Pop-quiz…
A "widget" is:
a) Some doohickey
b) A device or control that is very useful for a particular job
c) A plastic device which introduces nitrogen into the beer, giving it a creamy head
Answer: According to various English language dictionaries, all of the above is correct. But in the case of GraphicMail, when we mention widgets, we are usually referring to powerful and mysterious objects called “social widgets”.
What are social widgets and what do they do?
Have you ever visited a website or read someone’s newsletter and seen those little icons for Facebook, Twitter and other social networking or content sharing platforms arranged somewhere around the header, footer or along the sidelines?
Those are social widgets and most websites, email newsletters and digital magazines will usually have them.
The simple function of a social widget is to attract people to join, follow or sign up for your account or page on social platforms as a secondary point of contact to enhance your communication efforts.
What does this mean for you?
The inbox has become more social. Email marketing — as a traditional online channel, with its ability to reach highly targeted groups of people — has melded comfortably with social media. Social websites have shifted the way people communicate, while giving companies wider exposure and a more authentic approach to personal one-to-one conversation.
Want to know more about social sharing? Watch this video.
Using social media tools is a great way to energize your email marketing. Melding email and social together improves you reach and impact. More of your content will be shared, meaning more people will see your messages - so it's really not something that any company should be trying to do without!
Adding Social Widgets to Newsletters in GraphicMail’s 2011 Editor
1) Log in to your GraphicMail account (or sign up for a free one), then either edit an old newsletter or create a new one by selecting a template and clicking "done".
2) Once you’re in the main newsletter editor screen, click on the “Links” section on the left menu. You’ll see a list of different types of links appear on the drop-down, but for now select “Social Links”.
3) Wait for the pop-up window to load. Now you’ll get to pick which social widget you want to add (you could add all of them if you wanted, but of course the easiest method is to insert them one at a time). You’ll get to choose form Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and a number of others.
4) For starters, select Facebook and click on “insert”.
5) A tiny Facebook icon will appear in the header of the email. You can drag this to wherever you want, but we suggest that you place it somewhere it will stand out – i.e. if it's next to a large image, bold headline or any element with sharp colors, people’s eyes will tend to skip over your widget.
6) Once you're satisfied with the location of the widget, double-click on it and a new screen will appear where you can enter alt text (in case the image for the icon is blocked by a subscriber's webmail service provider or desktop email software package – so that readers can still identify the widget) and add the link to your Facebook page which you copy and paste easily enough from your browser’s navigation bar.
7) Finally, click on “done” at the bottom of the screen and your widget will be ready to direct readers to your Facebook fan page. If you’ve got an account on other social channels like Twitter, you can follow the same procedure to put widgets for them on your email newsletters.