Every single blog should have clearly visible social sharing buttons to make it easy for readers to share content with the friends and families. If you aren't familiar with how to add these to your website or would like to exchange the small social icons at the bottom of your page for something a bit more noticeable, then the following tips on how to add social sharing buttons to your business blog will help you get started on the right foot.

Choose Your Social Networking Sites

There are literally dozens of social networking sites where users can share information but you don't want to add that many social sharing buttons to your website. In fact, you probably want to have no more than five buttons at the most. Giving your readers too many options can actually decrease shares as users don't know what site to pick and so wind up not sharing your content at all.

Here is an overview of some of your best button options:

  • Facebook is probably one of the best buttons to add as the site has about 2 billion users and generates more referral traffic than many other social networking websites.
  • Twitter is also a must because of its large user base and the potential it has to generate a lot of traffic to your website.
  • If you run a B2B business then a LinkedIn button is a must as that is the website where your clients are likely to hang out.
  • Google + is not nearly as popular as many other social networking websites but the fact remains that it is owned by Google and content shared on it can boost your website's SEO.
  • If you share a lot of images on your website and/or your target audience is mainly female then a Pinterest button is a must.
  • Instagram has hundreds of millions of users. You may want to use its sharing button in place of the Pinterest button if your website has a lot of photo content and caters to a youthful audience.

Choose Your Location

There are various places where you can add social sharing buttons to your business blog. Many websites opt to place the buttons near the website header. This is an ideal spot because people can see them easily. Others opt to add the button to the bottom of the article so that people who are enthused about what they just read don't have to scroll up to share the content. Some experts recommend adding scrolling buttons on the right hand side of the blog; these buttons follow the user as he or she scrolls down, continually reminding users that they can easily share your content if they choose to do so.

The truth is there is no one “perfect” place for your sharing buttons. Experiment with different spots on your blog to see what option generates the most social shares. You should also take your blog style and layout into account to make sure the sharing buttons don't make it hard for users to see and enjoy your content.

Choose Your Buttons

Social sharing buttons are available in numerous shapes and sizes. Check out the style options and choose a style that looks good on your blog. The buttons should stand out so that users can easily see them but they should not be overly large or ostentatious.

Stats displays are also important to consider when choosing social sharing buttons. If you opt for buttons that display how many likes or shares an article has received, it may be wise to pick buttons that only display stats after you have reached a minimum number of shares. Doing so will save you the embarrassment of advertising to you readers that one or more of your articles has received few or no shares.

Add Social Sharing Buttons to Your Business Blog

The final step is to add the social sharing buttons of your choice to your business blog. Thankfully, there are many websites that provide the resources you need to do this quickly and easily. Simply follow the instructions and then double-check your website to make sure your new buttons work properly.

Social media networks make it easy for satisfied customers to tell others about your goods and/or services. However, most people won't bother sharing your blog posts unless you make it easy for them to do so. Put some time and thought into picking your social media buttons and then keep tabs on your statistics to make sure the buttons are as effective as they are meant to be.

You may also want to partner with an experienced branding and online marketing company to boost traffic to your website. Brandgy offers a host of services to help you increase traffic and sales, including content marketing packages with accompanying social media posts. Get in touch with us at your convenience to find out how we can help you add social sharing buttons to your business blog and get your content shared on social media on an ongoing basis.