How to Add Social Media Links to Your Invoice Emails in QuickBooks Online

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Social media is a great way to grow your business' online footprint and requires minimal input. The simple addition of social links can greatly increase awareness of your brand online and offline, which in turn can lead to boosted sales.

In QuickBooks Online, rather than embedding social media buttons in the body of sales forms, you can add clickable hyperlinks to the email message portion of invoices, estimates, and sales receipts. 

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Why should I add social media links to my Invoices and Sales Form emails?

Adding clickable “like us on Facebook” or “follow our Instagram” hyperlinks to invoice email messages is a simple way to stay connected with your customers, enabling you to broaden your brand’s reach without additional (or costly) marketing efforts. This approach separates

branding and business so the prior doesn’t get lost amongst line items and figures (or vice versa). In short, keep the actual invoice form focused on business. 

You should add whatever social channels resonate with your brand. Add your most popular channels, but also consider boosting your newer or less popular outlets if their growth will benefit your long-term strategy. Be sure to add personalized "call to action" messaging to go along with. 

Using this creative opportunity to make your brand stand out may have a very positive effect on your bottom line.

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Get started adding clickable social media links to Invoice and Sales Form email messages

There are two ways to edit the messages you send to customers when they receive an invoice. From the start, decide whether you want your branded messaging to be part of your default message or a custom template you only send to certain segments of your customer base.

Add social media links for all sales forms (i.e. your default message)

• Starting from any page, click the Gear Icon () and select Accounts and Settings (or Company Settings).
  
  
• Click the “Sales” tab on the left and scroll down until you see the “Message” section. Click the pencil icon () to edit the default email message.

• Now, add an enticing “call to action” message and include the full hyperlink for your social media channel with the "http://" or "https://" prefix.
  
  

Tip - While you might want to add an eye-catching subject line, don't let that eclipse the purpose of the invoice email. Customers need to know first and foremost that this is an email for a sales form. Strike a balance and don't add unwanted noise to the sales process. 

• Important - The hyperlink won’t appear clickable while you’re editing the message but don't worry, your customers will be able to click the link once the invoice reaches their inbox. You can always email yourself a copy to confirm it looks perfect.

• Click Save and you’re done.
  

Create a custom template with specific social links for segmented customers

• You know your clientele better than anyone else. If you believe certain clients would benefit from connecting over certain social media channels, create a custom form linked to those specific channels. 

• From any page, click the Gear Icon ()  and select Custom Form Styles. You can either edit an existing invoice template or create a brand new one for this modest branding campaign.

• Go immediately to the “Emails” tab of the Custom Form Styles Module. Write a simple yet compelling “call to action” and add the full hyperlink, including the "http://" or "https://" prefix.
  
  

• Again, the clickable hyperlink won't appear while you are editing the template or if you go back into the form to make edits. 

• We recommend trying out a few variations of your template to see which has the biggest impact. Subtle changes to the "call to action"  wording, layout, and format can make a significant difference.

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Show me why I should add clickable social media links to Invoice and Sales Form emails

My business Facebook account has quite a few followers and I want to grow my Instagram following since it has proven to be a great lead-generation channel. Now, every time I send invoices or sales receipt to customers, there’s a new opportunity to attract more business through branding.

While I have other social media channels, I only want to add ones I want to grow and know will have the biggest impact. Adding too many links will clutter up the email and my customers' inboxes. 

Know your audience and match their expectations – if you sell art or photo products, lead with a visually-driven channel like Instagram; if you make instructional videos for the items or services you sell, add a link to your YouTube Channel.  

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Any other tips I should keep in mind to be successful?

• Keep it simple. Less is more. 
  
  
• Make sure you start hyperlinks with "http://" or "https://" or else they will not be clickable.

• You can add a URL to the memo section of an invoice or sales receipt, but it will not be a clickable link. In any case, it's best not to mingle marketing and sales information. Keep this type of branding off sales forms. 

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Check your Progress

• Am I Ready to Send an Invoice in QuickBooks Online?

What’s Next?

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