Social sharing underused by marketers

Responsys, Inc., a leading global provider of on-demand email and cross-channel marketing solutions, today announced the release of "SWYN, FTAF and Community Links," a new report from Responsys that shows that the adoption of share-with-your-network (SWYN) functionality still trails that of forward-to-a-friend (FTAF). Meanwhile, the practice of including community links in emails has soared to the point that the vast majority of retailers now include links to their Facebook pages, Twitter streams and other online communities.

"Social and email are converging channels," said Ed Henrich, Senior Vice President of Professional Services at Responsys. "Share-with-your-network and community links are a significant part of that convergence at the moment, but someday soon marketers will be able to talk to individuals on Facebook just like they do via email now -- personalized one-to-one."

Even though SWYN, which allows subscribers to share email content with friends and family on various social networks like Facebook and Twitter, is a much more efficient viral mechanism, fewer retailers use it in their emails than they do FTAF. SWYN usage more than doubled to 26% in August 2010 from 12% in July 2009 among top online retailers tracked by the Retail Email Blog. However, FTAF usage stands at 44%, down from 48% last year. At the current rate, it will be another 12 to 18 months before SWYN adoption overtakes FTAF.

Overall, 56% of retailers now include some viral mechanism -- either SWYN or FTAF -- in their emails, up slightly from 54% in 2009.

"As we approach the holiday season, it's worrisome that major retailers aren't doing more to empower their subscribers to extend the reach of their email marketing campaigns," said Chad White, Research Director at Responsys and author of the report. "SWYN and FTAF provide 'free' marketing that's currently going unused, meaning money is being left on the table."

The underuse of SWYN links is even more striking when you consider that 75% of retailers promote community links in their emails that point subscribers to their Facebook pages, Twitter streams and other social media pages. This is a strong endorsement of email's ability to raise awareness of and drive traffic to brands' social media pages on an ongoing basis.

The report also details which social networks retailers are linking to, looks at how popular sharing interfaces like ShareThis are, examines the wording used in FTAF links, and reveals the prevalence of promoting SMS subscriptions and mobile applications in emails.

For information on how to obtain a copy of the complimentary SWYN, FTAF and Community Links report from Responsys, please visit: http://www.responsys.com/swynftafcommunitylinks/

About Responsys

Responsys helps companies execute highly effective marketing campaigns across key interactive channels -- email, mobile, social, and the web. With Responsys solutions, marketers can create, execute, and automate highly dynamic campaigns and lifecycle marketing programs that are designed to grow revenue, increase marketing efficiency, and strengthen customer loyalty. Responsys' New School Marketing vision, flexible on-demand application suite, and customer success-focused services aim to deliver high ROI, increased levels of automation and fast time-to-value. Founded in 1998, Responsys is headquartered in San Bruno, California and has offices throughout the world. Responsys serves world-class brands such as: Avis Europe, Continental Airlines, Deutsche Lufthansa, Dollar Thrifty, Lands' End, LEGO, Men's Wearhouse, PayPal, Southwest Airlines, StubHub, and UnitedHealthcare.