Understanding Email Sharing or Forwarding Rate
The
email sharing or forwarding rate is a crucial metric in
email marketing that reflects how often recipients share or forward your emails to others. This metric can provide deep insights into the effectiveness of your content and its potential for organic reach. Understanding and optimizing this rate can significantly enhance the impact of your email campaigns.
What is the Email Sharing or Forwarding Rate?
The email sharing or forwarding rate is the percentage of email recipients who clicked on a "share" or "forward" button to pass your email content onto another person. It is calculated by dividing the number of shares or forwards by the total number of delivered emails, then multiplying by 100 to get a percentage.
Why is This Metric Important?
The
email forwarding rate is vital because it measures the virality of your email content. A higher rate indicates that your content resonates well with your audience, prompting them to share it with their network. This can lead to increased
brand awareness, potentially expanding your reach beyond your direct subscribers and attracting new leads.
Content Relevance: Emails with valuable, engaging, and relevant content are more likely to be shared.
Call to Action: Including a clear
call to action that encourages sharing can increase this rate.
Ease of Sharing: Emails with easily accessible sharing buttons tend to have higher forwarding rates.
Timing: Sending emails at the right time when recipients are most likely to read and share them can also influence the rate.
Create Shareable Content: Focus on creating content that is not only informative but also entertaining and relevant to your audience.
Incentivize Sharing: Offer incentives, such as discounts or exclusive content, for those who share your emails.
Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly, as a significant portion of email reads occur on mobile devices.
Use Social Proof: Incorporate testimonials or user-generated content that encourages trust and sharing.
How Does Forwarding Rate Affect Other Metrics?
A high forwarding rate can positively impact other
email marketing metrics. For instance, it can lead to increased open rates as new recipients may subscribe after receiving the forwarded email. Additionally, it can enhance click-through rates if the shared content includes compelling calls to action. Ultimately, it contributes to a broader reach and potentially higher conversion rates.
How to Track and Analyze Forwarding Rate?
Most email marketing platforms offer built-in analytics to track the forwarding rate. These tools can provide insights into which emails are shared most frequently and who is sharing them. Analyzing this data can help you understand your audience better and tailor future content to meet their interests. Regularly monitoring this metric is essential for making informed decisions about your email marketing strategy.
Conclusion
The email sharing or forwarding rate is a valuable metric that can offer insights into the
engagement and effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. By understanding the factors that influence this rate and implementing strategies to improve it, you can enhance your campaign's reach and impact. Regular tracking and analysis of forwarding rates should be an integral part of your email marketing efforts.