Have you ever encountered an article so valuable that you immediately wanted to share it with your social media network? Imagine if doing so required copying the link, switching apps (or tabs), and manually posting it.
Chances are, you’d think twice before going through this hassle. That’s why social media buttons can be a game changer.
With social media buttons, your audience can easily share your content with your followers to help your brand reach new audiences with minimal effort. When used strategically, these icons can boost engagement, drive website traffic, and help you maintain a strong online presence.
But where should you place them? How do you track their performance? And how do you use them effectively? This guide will discuss the factors that make social share icons necessary for your business and how and where to use them effectively.
What Are Social Media Buttons?
Social media buttons are clickable icons you add to your website pages, like articles, product pages, or blog posts. These make your content shareable. So, when your viewers click on these icons, they can share your blog post on social media – Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, or Instagram.
A pop-up window also appears with the post and link preview. People can also write their own views before hitting “post.”
They’re not just buttons—they can be powerful tools for your social media strategy. When your readers share your content or pages with their followers, you’re more likely to reach a wider audience and build a strong online presence.
Screenshot provided by the author
Types of Social Media Buttons
Not all social media icons serve the same purpose. Here are the different types you should consider:
- Facebook Like and Follow buttons: These encourage users to follow your page and stay updated with your latest posts.
- Twitter Follow button: With just a tap (or click), your audience can follow your X / Twitter account instantly and receive updates instantly.
- LinkedIn Follow button: This social network icon is ideal for B2B brands looking to grow their professional network and stay updated with their company’s news and events.
Why Social Media Buttons Matter for Website Engagement
Before diving into the strategies, let’s discuss why social share icons are so important.
1. They Make Sharing Effortless
Your audience is more likely to share your content if the process is smooth. All it requires is one click—they don’t have to copy your URL and paste it into their social media profile to share it with their audience.
Let’s say you’ve just published a blog article on your website. If a reader finds it insightful and wants to share it with their LinkedIn network, they can just click on the LinkedIn share button right at the bottom (or top) of the page. No hassle!
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2. They Expand Your Reach
Every share extends your content’s reach to new audiences, helping you attract more visitors organically.
For instance, as a small business owner, you might publish a blog post on top productivity tools for remote teams. A remote worker comes across your article and shares it with their X community. Then what happens? Other professionals working remotely will likely see it (and share it, too).
It’s a simple act of sharing that introduces your brand to a new audience that might not have discovered it otherwise.
Also, social shares increase the lifespan of your content. Building organic search traffic takes a lot of time. FirstPageSage suggests that SEO campaigns may take 6-12 months to reach positive results and offer a return on investment (ROI).
On social media, it’s different. A Facebook post’s average half-life is approximately 76 minutes, meaning it receives half of its total engagement within this timeframe.
Social media icons can also be helpful in influencer marketing.
Companies that collaborate with influencers may get more website traffic and make more sales. Industry influencers share videos, reels, and product reviews with their social media followers. Their audience trusts them and sees them as a great resource when looking to buy new products.
According to the Pew Research Center, 39% (or 4 in 10) of social media users rely on influencers’ or content creators’ reviews before buying a product. These reviews mostly affect 54% of those aged 18-29. And women are more likely to be affected by what these social media “stars” say than men.
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So, when an influencer shares your article or product link on Facebook or Instagram (it could be a story or reel), their audience is likely to engage with it, expanding your brand’s visibility further. This can lead to more website visits, new followers, and potential leads (loyal customers).
3. They Improve Social Proof
When users see that a post has been shared many times, they’re more likely to trust and engage with it. It creates a snowball effect of credibility and visibility.
Imagine this: Your blog post has been shared 500 times. This signals to new visitors that your content is valuable and worth a visit and read. This builds trust and encourages more people to engage with your content through reading, commenting, or even sharing.
Facebook and Twitter love content that has been shared multiple times. They even prioritize it in their algorithms. This means that if your post has received a lot of engagement, other social media users are more likely to see it, helping you reach new audiences.
This “effect” isn’t just one-time, but it’s ongoing, helping you get more website traffic and brand recognition (as your followers see you as a trusted source in your industry).
Now, let’s see how to use social share buttons effectively.
Where To Place Social Media Buttons for Maximum Impact
Strategic placement of social share icons can make all the difference. Here’s where to use them for optimal results:
1. Blog Posts and Articles
Adding sharing buttons to your blog posts encourages your readers to share valuable content.
Here’s what you can do:
- Place buttons at the top and bottom of your articles. This will make them more visible and convenient for readers to use.
- Use a floating sidebar. When users scroll, the buttons remain visible so that sharing is always just a click away.
- Include share counts. Your audience can see the number of times other users have shared your articles on Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, etc. This builds social proof and shows how popular your content is.
If you’re a marketing writer, you can benefit from these buttons by sharing your latest social media trends article with your X (Twitter followers). This allows readers to tweet key insights instantly.
2. Product Pages
For e-commerce businesses, allowing customers to share product pages on social media sites can drive organic traffic and increase conversions. Make sure:
- The share buttons are easy to find. Ideally, they should be placed near the product images or descriptions.
- To provide pre-filled messages: This allows for effortless sharing as users already have a pre-written post. A clothing brand might use something like: “Loving this new [product name] from [brand name]! Check it out: https://bulk.ly/social-media-buttons/ #FashionFind”. An electronic store might use the following: “Just found this amazing [gadget name] at [store name]! Tech lovers, you need to see this: https://bulk.ly/social-media-buttons/ #TechTrends”.
Here’s how social share buttons can look when placed near images or product descriptions. This is from Forever 21:
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3. Email Newsletters
Include social buttons in your emails (or email campaigns, including outreach) so that your subscribers can spread the word.
