again to follow the conversation. They are also more likely to share your post on their own social media page if they are invested in it by being a part of the discussion. Many of the available comments plug-ins will also allow readers to sign in directly from their Facebook or Google+ accounts. By engaging your readers in a discussion, you’ll be able to tailor future posts to the topics that generate the most interest, and gauge the reactions to any controversial opinions you may have stated. Many readers may even ask questions that allow you to expand on your work, and this may even generate ideas for future topics.

Tracking

Social media tracking is just what it sounds like, but that’s actually a good thing. This isn’t necessarily about finding out what other people are doing, but about finding out how well your site is doing. Social media tracking programs allow you to see which of your posts are doing well, and where they are doing the best. They will count the number of shares, as well as the number of comments, allowing you to understand which of your posts are generating the most interest or the most discussion. These programs can track your metrics across a variety of social platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, as well as many others. Knowing where your posts are finding the greatest audience is your ticket to knowing how to move forward in the future.

Broadcasting

No we’re not talking about radio or television ads, we’re talking about sending your posts out automatically among various sites. You can start the social media sharing by sharing it to your own Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google+ account. By sending it out on multiple platforms, you can again increase the readership among your followers, and increase the sharing potential within each site.

Content Locking

While many people find the idea of having to pay to finish reading an article upsetting, there is something to be said for locking content in a way that costs nothing, and takes just a second of their time. You can now offer to unlock content if your reader will simply hit “Like” or “Share” for your post, allowing them to continue reading while getting your work in front of more sets of eyes. Content locking should be used sparingly, and preferably on only the most engaging and powerful posts. If readers run into it too much, they’ll simply stop reading your posts altogether, which is not what you want. Content locking can be a fantastic way to grow your base, but if not done well, can also lose subscribers if they feel you’re just using them.

While each of these methods of integrating Social Media with your WordPress site can help you out by themselves, combining one or more of these tools can exponentially increase your views. Add your sharing buttons to your emails, to get your posts shared, and grow your email list by asking for readers to sign up in order to have content unlocked! Finding ways to uses these services will help you get the most out of your site, for the least amount of work. It may take a while to get everything in place, but once you do, maintaining your site and your readership becomes effortless.

David Grover
David Grover is a Communications Manager at Timeo, a useful tool for businesses in the UK. He’s also a freelance career coach, who’s always eager to share his experience. In his free time he enjoys travelling.