Study: Social sharing boosts interaction

For the majority of email marketers, the answer is likely no, but never fear. Helping consumers share emails socially is a fairly simple proposition. And, if done correctly, you could see a 25% boost in interaction.

First, marketers need to determine the social networks where their readers likely are. Rather than cluttering a message with 'sharing' icons from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Bebo and a host of other social networks, determine which networks are most likely to be used by your demographic. Facebook is currently the most trafficked social network, while MySpace continues to drop and Bebo has settled in the middle but LinkedIn is also growing fast. Which network is relevant to your email audience? Survey your list to determine and use only the sharing icons from those networks.

Second, share specific articles not the entire newsletter. Social consumers want short bursts of information. Using one sharing icon for an entire email newsletter or message is overkill and will likely result in it not being shared. Instead place individual sharing icons on article summary pages so that the social networkers only have to share specific information with friends and associates.

Third, test, test, test. As with actual email sales letters, test your new, sharable newsletter or message template to determine the layout that engages the bulk of your subscriber list. The more engaged the reader the more likely they are to share the information.

Fourth, track and expand. As consumers engage and share, track how they are sharing and where. By measuring how your readers are sharing and engaging with content you'll be better equipped with an expanding readership base and better prepared to give these readers additional content which will further engage them.

Tags: email marketing, email messages, email newsletters, social advertising, social marketing, social networks