Brad Bartell

Share Bar

In businesses that depend on consultants, like Arbonne’s MLM model, the ability to share content correctly can make or break income. Every consultant has their own personalized website where customers are supposed to purchase. But for years, one frustrating problem kept happening: when consultants shared links to catalogs, marketing pages or product pages, they often forgot or didn’t know how to attach their consultant ID.

The result? Customers landed on the company’s generic page. The consultant lost the sale, and in turn, lost the commission. Multiply this across thousands of consultants and countless shares on Facebook, Instagram, and messaging apps, and it added up to a huge revenue leak.

The First Step: Improving What Gets Shared

Before tackling how consultants shared, we had to improve what was being shared. Many of the links posted on social platforms looked unprofessional because the pages didn’t have proper Open Graph (OG) data. Without OG tags, social platforms would pull in random or incomplete snippets: maybe the wrong image, a chopped-off title, or no description at all.

By implementing clean OG tags, every consultant page now had:

  • A clear, branded image that looked good in feeds.
  • A descriptive title, personalized with consultant information.
  • A short, compelling description to encourage clicks.

This upgrade alone made a big difference. Posts suddenly looked polished, clickable, and consistent with the brand. But we still had the bigger problem: consultants were often copying and pasting the wrong links.

The Breakthrough: Using the JavaScript Share API

The solution came in the form of the JavaScript Share API. Instead of asking consultants to copy a URL and paste it wherever they wanted to share, we gave them a single “Share” button on their pages.

Here’s how it worked. When a consultant clicked the button, the site automatically generated the correct, consultant-branded URL. That link was passed into the Share API, which triggered the device’s native share sheet. On mobile, this meant consultants could instantly share the link to Facebook, text, email, or any app installed on their phone — with zero chance of dropping their consultant ID.

Here’s a simplified example of the function:

JavaScript
function shareConsultantLink({ title, text, url }) {
  if (navigator.share) {
    navigator.share({
      title: title,
      text: text,
      url: url
    }).then(() => {
      console.log("Shared successfully");
    }).catch(console.error);
  } else {
    // Fallback for browsers without Share API
    navigator.clipboard.writeText(url);
    alert("Link copied! You can paste it anywhere.");
  }
}

This small addition removed the biggest source of human error. Consultants no longer had to worry about whether they copied the right link or if their ID was missing. The technology handled it for them.

The Results

The impact was immediate. Consultants could share with confidence, knowing their efforts directly supported their business. Complaints about “lost sales” due to broken links dropped. Meanwhile, customers saw better, more professional social posts thanks to the OG data improvements.

For the business, it was a double win: consultants were happier and more engaged, and the brand’s presence across social networks looked stronger than ever.

Conclusion

Sometimes the most effective solutions aren’t the most complex. By combining solid Open Graph metadata with a simple JavaScript function, we solved a persistent problem that directly affected consultant income. What started as a technical tweak turned into a powerful tool: consultants share faster, look more professional, and — most importantly — keep the sales they earn.

This project is a reminder that great development isn’t just about writing code. It’s about understanding the human challenges behind the technology and building solutions that make real business impact.

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