Recent experience of plugging in social media icons’ HTML codes made me stop and think of the good ‘ole days when we would copy something of interest and paste it into an email to share.  And not long before that, I remember getting letters with newspaper clippings in the mail.

But now, some people would not take it upon themselves to even go to their favorite social media network site to share unless a convenient button or other sufficient link was provided.

Are we lazy or just that busy?  Or, are those things we share not all that important to go through the steps without the button?  As marketers we should love the convenience of share icons that are provided to our clients’ customers and fans.

Convenient tools for consumers provide an additional layer of customer service for a company.   Case in point for b-to-c marketing convenience would be that handy “Buy Now with 1-Click” button Amazon.com provides to online shoppers.  Marketers know that convenience translates into sales.

The social media icons that allow us to easily share information, services, goods and events with a person or a huge group, have enabled marketers’ and public relations’ messages to be pushed, forwarded, endorsed and unfortunately in some cases bashed by millions of a person’s closest fellow consumers (i.e. the United Breaks Guitars video on Youtube that has well over 5.5 million views).

The boon of convenience will never end.  That share button at the bottom of a webpage, online news article, video or item to purchase can be tempting.  We are social creatures and while we’re mostly alone on the web, reading, shopping, or enjoying another delicious episode of Mad Men, as marketers we have come to rely on consumers’ sudden need to share with someone.

What have you shared today and with whom?  Think about it, because marketers sure are.