Use Reviews & Testimonials in Emails
Creating content for emails can be difficult.
Often, it’s easy to overlook potential sources of great content including content you already own. When creating emails, it’s worth taking a look at your own properties to find inspiration. You can look at your own website, your social channels, and even your employees for great email content.
Use Testimonials and Reviews in Your Emails
Customer reviews are important to consumers. In an article published by eMarketer in 2010, they shared some insight into how consumers are using reviews and testimonials to make purchasing decisions:
“For many purchases, shoppers find the best advice comes not from family and close friends but from strangers who have similar interests or who embody a lifestyle the shopper aspires to achieve,” said Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer principal analyst.
It’s true. Consumers are looking to others for guidance on using products and gauging a product’s value. Consumers are always wanting to know if they’ll feel good after making a purchase. It sounds simple, but we all want to feel good about spending money. A customer review can be the make or break element in the purchasing process.
Here’s a breakdown from eMarketer in the same article on how reviews influence consumers:
Consumers are using reviews to make decisions.
If your website has reviews it’s a great source for email content.
Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Think of your customers and the mindset they are in regarding the sales funnel. Some customers are likely ready to make a purchase. A review might be the final push they need to make the purchasing decision. It can be a direct conversion as the customer clicks through the email and immediately adds the item to their cart.
Other folks on your email list might still be in the research stage of their decision funnel (probably more likely). A review or testimonial in your email might be a way to entice them to click through to your product page. From there, you can have content prepared to continue the customer down the sales funnel until they are ready to convert to making a purchase.
Here are two good examples of companies using reviews or testimonials in emails…
Woolrich
LL Bean
Employee Knowledge
Another place for potential email content is your own employee knowledge base.
Employees that have interactions with your customers have great experience with what pains customers. They know what people want. Your employees know the questions your customers want answered.
Talk to your sales folks. Talk to your customer service representatives. Ask them for stories from the customers. Usually there are at least a few golden nuggets to be had when discussing customers with your co-workers. Ask them for details. You’re looking for stories from customers about how they use your products, how a product solved their problem, or if they would recommend the product to their peers.
Customers won’t always take the time to write reviews on your website or on a postcard that they send in. You can still find some great reviews by talking to the folks in your company that interact with your customers.
Use the stories in your email content. Do it in a way that’s honest. Don’t create fake reviews. Don’t disguise anything. If you have a good idea for an email headline – perhaps something like “This Shirt Never Wears Out” – use it as a headline. Do not create fake quotes, testimonials, or reviews. Use reviews and present them as reviews. When you come up with good headlines use them as headlines. Your customers will respond to both.
Discussion
What other ways can you come up with interesting content for your emails?
There are lots of sources of inspiration. Share your winning strategies in the comments.
Tagged in: Customer Reviews, LL Bean, Testimonials, Woolrich