Tread Carefully With Social Networking in Email

Author:

Derek Harding

Source:

My columns, so far, about social networking have been somewhat negative. The main reason for this is because the hype often outweighs the measured value of social networking. However, that isn't to say that there isn't and never will be value in a solid social networking strategy, but rather that jumping on a bandwagon is a poor substitute for strategy.
 
In recent weeks, I've continued investigating and evaluating social networking tools and techniques as they relate to email. There are some significant risks for the unwary and some valuable opportunities for those who are clear about their objectives and careful in their approach.
 
A simple synergy between email and social networking is the "share with your network" (SWYN) capability offered by most email marketing platforms. Clearly, there are many areas in which the ability to increase the reach of your messaging to those not on your list can be valuable.
 
Many people in the industry, myself included, suspect "share with your network" will essentially replace the "forward to a friend" systems that pass emails on through email. However, there are some important things to take into account when deciding what content should be made shareable through social networks, who should be offered the opportunity to share that content, and how that content should be made available....