Share with Your Network and Forward to a Friend: Are you maximizing your reach?

Are you maximizing your reach with your current email campaigns? There are two tactics you can use to increase your reach beyond your subscriber list.

You may have seen these icons in other emails before: Share With Your Network (SWYN) and Forward to a Friend (FTAF). These share tactics can be valuable assets in emails if used correctly.

A few weeks ago I got an email from Timberland, with the subject line, “40% off. That's a deal worth sharing.” I opened it because I am familiar with their emails and promotions, but also thought that it was a great strategy. The subject line is compelling (deep discount) and encourages sharing (giving subscribers a feeling like they’re an exclusive insider getting a special deal to share with others). With the subject line and SWYN links in the email it is apparent they want to get the word out about this special sale.

One thing that I think could be an oversight here is the actual message, why not tell people to share this email, forward it to your friends, send it to as many people as possible? I know that Timberland has the word “Share” with the Facebook icon here, but spell it out in the body of the email. Tell users what you want them to do. In the bottom left hand corner Timberland also has the share icons for Facebook, Twitter, and email. How about making it more noticeable and again putting the message “Pass this deal to YOUR friends and family” in the actual body of the email. This promotional email highlights great content (not the lighthouse, but the 40% off) and is worthy of being passed around. Speaking of the lighthouse, I’m not sure this is a compelling image for the campaign. Either bring attention to the great items you could buy with the sale or further highlight ways to share.

When and how to include SWYN/FTAF links:


Taking the example above, the promotion is a sale, Timberland is using a generic code “FRIEND11” to allow users to redeem their 40% off. Timberland is a large company, and chances are they can afford this campaign to go viral on the web and all coupon sites. But if you are a smaller retailer and you cannot afford your sale to go viral then:

• You should have a unique coupon code
• Do not promote the FTAF and SWYN in the email

Now, because the FTAF and SWYN icons are not in the message, does this mean that no one will pass off the savings? No, you are always going to have users forwarding on your email (and savings). That is what consumers do, we get excited about a great deal or news and we want to spread the word.

Sales that have unique coupon codes are generally not worthy of email forwards and sharing, but you should use this to your advantage to build awareness and potentially grow your list. Next time you include a unique coupon code in your email, think about adding in some sort of message like:

"Did you hear about this sale from your friend? Do you want in on the action? Click here to become a member so you can take advantage of these savings”

Other emails I would caution you on and never to include FTAF and SWYN is for any transactional message. You do not want a customer to have the ability to pass around any of their own Personally Identifiable Information. This includes:

• Order Confirmation
• Shipping Confirmation
• Password Request
• Username Request
• Account Confirmation

This may seem like common sense, but be careful. It’s easy for email marketers to recycle email templates and removing these icons/links can easily be missed. Some messages like welcome emails and product review requests just do not make sense to share, as they only pertain to you.

Remember:

• Create content that is worth sharing. Think about it, when we receive an email, we open it, we read it, and that email evokes some kind of emotion. Whether it is something funny, cute, shocking, or controversial, a good email sparks something. With that spark, we’re driven to gain information, shop, stand up for something or take action. It also gives us the opportunity to share with others all the good and bad associated with the message. Think about what is going to excite the reader and make them pass along your email.
• SWYN and FTAF are powerful tools that can be used to build awareness, grow your subscriber list, and help your campaign go viral. Tweak your template to include these links in a prominent position at the top or in the body of the message, and be sure to include a sign-up call-to-action in your templates for those receipients of the the forwarded messages.
• Don’t dismiss the value of Forward to a Friend. FTAF is the older tactic of the two, but enables a reader to be selective about who they share a message with, allowing your email to go viral, but theoretically be more relevant.
• If you are not sure if you should include the FTAF and SWYN links then generate a test message and ask yourself “would someone else get any value from this email if I passed it to them?”

Word of Mouth marketing is your most powerful and effective tool, so leverage SWYN and FTAF links whenever you have the opportunity. What has worked for you? Tell us about your sharing success!

Steve DuBois
Marketing Strategist at Bronto