In a study using their own data, SocialTwist — makers of referral widgets — found that 59% of all shares were done via email, compared to 25% via instant messenger and just 14% via social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
SocialTwist’s widgets are often used on blogs, news sites, online contests, rewards programs — anywhere online content can be shared — and feature basic similarities to tools like ShareThis or AddThis. Their study, SocialTwist Social Media Sharing Trends 2009, is based on more than 2 billion shares through their widgets.
Other findings from the study:
- At 26% of all shares, Yahoo mail is the most popular channel for SocialTwist users
- 79% of SocialTwist social media shares occur through Facebook, while Twitter sees only 5%
- At 2% of all shares, bookmarking sites are among the least popular way share content
See the full study: Click here
More analysis from word of mouth supergenius Jason Falls: Click here
Disclosure: The folks at SocialTwist power a few of our programs, including our Word of Mouth Book Club.
