New companies trying to figure out where to spend ad dollars are often left guessing. It's clear that social networks attract a lot of people, so placing ads on those networks is probably a good idea. But what network is the most lucrative? Is Twitter or Facebook a better place to spend precious ad dollars?

The Data Is In

Facebook reports today that the company drives more traffic to websites than any other social network out there. How much traffic? Facebook has sent 10.4% of traffic directly to websites from the social network. Facebook beat out all of the other social networks including Twitter. What does this mean? It means that setting up a Facebook account and taking out some Facebook ads is not a bad thing at all.

You should also pay close attention to Pinterest. Pinterest is right on the heels of Facebook by sending 3.7% of all traffic to websites. So if you're looking at setting up social networking accounts, but you aren't sure which ones to choose, Pinterest and Facebook are the networks that you want to spend the most time on.

How it All Works Out

It's not enough to simply set up Facebook and Pinterest pages, though. You have to take the time to make sure those pages stand out. When it comes to Pinterest, traffic flows to websites based on content that people want to see. For example: a tempting looking dish will entice a lot of people to click on that photo in order to visit a site to view a recipe.

When it comes to Facebook, a Facebook account that offers readers lots of fun things and plenty of incentive to visit a main site is the way to go. What about automated accounts? Not so much. Users can tell when accounts are automated or run by people outside of a native country. In short: if you're targeting North American users, don't set up a social networking account that's run by people that don't speak English - it just won't work out.

Do it right, though, and you'll see your site traffic increase.

The Other Networks

The polling center that dug up the aforementioned numbers (Shareaholic) did not list other social networks as coming in close to what Facebook and Pinterest offer. Does this mean that you should take out ads on these networks? Not necessarily; but it does mean that you should spend a lot of time crafting those particular network pages.

Social networking can seem confusing, and knowing where to spend ad dollars can be tough, but if you're going to go the social route, make sure to check out what Facebook and Pinterest can do for your brand. And, above all else, get someone to handle your social accounts that understands how these networks truly work.

Do you run a Facebook or Pinterest account? Have you seen your site traffic increase? While you're at it, take a look at our accounts too - yep, we have both a Pinterest and Facebook account! Enjoy!