You can either:
- Add a “share this email” button to increase distribution.
- Or include follow buttons to grow your social media audience.
Let’s say you’re soon hosting a webinar. In your email, you add an invitation link and a LinkedIn share button to allow recipients to promote your event with their professional networks.
This is an email from Arden University. There’s no “Share Now” button, but they’ve made it easier for recipients to follow them on social channels by adding their icons at the end of the email.
Screenshot provided by the author
4. Landing Pages
Social media sharing buttons can help amplify your message when launching a new campaign or product.
Here’s what you can do:
- Encourage sharing after a user submits a form: Have you set up a form for users to sign up for the pre-launch of your new software? Add a “Thanks for signing up! Share with your friends” message (together with social media icons) to invite more guests.
- Display buttons in a non-intrusive manner: Don’t add animations or pop-ups, as these can frustrate users (and impact the user experience). Make sure the buttons are mobile-optimized. Use a sticky button that readers can access without taking up a lot of space.
- Offer an incentive for sharing: This could be a small discount code (or a downloadable PDF guide) for users who share your landing page with their social media community.
Many companies, like Solawave, particularly make-up and fashion brands, have a “Refer and Earn” program page.
When people sign up, they receive a unique link to share with their family and friends. They (the followers) get a 15% discount on their first order. The program participant gets up to 20% off the referral’s first order upon the first purchase from the shared link.
Like this, people are more likely to buy your products, knowing that they’re paying less than the original price.
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Best Practices for Using Social Media Buttons
To maximize engagement and traffic with social buttons, follow these best practices:
1. Have a Clear Call-To-Action (CTA)
CTAs are key for your ads, form completions, and blog post headlines (yes, headlines have a huge impact, as they have to draw the reader’s attention to read the rest of the content). Naturally, even CTAs have to be considered for social share icons.
There are different approaches you can take to implement a clear CTA in your sharing buttons:
Transform Your Sharing Button Into Text
One option is to use a CTA-based text rather than a “Facebook” or “Twitter” icon. This has become popular on sites that allow sharing only to a few social networks, like Facebook and Twitter.
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This makes the action clearer and more inviting, mostly with users who may not instantly recognize social media icons. The buttons also blend naturally with content-heavy pages.
Add Text Around Your Social Icon
Want your audience to share your content? Just ask. Some plugins let you add extra text around your social media icons, like “sharing is caring.”
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This is also proven. According to Buffer, if you ask your X followers to “retweet” your tweet rather than using the abbreviation “RT,” your post can have a 23x chance of being retweeted.
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2. Using an Eye-Catching Design
Buttons should be visually appealing without overwhelming the page.
We live in a world where options are limited, which also makes it difficult for us to make our final decisions. However, as a general rule, choose a color scheme (for your social icon) that goes well with your brand colors and website aesthetics (you know, for a seamless look).
A mismatch in design can make social share buttons feel out of place and less trustworthy. If you’re new to this and have the right budget, consider working with a web designer (or a freelancer) to help you create an attractive website and CTA buttons.
Picture this: A luxury hotel website that uses flashy, oversized buttons. These wouldn’t blend well with the company’s message, right? Minimalist social media buttons would be perfect, as this design blends well with high-end branding.
Hôtel Monville places their icons in the footer—they’re small, accessible, and don’t draw the focus away from the content itself.
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3. Measure the Success of Your Social Icons
Another important step is to track the impact of your social share buttons on your website’s engagement and see how your audience is reacting to your content. This is what you can do:
Use Web Analytics Tools
Google Analytics is a popular tool that gives you insights into the origin of your website traffic. Are your followers visiting from your email newsletter or from your Instagram profile?
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Google Analytics lets you track different metrics to see how your new social media sharing icons are performing:
- Page views
- Bounce rate
- Referral traffic
Leverage Social Media Analytics
There are different tools you can use to track social media engagement.
However, with Bulk.ly, you don’t have to switch tabs while using Facebook or X (Twitter), as it lets you manage everything on one platform. Tracking likes, shares, and comments lets you see how often your content is shared and which social media platforms perform best to drive traffic to your website.
A/B Test Your Designs
Your work isn’t done (when is it really when it comes to social media?). A/B testing different social media button designs helps you determine which designs are most effective at driving engagement.
Test different button placements, colors, and sizes. Check your analytics data from Bulk.ly and see which icon styles are working to increase your social share counts.
How Can Help You Drive Engagement and Traffic
Bulk.ly is an AI-powered tool that automates your social media workflows. This includes:
- Creating social posts
- Scheduling and publishing posts (making sure your social content reaches the right audience at the right time)
- Recycling your social media content so that your audience knows that you’re active
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Bulk.ly can also generate AI prompts and hashtag recommendations.
Let’s say you want to share your blog post on investment tips with your X followers. Bulk.ly selects the right hashtags to help you target the right users. (It’s important not to skip this step if you want others to share your post).
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Final Words on Social Media Buttons
Social media buttons may seem like a small addition to your website or email newsletters. However, they greatly impact your engagement, brand awareness, and website traffic. When you optimize their design, track their performance, and use a clear CTA, you make it easier for your audience to share your content with their network and help you attract new audiences.
Take a moment to evaluate your current use of social share buttons:
- Are they easy to find?
- Are they aligned with your brand’s aesthetic?
- Are you tracking their effectiveness?
Experiment with different placements, designs, and CTA strategies to see what works best for your audience.
Need help with your social media strategy? Bulk.ly, with AI, helps you automate your social media workflow and maintain a strong online presence. Start your free 7-day trial here.
