Share-to-Social Block

Cheetah Digital allows you to create a unique type of Content Block called a Share-to-Social Block. This block can be inserted into the message content of an Email Campaign as a text link or icon. When the Campaign recipient clicks this link, the platform shares the email to one or more designated social media sites. Cheetah Digital will then capture when consumers click these links, and will use this information for tracking and reporting purposes. Share-to-Social clicks can also be used within Filters or as Campaign triggers.

Like Content Blocks, a Share-to-Social Block is created independently of a Campaign, and can be reused across Campaigns.

Access

The Share-to-Social Block screen is accessible via the Main menu; select Assets > Blocks > Share-2-Social Block

Create a new Share-to-Social Block

To create a new Share-to-Social Block:

  1. Above the list of existing Share-to-Social Blocks, click + New button.

  2. The Workspace is refreshed to show a blank Share-to-Social Block screen. In the Block Name field, enter a name for this new Share-to-Social Block.

  3. From the Data Source drop-down menu, select the source table for this Share-to-Social Block.

    Note: You can never modify this source table after the Share-to-Social Block is created.

  4. The remaining fields on this screen are one-time setup options. Please note that after you save the new Share-to-Social Block, you won't be able to view or edit these setup options. From the Page Domain drop-down menu, select a page domain.

  5. From the Link Domain drop-down menu, select a link domain.

  6. The Share-to-Social and Facebook Like Button features provide share links that are able to track specific users to the Campaigns that initiated the sharing. Unfortunately, by having unique links for tracking, you lose the edge rank growth that happens when multiple users share the same link. The different page scope options allow you to decide how you want your social sharing links generated. Regardless of the setting chosen, all initial actions taken by the user will be tracked; these settings impact only additional sharing of the content. From the Facebook Page Scope drop-down menu, select one of the following options:

    • Unique Per Person: Each person gets their own unique version of the content to share on Facebook. Any re-shares from their friends can be attributed back to this person since the content is unique to them. The downside to this option is that the edge rank will be low for this individual piece of content and may not show up in news feeds.

    • Unique Per Permutation: Each Campaign has a number of unique content permutations that are decided by the amount of nested content logic. This setting will try and reduce the number of unique versions allowing for more generic, but still custom, content versions to be shared. This option will increase your edge rank on Facebook, but prevents any additional tracking after the initial share.

    • Static: Any shared content with static scope will be tied directly to the Campaign. Outside of the initial share or like, any additional shares will only be attributed to the Campaign. This method also prevents any dynamic content from being used. The benefit of this setting is that it helps accumulate the largest edge rank since everyone is sharing the same piece of content.

  8. From the Layout and Networks drop-down menu, select whether you want the Share-to-Social Block to appear within the email message content as Icons Only, or as Icons and Text. The Preview section is automatically refreshed to show the display method you selected.

  9. By default, a new Share-to-Social Block will utilize all of the social media sites that are supported by the platform. The Preview section displays all of these sites.

    • To remove an unwanted site, click the remove button (X icon) next to that site. The Preview section is automatically refreshed to remove that icon.

    • To rearrange the position of the sites, click on the grey section to the left a site, and drag it to its new location. The Preview section is automatically refreshed to show the new arrangement of icons.

    • To add a site that you previously removed, select it from the Select a Social Network drop-down menu. The site is added to the end of the list of existing sites. The Preview section is automatically refreshed to show the icon for the new site.

  10. The Output section below the Preview section displays the HTML code that will be generated by this Share-to-Social Block. This code is displayed here in case you need to make any custom modifications to the way these Share-to-Social icons are displayed.

    Note: Please take care when editing this HTML code. If this code is incorrectly edited, you may inadvertently disable other features and functionality.

  11. In the Tool Ribbon, click Save.

  12. Optionally, you can assign one or more tags to your Share-to-Social Block. To assign a tag, click on the Add tag field in the Edit section of the Tool Ribbon. The system displays a pop-up menu of all the existing tags. You can select one of these tags, or type in a new one and press Enter. You can repeat this process to add more tags. To remove a tag, click the X icon next to the tag label.  

