Email 'shareworthiness' under the spotlight

15:00 17th February 2009

A new media expert has prompted search engine marketing experts to examine the impact social media is having on digital marketing and how email can respond to these fresh challenges.

In her blog for Email Insider, Loren McDonald has posed the question: "Are your emails 'shareworthy'?"

"The explosive adoption of social networking won't put email out of business, but it does mean marketers need to look at the emails they create and send in a whole new light," she says.

Ms McDonald highlights a number of reasons why internet users share emails and then links these to factors which might make email communications 'shareworthy', with a view to maintaining high forward rates.

Elements such as "truthworthiness" and "tribal interests" feature prominently as reasons to forward emails to a friend or colleague, alongside "rewards/incentives" and "social acumen".

The ease with which an email and its content can be shared also rates very highly in issues to consider when creating 'shareworthy' email.