Overview of social sharing links in marketing messages

Social sharing can expand the reach of a mailing because each recipient can connect to other people that are not part of the original recipient list. Adding social sharing links to email makes it easier for each recipient to repeat your marketing message. The system tracks each time the recipient shares the email and also tracks when others view the content on social networks.

You can add social sharing links when you create communications in the Message Editor. Use the Share widget to add and format up to five links to the most popular social networks. You can customize how the links appear in each communication.

The system stores the tracking data in the Deliver system tables. The system can determine which recipients shared the message and which social networks each recipient selected. Link clicks that the system records for views on the social network are attributed to the individual that originally shared the content. The Deliver link tracking reports clearly identify social links.

The following diagram illustrates how email recipients can share your message.

Social sharing overview

Overview social sharing

Action Description

1

A personalized email is sent to the recipient.

The email contains social sharing links. The system generates a hosted landing page that duplicates the email.

2

The recipient clicks one or more social share links to share the message.

A link to the hosted landing page version of the message is added on each social network selected by the message recipient. The link contains the title and description information that you entered. The link might be highlighted by a custom image, if you selected one and if the social network supports custom images.

Deliver records when the recipient shares the link to the message.

3

Individuals with whom the link was shared click the shared link. Some individuals might share the link with their own social network, which further expands the distribution of your message.

The system directs the clicks for the shared link to the hosted landing page version of the message. The system records the secondary link clicks and attributes them to the original message recipient.

The system cannot record when individuals share the link after the original share. However, all clicks on the shared link are directed to the hosted landing page and are attributed as link clicks for the original message recipient.

4

Components in your local HCL Unica installation request the link click data and store the results in the Deliver system tables.

Link clicks generated by social sharing are included in standard Deliver link tracking reports. Link clicks that are associated with social network sharing are identified in the reports. You can query the system tables for additional information.