Social media has several sophisticated components, but much of what keeps it moving is based on simple buttons. These buttons are essentially the carriers that spread the word generated in the social networks across the ever expanding web. Email marketers have recently adopted these convenient workhorses as a way to give their content the ability to fly beyond the inbox.

There are certainly benefits to be gained from supplementing your email campaigns with social sharing buttons, but actually reaping those benefits is all in how you put them to use.

Deliver Share-worthy Content

The key to making social sharing buttons work with your email campaigns is simple really – provide content people feel compelled to share. If you want to bolster your marketing efforts, you must give your subscribers a reason to click those buttons. Don’t hesitate to be specific with your call to action. For example, if you have a specific need for your content to reach an audience on Facebook, let subscribers know why you want them to share it with their friends. If your content is indeed worthy of sharing, most subscribers will want others to know about it.

Let Subscribers Know How It Works

In the email relationship, there comes a time when you have to guide the subscriber through a certain process. A perfect example is providing them with whitelisting instructions on how to add you to their address book. You should take the same approach to the social sharing button. Keep in mind that not all of your readers may be social media fanatics who know all the functions. To be on the safe side, it would be wise to give a detailed explanation of how the process works upon first implementing the buttons in your campaigns. You can look at it as an unnecessary step, or one that will prompt more action from readers who may have not known how to share your content otherwise.

Use the Right Buttons

Facebook and Twitter are currently the most popular social networks, but they are not the only ones that can potentially benefit your cause. You may already be seeing success by leveraging LinkedIn, Digg, StumbleUpon and other platforms. There is nothing that says you have to jump on the bandwagon and follow in the footsteps of others. Take some time to figure out which social media sites are best suited for your email marketing efforts, and work on incorporating the buttons for those networks in your campaigns. Try not to limit yourself because while you do not want to overwhelm your audience with options, you don’t want to miss out on opportunities, either.

If you have been thinking about integrating social media with your email marketing campaigns, making use of social sharing buttons in your campaigns is probably the easiest way to do it. Even if you have yet to build a presence on a given site, these handy little buttons can get you off to a great start and get your content in front of a whole new audience.