Send to a Friend

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Using the "Send to a Friend" link in your campaigns

Introduction

The Send to a Friend link is a valuable feature in ActiveCampaign that allows recipients of your emails to share your content with their colleagues through a personalized link. This functionality is essential for measuring subscriber engagement and determining how shareable your content is. By encouraging sharing, you not only broaden your audience but can also gain insights into the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

When a contact interacts with the Send to a Friend link, they can forward the content to up to 10 friends via email. This action is tracked in your campaign reports, enabling you to see how many times your content has been shared, thereby enhancing your email marketing strategy.

How to Access the Feature

To use the Send to a Friend link, you need to integrate it into your email campaigns. There are different methods to access this feature depending on whether you are using the Email Designer or the Classic Designer in ActiveCampaign.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Inserting the "Send to a Friend" Link

You can add the Send to a Friend link in both the Email Designer (launched 2022) and the Classic Designer. Follow these steps for each method:

Using the Email Designer (launched 2022)

1. Locate the campaign, automation email, or email template you wish to edit. 2. Click Edit to open the campaign designer. 3. Drag a new text block to your layout or select an existing text block. 4. Type the text for the link. Highlight this text and then click the link icon in the navigation bar. 5. In the right panel, under the Link section, enter %FORWARD2FRIEND%. When you do this, the dropdown option should change from "site" to "Other." Your changes will be saved automatically.

• Note: The link can also be added from the Personalization Tags section, but the text will display as a full URL unless you follow the steps above.*

Using the Classic Designer

1. Open your campaign or automation email and click on the desired text block. 2. Click Personalize in the modal toolbar. 3. In the Add a personalization window, select Message, then click Send to a Friend Link to include it in your email. 4. Modify the call to action as desired, then click OK.

To enhance visibility, consider adjusting the font size, making the text bold, or altering the color.

Testing the "Send to a Friend" Link

It is crucial to test whether the Send to a Friend link operates correctly. Follow these guidelines: - Send the campaign to a test list comprised of various email clients (e.g., work email, Yahoo, Gmail). - Ensure that link tracking is enabled on the Campaign Summary page. - After receiving the test email, click the Send to a Friend link and complete the forwarding process.

Configuration Options and Settings

The Send to a Friend link is associated with your email marketing lists, and each list has its own configuration settings.

How to Edit the "Send to a Friend" Form

To modify the form: 1. Navigate to Contacts > Lists to access the Lists overview page and click the down caret for the list you want to edit. 2. Select Advanced Settings from the dropdown menu. 3. In the List Settings modal, click the Public Pages tab and select Edit for Forward to a Friend.

Here you can: - Edit/Delete the name of the page. - Adjust labels for the fields, such as Your Name, Your Email, and Recipients. - Change the label for the Message Preview. - Modify the text for the Forward button. - Add custom elements including Headers, Free form HTML, or Images.

Modifying the Forward Confirmation Message

You can customize the confirmation message displayed after a successful forward: 1. Access the Integrations Settings > Forward to a Friend page. 2. Click on the Forwards sent confirmation message to edit the header or message.

In this window, users can: - Change the theme and style options. - Redirect contacts to a specified URL instead of showing a confirmation message.

Best Practices and Tips

- Experiment with different placements for the link in your email to determine where it receives the most engagement. - Always test the feature before sending it out to your entire list to ensure it functions as expected. - Utilize the tracking features to analyze the effectiveness of your content sharing and adapt future campaigns accordingly.

Common Use Cases

The Send to a Friend link is particularly useful for: - **Referral programs**: Encourage existing customers to refer new clients. - **Content sharing**: Allowing users to share valuable resources, such as newsletters, articles, or special offers. - **Event promotions**: Helping users spread the word about upcoming events.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with the Send to a Friend feature, consider the following factors: - Ensure that link tracking is activated for your campaign. - Double-check the link formatting to confirm that %FORWARD2FRIEND% is entered correctly. - Test the link with various email accounts to identify if the issue is client-specific.

FAQ

Q1: Can I customize the message that my friends receive?

A1: No, the message content cannot be edited by contacts. However, you can modify what appears in the confirmation message upon successful forwarding.

Q2: How many friends can each contact share with?

A2: Contacts can forward your email to up to 10 friends.

Q3: Will unsubscribes from forwarded emails affect the original sender?

A3: Yes, any unsubscribes made by the forwarded recipients will be associated with the original contact who sent the email.

Q4: Is there a limit to how many times my email can be forwarded?

A4: No specific limit is indicated, but the tracking will help you assess the frequency of forwards overall.

Q5: How can I see how many times my email has been forwarded?

A5: The forwarding data can be accessed in the campaign reports, showing unique forwards and total forwards statistics.

Q6: Is there a way to ensure the email renders correctly for friends?

A6: Using the Send to a Friend link is recommended over native email forwarding to maintain design integrity.

Q7: Can I remove ActiveCampaign branding from the confirmation message?

A7: Yes, you can customize the confirmation message settings to remove branding as per your needs.

With a solid understanding of how to use the Send to a Friend feature effectively, you can leverage this tool to enhance engagement and extend the reach of your email campaigns significantly. ```