Salesforce Marketing Cloud Data Views: _SocialNetworkTracking

The _SocialNetworkTracking data view in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) tracks sharing behavior when subscribers use the Social Forward feature to share content from email sends. Unlike _SocialNetworkImpressions, which measures visibility, _SocialNetworkTracking focuses on user-generated sharing events and content publication data.

This blog details each field in _SocialNetworkTracking, outlines its key use cases, and includes practical SQL examples to help you monitor and optimize social engagement.

---

What is the _SocialNetworkTracking Data View?

The _SocialNetworkTracking data view logs events when a subscriber shares part of an email to social media via the Social Forward feature. It helps track sharing activity, the platforms used, content regions involved, and the geographic spread of your shared content.

Key Benefits of _SocialNetworkTracking Data View

• Track Share Activity: See exactly who shared what, when, and where.
• Identify Advocates: Find subscribers who promote your content.
• Optimize Shared Content: Discover which content regions get shared the most.
• Monitor Social Spread: Analyze share behavior by network and region.

---

Fields in _SocialNetworkTracking Data View & Their Uses

Field	Type	Description & Use Case
SubscriberID	Number	Internal subscriber ID. Used to tie share activity to contact data.
SubscriberKey	Email	External identifier for the subscriber. Often the email address.
ListID	Number	ID of the list used in the send. Useful for segment analysis.
BatchID	Number	ID of the batch from the email send. Useful for large sends.
SocialSharingSiteID	Number	ID representing the social platform used (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn).
SiteName	Text	Name of the social platform used. Enables network-level reporting.
CountryCode	Text	ISO code of the country where the share occurred. Useful for geographic insights.
PublishedSocialContentID	Text	ID of the content region that was shared. Identifies shared assets.
RegionTitle	Text	Title of the shared content region. Helps identify shared content blocks.
RegionDescription	Text	Description of the shared region. Useful for content analysis.
RegionHTML	Text	HTML content of the region shared. Enables content rendering checks.
ContentRegionID	Text	ID of the content region. Used to join with design elements.
OYBMemberID	Number	Parent account ID (for enterprise use cases).
TransactionTime	Date	When the sharing action occurred. Useful for trend analysis.
IsUnique	Boolean	Indicates whether the share event is unique per subscriber and campaign.
Domain	Text	The email domain from which the content was shared.
PublishedSocialContentStatusID	Text	Status ID of the shared content. Tracks whether content is active.
ShortCode	Text	Status label (e.g., Active, Inactive, Deleted). Filters valid shares.
PublishTime	Date	When the shared content was published to the social platform.

---

When and Why to Use _SocialNetworkTracking Data View?

When to Use?

• After launches to track social sharing behavior.
• For advocate identification and reward programs.
• To understand platform-specific share trends.
• To track engagement with shared email content.

Why Use It?

• Audience Engagement: Know who shares your content and how often.
• Share Performance Analytics: Optimize content based on what gets shared most.
• Platform Strategy: Prioritize networks with the most interaction.
• Compliance and Status Monitoring: Track active vs. inactive social shares.

---

10 Example Scenarios and Queries

1. Get All Sharing Events in the Last 30 Days

SELECT SubscriberKey, SiteName, TransactionTime 
FROM _SocialNetworkTracking 
WHERE TransactionTime >= DATEADD(day, -30, GETDATE())

Use Case: Track active social sharing activity.

2. Most Shared Content Regions

SELECT RegionTitle, COUNT(*) AS ShareCount 
FROM _SocialNetworkTracking 
GROUP BY RegionTitle 
ORDER BY ShareCount DESC

Use Case: Identify top-performing shared content blocks.

3. Shares by Social Platform

SELECT SiteName, COUNT(*) AS TotalShares 
FROM _SocialNetworkTracking 
GROUP BY SiteName

Use Case: Discover which social channels are most used.

4. Sharing by Country

SELECT CountryCode, COUNT(*) AS Shares 
FROM _SocialNetworkTracking 
GROUP BY CountryCode

Use Case: Identify geographical spread of social activity.

5. Unique Share Events

SELECT SubscriberKey, TransactionTime 
FROM _SocialNetworkTracking 
WHERE IsUnique = 1

Use Case: Track one-time shares only.

6. Shared Content Status Breakdown

SELECT ShortCode, COUNT(*) AS StatusCount 
FROM _SocialNetworkTracking 
GROUP BY ShortCode

Use Case: Monitor whether shared content is still active.

7. Subscribers Who Shared More Than Once

SELECT SubscriberKey, COUNT(*) AS ShareCount 
FROM _SocialNetworkTracking 
GROUP BY SubscriberKey 
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1

Use Case: Build advocate audience lists.

8. Shared Content by Publish Date

SELECT PublishTime, COUNT(*) AS Shares 
FROM _SocialNetworkTracking 
GROUP BY PublishTime

Use Case: Match share volume to timing strategy.

9. Refined Share Details per Campaign

SELECT JobID, RegionTitle, SiteName, TransactionTime 
FROM _SocialNetworkTracking 
WHERE JobID = 456789

Use Case: Campaign-level social sharing insights.

10. Join with _Sent to Correlate Share with Engagement

SELECT s.SubscriberKey, s.EventDate AS SentDate, t.TransactionTime AS ShareTime 
FROM _Sent s 
JOIN _SocialNetworkTracking t 
ON s.SubscriberKey = t.SubscriberKey

Use Case: Determine who shared after receiving emails.

---

Conclusion

The _SocialNetworkTracking data view offers valuable insight into how subscribers are sharing your email content through social media. It complements impression-based metrics by showing actual share behavior and helping you understand audience amplification potential.

Use it with _SocialNetworkImpressions, _Sent, _Click, and _Open to build a complete picture of your email’s organic reach and social impact.