What is Referral Rate in Email Marketing?
Referral rate in email marketing refers to the percentage of recipients who share your email content with others, typically through social share buttons or forwarding the email. This metric is crucial for understanding how engaging and shareable your content is.
How is Referral Rate Calculated?
Referral rate is calculated by dividing the number of shares or forwards by the total number of emails delivered and then multiplying by 100 to get a percentage. The formula looks like this:
Referral Rate = (Number of shares or forwards / Total number of emails delivered) * 100
Why is Referral Rate Important?
The referral rate serves as an indicator of the
shareability of your content. A high referral rate suggests that your email content is valuable enough for recipients to share it with their network, potentially increasing your reach and brand awareness. This can lead to increased
engagement and even new subscribers or customers.
Best Practices to Improve Referral Rate
To improve your referral rate, consider implementing the following best practices: Create Valuable Content: Ensure your emails provide useful information or entertainment that recipients would want to share.
Incorporate Social Share Buttons: Make it easy for recipients to share your content by including
social share buttons prominently in your emails.
Encourage Forwarding: Add a call-to-action encouraging recipients to
forward the email to friends or colleagues.
Segment Your Audience: Tailor your content to specific audience segments to increase relevance and shareability.
Include Incentives: Offer incentives like discounts or exclusive content for recipients who share your email.
How to Track Referral Rate
Tracking referral rate involves using analytics tools that provide insights into how often your emails are being shared. Most
email marketing platforms offer built-in tracking features for this purpose. You can also use UTM parameters to track how shared content is performing on your website.
Examples of High Referral Rate Campaigns
Successful campaigns with high referral rates often include viral content, exclusive offers, or compelling storytelling. For example, a company that shares a
viral video in their email is likely to see a high referral rate because recipients are more inclined to share entertaining content.
Common Challenges and Solutions
One common challenge is creating content that is both relevant and shareable. To overcome this, focus on understanding your audience's interests and pain points. Another challenge is the technical aspect of tracking shares and forwards. Ensure you are using a robust email marketing platform that provides comprehensive reporting features.
Conclusion
Referral rate is a valuable metric in email marketing that helps gauge the shareability and reach of your content. By creating valuable content, making it easy to share, and tracking your results, you can optimize your email marketing strategy to achieve higher referral rates and broaden your audience.