It’s simple, it’s transferable and 8 out of every 10 managers claim it has helped them build brand awareness.  

The trend: social sharing.

What is it?

Social sharing is a relatively new trend that allows e-mail recipients to share copy or content on social networking pages in much the same way Facebook’s “like” button — which has started appearing on company landing pages — has. The difference being, social sharing provides an instant link, along with an icon, so other social network users can click on it and read the exact copy from one of your e-mails or special offers.

How do you enable social sharing in your e-mails?

There are two ways:

1. Provide your own website link at the bottom of each e-mail, along with a tagline like “share this offer with your friends on Facebook.” Then encourage recipients to cut and paste the link onto their Facebook sites, or
2. Use a third-party company to facilitate the process so the link at the bottom of the e-mail automatically appears on the recipient’s social networking page as soon as they click on it.

Here are two third-party sites that can help facilitate social sharing:

• ShareThis.com
• Eloqua.com

What are the other benefits of social sharing?

According to a recent MarketingSherpa survey:

• 81% of sales and marketing managers say social sharing helps them extend the reach of e-mail content to new markets
• 78% say it increases brand reputation and awareness
• 53% confirm social sharing has already increased the ROI of e-mail campaigns
• 47% say it accelerates the growth of e-mail lists, and
• 31% claim it has helped them generate more high-quality leads.

Do you think social sharing is a valuable marketing tool, or just another fly-by-night strategy that doesn’t provide much return? Share your thoughts in the Comments Box below.

Tags: awareness, brand, compaigns, e-mail, e-mail lists, Facebook, leads, like button, new markets, reputation, ROI, social networking, social sharing, survey