Copy a Share-to-Social Block

To copy an existing item to use as the basis for a new item:

  1. Search for the desired item (see Search for an Item for more details).

  2. Click on the item name. The main item screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected item.

  3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit > Actions > Save As. A Save as dialog box is displayed.

  4. Enter a name for the new item.

  5. By default, the new item will be saved in the same folder location as the base item. Optionally, click the magnifying glass icon to browse to and select a different folder location.

  6. Click Save a copy. The system creates a copy of the selected item.

 View or edit a Share-to-Social Block

The editing options for a Share-to-Social Block are quite limited. After the Share-to-Social Block is saved, you can't modify the source table, or any of the initial setup options.

To view or edit an existing Share-to-Social Block:

  1. When the screen is displayed, a list of all the current Share-to-Social Blocks is displayed in the left-hand side of the Workspace. Optionally, you can filter this list by typing in all or part of a Share-to-Social Block name in the Search by Name field.

  2. Click on the Share-to-Social Block that you want to view. The Workspace is refreshed to show the details of the selected Share-to-Social Block. The Preview section shows a mockup of the Share-to-Social buttons that were selected when the Block was defined.

  3. Optionally, to view detailed information about the Share-to-Social Block, click the Social Block tab in the Tool Ribbon. The Item Details screen is displayed, showing who created the item, who modified it last, and what the last actions taken on the item were. On this screen, click Related Items in the Function Menu to see other items in the system that reference or utilize this Share-to-Social Block. When finished, click the Edit tab in the Tool Ribbon to return to the main edit screen.

  4. Optionally, you can assign one or more tags to your Share-to-Social Block. To assign a tag, click on the Add tag field in the Edit section of the Tool Ribbon. The system displays a pop-up menu of all the existing tags. You can select one of these tags, or type in a new one and press Enter. You can repeat this process to add more tags. To remove a tag, click the X icon next to the tag label.  

  5. Optionally, to rename the Share-to-Social Block, enter a new name in the Block Name field.

  6. The Output section below the Preview section displays the HTML code that will be generated by this Share-to-Social Block. This code is displayed here in case you need to make any custom modifications to the way these Share-to-Social icons are displayed.

    Note: Please take care when editing this HTML code. If this code is incorrectly edited, you may inadvertently disable other features and functionality.

  7. To save your changes, click Save in the Tool Ribbon.

 Delete a Share-to-Social Block

To delete an item:

  1. Search for the desired item (see Search for an Item for more details).

  2. Click on the item name. The main item screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected item.

  3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Delete. A confirmation dialog box is displayed.

  4. Click Delete item to confirm the deletion.

Foldered items are moved to the Recycle Bin. Non-foldered items are permanently deleted.

 Assign a Share-to-Social Block to a campaign

Once you've created your Share-to-Social Block, you can use it within one or more Campaigns.

To insert a Share-to-Social Block into the Campaign message:

  1. Navigate to the desired Campaign (see Campaigns for more details).

  2. Scroll down to the Message section, and click Edit. The Advanced Editor screen is displayed.

  3. Place your cursor in the Advanced Editor. The Personalization Pane appears on the right-hand side of the screen.

  4. In the Personalization Pane, click on the Content Blocks group to expand it.

  5. Within the Content Blocks group, double-click on Share-to-Social Block (or, optionally, you can drag Share-to-Social Block from the Personalization Pane, and drop it into the text field). A Browse Share-to-Social Block dialog box is displayed.

  6. From the Browse Share-to-Social Block pop-up window, you can optionally enter a search string to search by Share-to-Social Block name. When you find the desired Share-to-Social Block, click on its name.

  7. In the Clipboard section of the Personalization Pane, the system creates a new Merge Symbol for this Share-to-Social Block. A Merge Symbol is a textual representation of the Share-to-Social Block, consisting of the Block's name and Object Reference ID enclosed in double-brackets. For example: {[Social Share Block|1496]}.

  8. Place your cursor where you want to insert the Share-to-Social Block, then click the Merge Symbol for that Share-to-Social Block in the Clipboard. The system inserts the corresponding Merge Symbol at the indicated position.