WordPress Plugins for Facebook & Instagram

It’s no secret that social media is everywhere. It touches both life and industry in virtually every corner of the globe.

At the epicenter of this marketing movement are giants Facebook and Instagram (who was acquired by Facebook in 2012). According to the Pew Research Center, 79% of all internet users use Facebook, while 32% are on Instagram.

With their massive user base and innovative technology, it’s a great time to integrate these services into your own website. Harnessing their power can help to boost your own brand. And, if you use WordPress, you’ll find some great plugins that make various levels of integration quite easy.

Let’s take a look at some ways social media integration (specifically with regard to Facebook and Instagram) can benefit your WordPress website. We’ll also identify plugins you can use to help make it happen.

The most basic integration can also be one of the most effective. Adding social media feeds to your website was one of the original ways to let more people know about your presence on these networks.

Why do we continue to do this? Because it works! In fact, I’d argue that it’s just as important to do so now as it was in the very beginning of the social media craze.

Algorithms that Facebook uses (not to mention their desire for advertising dollars) means that a business page’s post may only get exposure to a fraction of its followers. That means less eyeballs viewing your posts and fewer shares. In turn, that makes recruiting new followers that much more difficult. While adding a feed to your site isn’t a total solution, it does help to encourage people to get onboard.

Plus, embedding feeds can be a big help in getting users to interact with your brand in other ways. For example, you may want to run an Instagram promotion where you post crowd-sourced photos using a specific hashtag. Seeing these photos on your site may encourage more customers to get involved.

InstaShow will create lovely photo galleries pulled from your Instagram feed. Take images from your account, a hashtag or a specific location. In all, there are over 60 parameters you can adjust to make the gallery your own.

Let’s face it: Many of us have far too many online accounts to keep track of. With the amount and complexity of passwords to remember, the last thing we need is to add yet one more to the list.

That’s why adding a social login option makes so much sense. Once again, this small step adds another layer of convenience for visitors. That gives them even more incentive to comment on your blog posts or even make purchases on your eCommerce site.

Adding social login capabilities to your WooCommerce store can make it easier and more appealing for customers to make a purchase. WooCommerce Social Login works with a plethora of social networks (including Facebook and Instagram) to allow users to login with their existing accounts. It automatically integrates into the WooCommerce checkout page, and can also be displayed via a WordPress Shortcode and Widget.

AccessPress Social Login brings the ease and convenience of allowing users to register and login to your site via their favorite social media account. There are several templates and plugin options to choose from so that it matches the look, location and functionality you need.

Because social networks encourage developers to tap into their powerful APIs, it’s interesting to see the other creative uses that have cropped up. Some of the plugins below have a broader appeal than others – but they can all bring something unique to your website.

Facebook Live has become something of a cultural phenomenon, with everyone from giddy teenagers to high level politicians broadcasting whatever they’re doing at the moment. Livestream Social for WordPress lets you harness that power for your own website. The plugin (which also works with YouTube and Twitch) lets you bring live streams to your site and even has a nifty scheduling feature that will sync up with your social account.

Social Auto Poster is highly configurable, with the ability to automatically post to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – among others. Choose which types of WordPress content you want to post. It’s compatible with popular eCommerce plugins and provides per-post options in a metabox.

Facebook Events will import events from the social network into your WordPress website. Events can be imported manually or automatically. Once the events are on your site, you can display them in an attractive grid or list format. The Event Search feature allows users to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Each of these Facebook and Instagram integrations add functionality and conveniences that will add to the overall user experience of your website. They make a nice companion to your existing content.

You might consider them to be little bonuses. But, while they may be small in size, they are exactly the type of features that can help turn a ho-hum website into one people actually want to spend some time with.

And, by integrating these services, you’re meeting people where they already are. You’re building a bridge between your brand and hundreds of millions of social media users. It’s a great way to show them that you “get it” and, in turn, work to build a lasting relationship.

For more great reads, head over to the Elements Blog to catch up on the latest trends, tips, interviews and roundups!