How to Use Social Media Buttons in Email

It may have been a while since you last gave some thought to the social media buttons in your email campaigns. That's because they're pretty ubiquitous, always there, just hanging out in the header or footer, and they're not meant to be the main attraction of an email. But if the new year has you antsy to reinvigorate your marketing techniques and make some email design improvements, don't overlook social media buttons! According to a study by GetResponse, just adding social sharing buttons can boost email click-through rate by 158%.

The purpose of social media buttons in email

In email, social media buttons provide a secondary call to action. Your primary CTA is probably about registering for an event, making a purchase, reading more — basically, getting readers to your website to make a transaction. But in the background are those glimmering little buttons that make one of two requests: share or follow.

• Follow icons take readers straight to your social media pages to like your Facebook page or follow your Instagram account, for example, to get connected to your content in whichever way they prefer.
• Share icons ask readers to share a specific piece of content, like Tweeting a story or Pinning a picture.

Where to place social media buttons

A best practice is to place your social media follow icons at the header or footer of your email. Savvy readers instinctively scroll to the top or bottom of an email to find standard info found in menus, like contacts and social media links. From a design perspective, it makes sense that icons are consistently placed where they won't interrupt the flow of content in your body message — the main focus of your email is to get readers to take action on your primary CTA, not to follow you on Facebook.

Some brands place social icons at the bottom of the email in the footer, after the main CTA button, which keeps the email totally clutter-free. Others give social follow icons more of a spotlight in the upper right corner of the header, taking advantage of the "F" shape reading pattern where people scan starting in the upper left-hand corner, then moving horizontally before scanning downward. There's no single correct place to put your social media follow icons; first evaluate your current priorities, and give social icons slightly more prominence if increasing followers is a goal, without letting them clutter up your main message.

Customizing social media buttons

Different sizes, shapes, and colors are pretty common because it's become easier and easier to customize buttons in email. From a design perspective, the look of your social media icons depends heavily on your brand's visual identity.

Shape

If your visual brand incorporates angles, edges, and corners, you will probably follow suit with your social media buttons, giving a sense of traditionalism, practicality, and balance. Circular elements, on the other hand, can be perceived as softer, calming, and more modern. For a sleek, more minimalist feel, many brands omit the circle or square shape altogether and present readers with only the icons themselves.

Color

The color of social media buttons typically falls into one of three categories: traditional colors (like blue for Facebook, red for Pinterest), neutral monochromatic colors (all black, white, gray, or blue), or brand colors customized to suit your particular brand color palette. Because the symbols of each platform are so iconic, they're still easily recognized even in monochrome. A light, monochromatic color scheme is a nice choice when social sharing buttons will be included many times throughout an email.

Special customizations

A few brands take special care to fully immerse every piece of email content in their brand identity, giving their social media buttons a pretty, playful hand-sketched look or adding whimsical handwritten lettering, in keeping with their overall visual identity. This is a nice touch for large brands with the resources to fully customize every aspect of their brand.

Which buttons to include

The most popular social media buttons are Facebook and Twitter. After that, it depends on your brand content and your audience. If your content is super visual and you release weekly videos or daily Instagrams, then YouTube and Instagram should be a priority. With social sharing buttons that are included throughout your email, brands tend to be more minimalistic, which is smart — choose the top two or three your audience most uses, or that best suits the content.

Wrap Up

• Social media buttons in email are usually secondary calls to action. Wherever you place them, they shouldn't compete with your main content. Try the header or footer.
• Choose a shape, size, color, and customization that suits your brand and fits with the look of your email. Maintain balance and make sure the buttons are easily tapped on mobile by including ample white space around buttons.
• Decide which buttons to include based on the nature of your content and audience. Don't overload readers with too many options.