Salesforce Marketing Cloud Data Views: _SocialNetworkImpressions

The _SocialNetworkImpressions data view in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) tracks when your email content is shared via Social Forward and viewed across different social media platforms. This view is essential for understanding your email campaign’s extended reach through social sharing.

In this blog, we’ll explain the purpose and structure of the _SocialNetworkImpressions data view, break down each field, and share real-world SQL examples to help you analyze your campaign’s social performance.

---

What is the _SocialNetworkImpressions Data View?

The _SocialNetworkImpressions data view captures impression-level data when email content is shared through Social Forward and viewed on social networks. It includes site details, location, timestamps, and shared region information. This view helps measure how much visibility your email content receives beyond your subscriber list.

Key Benefits of _SocialNetworkImpressions Data View

• Track Social Sharing Reach: Understand how widely your email content is seen after being shared.
• Analyze Performance by Platform: Evaluate which social networks are driving visibility.
• Optimize Shared Content: Identify which content regions get the most attention.
• Extend Campaign Metrics: Include impressions from non-subscribers in your reporting.

---

Fields in _SocialNetworkImpressions Data View & Their Uses

Field	Type	Description & Use Case
JobID	Number	Email send job ID. Used to link impressions to specific campaigns.
ListID	Number	List used in the send. Helps in audience segmentation.
RegionTitle	Text	Title of the region shared via Social Forward. Useful for identifying shared content blocks.
RegionDescription	Text	Description of the region shared. Helpful for tagging or reporting.
RegionHTML	Text	The HTML content of the shared region. Useful for content analysis.
ContentRegionID	Number	Unique ID of the content region shared.
SocialSharingSiteID	Number	ID representing the social network (e.g., Facebook, Twitter).
SiteName	Text	Name of the social network (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook). Helps evaluate platform performance.
CountryCode	Text	Country code of the location where the content was viewed. Used for geo-targeting insights.
ReferringURL	Text	URL that referred the viewer to the content. Useful for tracking share origin.
IPAddress	Text(50)	IP address of the viewer. Used for geo-analytics.
TransactionTime	Date	Timestamp of the impression event. Enables time-series analysis.
PublishedSocialContentStatusID	Text	ID for the status of the shared content (e.g., Active, Deleted).
ShortCode	Text	Status short code (e.g., Active, Inactive). Useful for filtering.
PublishTime	Date	When the content was published via Social Forward. Used to track timing effectiveness.

---

When and Why to Use _SocialNetworkImpressions Data View?

When to Use?

• When tracking engagement beyond your subscriber base.
• To analyze platform-specific performance.
• To understand which content regions are most shared and viewed.
• When evaluating country-based social reach.

Why Use It?

• Measure Viral Reach: Capture impressions generated by your subscribers’ social activity.
• Platform Optimization: Tailor your campaigns based on social network performance.
• Improve Content Design: Identify the most shared and viewed sections.
• Monitor Publication Health: Ensure content remains active and visible.

---

10 Example Scenarios and Queries

1. Get All Social Impressions from the Last 30 Days

SELECT SiteName, RegionTitle, TransactionTime 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions 
WHERE TransactionTime >= DATEADD(day, -30, GETDATE())

Use Case: Track recent visibility of email content on social media.

2. Count of Impressions by Social Network

SELECT SiteName, COUNT(*) AS TotalImpressions 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions 
GROUP BY SiteName

Use Case: Evaluate which social platforms drive the most visibility.

3. Top Shared Content Regions

SELECT RegionTitle, COUNT(*) AS Views 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions 
GROUP BY RegionTitle 
ORDER BY Views DESC

Use Case: Optimize content strategy based on what’s getting shared most.

4. Impressions by Country

SELECT CountryCode, COUNT(*) AS TotalImpressions 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions 
GROUP BY CountryCode

Use Case: Evaluate global reach of social shares.

5. Daily Social Impression Trends

SELECT CAST(TransactionTime AS DATE) AS ImpressionDate, COUNT(*) AS Impressions 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions 
GROUP BY CAST(TransactionTime AS DATE)

Use Case: Spot peak times for social activity.

6. Retrieve All Active Social Content

SELECT RegionTitle, SiteName, ShortCode 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions 
WHERE ShortCode = 'Active'

Use Case: Track currently visible social shares.

7. Impressions for a Specific Job ID

SELECT SiteName, RegionTitle, TransactionTime 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions 
WHERE JobID = 123456

Use Case: Assess social engagement for a particular campaign.

8. List Referring URLs to Shared Content

SELECT DISTINCT ReferringURL 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions

Use Case: Identify entry points for shared content views.

9. Platform-Based HTML Analysis

SELECT SiteName, RegionHTML 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions

Use Case: Examine what content is being rendered across platforms.

10. Check Impressions by Published Date

SELECT PublishTime, COUNT(*) AS Total 
FROM _SocialNetworkImpressions 
GROUP BY PublishTime

Use Case: Correlate publication date with impression volume.

---

Conclusion

The _SocialNetworkImpressions data view extends the visibility of your Salesforce Marketing Cloud email campaigns into the world of social sharing. It helps you understand how far your content travels, which platforms perform best, and what content resonates most with both your subscribers and their networks.

Use it in combination with _Sent, _Click, _Open, and _FTAF to get a comprehensive view of both direct and indirect campaign engagement.