As you may have read or seen, Twitter has just launched a nifty new tool called the “Follow” button, which enables users to subscribe to the Twitter feed of a brand (or anyone) directly from their websites with a single click. This new “Follow” feature allows brands to keep consumers on their own sites, rather than driving them to Twitter in order to subscribe.
For brands, not having consumers navigate away from their sites is clearly a big win. And allowing brands to incorporate their social media presence into their home turf – via the “Follow” button – will make brands’ lives a little easier.
There is some fine print of course: you already have to be logged in to Twitter for the button to work in the one-click fashion described here. If you’re not logged in, a pop-up window will prompt you to log in to Twitter while giving you a preview of the brand’s Twitter page. This is just a small detail, though. The pop-up still keeps users from navigating away from the brands page.
This new feature presents a great opportunity to review how your companies’ websites are integrated with social media. Are they keeping consumers engaged and preventing them from wandering elsewhere? Or are consumers being unnecessarily driven off-site and on to Facebook, Twitter or other channels?
The Twitter “Follow” button follows Facebook’s elegantly conceived “Like” and “Send” buttons in making social media integration more seamless. A clear indication of the importance of this new feature is that many prominent websites made the change on the first day the button was released – including HuffingtonPost.com, MTV.com, and WSJ.com. Is your company following suit?
