Why are Social Sharing Buttons Important for Gaining Incoming Traffic Via Social Networking Sites?

Social media is a very powerful tool for creating brand awareness and growing a business.  Today, there are a number of sites that provide a way for you to connect with groups of like minded people that will help increase visibility and put your brand in front of more potential customers.  Of course you can build a community of followers in the network of your choosing, but how do you get that traffic to your website?  There are several methods, and the social sharing button is increasingly become one of the most effective.  According to research, social networking drives more traffic than any other source, and that speaks to how important this feature has become.

There is a wide variety of social networks, and it seems as if each and every one has a sharing button.  Here are a few you may want to consider adding to boost traffic to your site:

As the most popular social network in the world, you can imagine that the Facebook sharing button is highly sought after these days.  In a single click, your content is posted, complete with a short description and associated thumbnail image, on the user’s Facebook profile.  If people find it interesting, it is very likely that the content will be viewed and re-shared by the user’s friends, giving you the opportunity to generate even more traffic.  Facebook is riding high right now, so if you have a presence on the site, it is advisable to make sure you include this social sharing button on your web pages, and in your emails as well.

Twitter is also prominent in the social networking space and according to statistics recently compiled by PingDom.com, it is the network the internet’s top bloggers rely on the most for sharing.  With the Twitter button, your content is displayed in the form of a tweet that includes your account name, page title, and a condensed version of your URL.  There are a number of services that will create this button for you, with TweetMeme being among the most popular.  When using this service, the tweet created for your content is automatically posted on the TweetMeme website. 

Digg is geared more towards tech geeks, but as one of the most trafficked destinations in the world, adding a social sharing button for this site wouldn’t be a bad idea.  When a link is shared, a URL is included along with a short description and thumbnail image.  Keep in mind, however, that competition is fierce on Digg, and the site tends to be more favorable to “power diggers” with large networks of followers who vote for their content.  This makes it very difficult for average users to the make the front page.  On a positive note, the better and more valuable the content, the better your chances of getting some decent traffic, so if you have the room to add a Digg button in your email or on your website, it might be worth a shot.

Sharing is one of the elements that has made the Web 2.0. era such a success.  Instead of copying and pasting content in an email, internet users can now share an interesting piece of content with the quick click of a button.  These days, it is very common to encounter buttons that invite users to not only share content on the popular social networks, but also bookmarking sites, video communities, blogs, and many other outlets.  With the advent of the sharing button, it has become easier than ever for readers to share your content with a global audience.