It seems some marketers can’t shake off the “forward to a friend” mentality of email sharing and some don’t even insert a link to help recipients share content.

A recent report by email marketing firm Smith-Harmon found that nearly half of marketers don’t insert an option into their email communications that allows recipients to forward them to friends and networks. Even the basic “forward to a friend” (FTAF) option was not included by 46% of email marketers.

And what about the new kid on the block - the “share with your network” (SWYN) option? Well, according to Harmon’s report, “FTAF vs. SWYN: The State of Email Sharing,” just 6% of email marketers use this type of function. By not giving recipients the opportunity to instantly share email content with their social networks and via social bookmarking sites, email marketers are missing out on a far greater reach for their messages.

“As the folks at ExactTarget say, ‘Subscribers Rule!’” said Lisa Harmon, co-founder and principal of Smith-Harmon in the introduction to their 7-page, free report. “If we want our recipients to share our emails, we need to give them choices as to how they’d like to do so. SWYN does just that.”

However, it should be remembered that the key to success with any sharing or viral strategy is content. Without good content, any amount of prodding won’t get a recipient to forward an email.

Loren McDonald of Silverpop penned an article for MediaPost earlier this year in which he discusses what it is that drives consumers to share, and what makes content shareable. The article is worth a read, but to summarize:

What drives consumers to share?

Contributing to the conversation
Self-Interest
Altruism
Validation
Affinity
Prurience

What makes content shareable?

Trustworthiness
Tribal interests
Simple and obvious
Ease of sharing
Social acumen and adoption of subscribers
Creates value
Reward/Incentives
Content

Share: del.icio.us Reddit Google Netscape StumbleUpon Technorati