7 Effective Ways To Use Customer Testimonials In Your Emails
Customers are great likely to buy a product with five reviews than one without.
This is why? Because they know the ultimate goal of companies is to sell products, consumers are skeptical about what information they share.
Customer testimonials, on the other side, are impartial reviews or recommendations written and reviewed by peers. They are therefore much more reliable. These testimonials remove some doubts customers might have about buying a product and make it much easier for them to decide.
If you harness the power and potential of testimonials in your email marketing, you might be able to increase conversions if they are used correctly.
These are seven ways testimonials can be incorporated into emails to build trust and leverage social proof.
Seven ways you can use customer testimonials
1. Short product reviews should be included
Punchy testimonials are the best. Email subscribers won’t spend time reading lengthy reviews. They want to quickly get an opinion about a product and not read War and Peace. A lengthy review might be scannable by potential customers, meaning they may not take in the main message you or the reviewer is trying to convey. Reviews should be engaging and concise. This example is from Oros
These reviews communicate vital messages about the brand or product in a short time.
Their parka is better than other brands.
Their parka keeps you warmer than others.
Because customers have the same opinions as this company, you can trust their product reviews.
This could be done by looking at your key value propositions and then finding testimonials that best reflect them. Getting customers to share this information is more accessible than making bold claims about yourself. To show your customer exactly the benefits and value they can expect, it is essential to include specific details in reviews, just like the example above.
You can easily find reviews on the internet to source them, regardless of whether they are from your eCommerce site, social media, or trusted review sites like TrustPilot.
You can also request reviews by email. Remember that a good testimonial is short, direct, and product-specific–don’t be afraid to pick out one relevant, punchy line from a more comprehensive review.
2. Use user-generated content
UGC, or user-generated content, is very influential for eCommerce websites 79 percent of people claim UGC has a significant impact on their purchasing thoughts, while only 13 percent say the range from brands affects their buying decisions
Customer testimonials can be considered user-generated content. However, you can take it one step forward and include customer images, posts, or videos on social media to increase the impact of your testimonials. This adds credibility and authenticity to customer reviews. UGC encourages customers to participate in your campaign. It also makes your brand more relatable because customers can see photos of other people using your product.
Harry highlights social media posts regarding their razors in the footer section of an email.
This is a natural person using slang and making funny comments.
This is an excellent example of how testimonials and UGC can be used to refer people. This engages the recipient and encourages them to share the message with their friends.
Social media is a great place to find user-generated content in your emails. However, you must get permission from customers to use their posts. You can also create a campaign encouraging users to share photos of themselves using your products. Use a unique hashtag to enable customers to use it on Instagram and other social media. ASOS uses #asseenonme, for instance.
It is essential to include testimonials and customer images in your emails. This adds authenticity to your emails and makes them more appealing.
3. Send video testimonials
These days, email marketing is a lot more popular than ever. This is a good thing, since 68% said they would instead learn more about a product or service through a video. You can be sure your subscribers will be happy by including video in your email. Instead of creating promotional videos every day, video testimonials from actual customers can give your emails a personal touch.
Trunk Club employs a video testimonial to its advantage.
The email copy exemplifies why video testimonials can be so helpful: “But don’t just take us at face value, learn about how stylists can help you” In other words, the video testimonial highlights the real-life results and benefits people get from their service (which could also be the recipient).
You can see the enthusiasm behind a product through video. Videos that you make and own, such as Trunk Club videos, can be used. YouTube is another option. You can upload product reviews and unbox videos to the platform. People eat them up.
With their consent, you may be able to share user review videos. You can also collaborate with influencers to create a video that reviews your product honestly. Video is a great way to showcase third parties who love your product.
4. Complete customer stories and case studies available
Case studies & customer success stories are persuasive. They not only evoke emotions but also allow you to demonstrate tangible results. Allie Decker, HubSpot, said:
Stories can help clarify complex concepts and simplify complicated messages. One of the greatest strengths of storytelling is its ability to take a difficult, abstract concept and relate it with concrete ideas.
This means that you can’t simply present your product’s idea or goal; you have to make fantasy a reality. Masterclass, an online education platform that offers excellent examples of this, is Masterclass.
This story was about students who had the chance of a lifetime when they purchased a Masterclass course. I can’t say that I was excited for these students. That’s what the point of this exercise is – to elicit an emotional response.
This email is ideal for customers who are on the verge of purchasing. Customers love stories of success. Ask loyal customers for their stories.
It’s not always easy for customers to share their stories. It should be as simple as possible for them. Please make a list of questions that they can answer. Later, you can make a story out of it. It may be a good idea to offer an incentive to participate. You can’t expect reviews to be genuine if you pay for them. Instead, offer a special deal or entry into a contest.
After collecting stories, select the most powerful to be included in your campaigns.
5. To achieve your goals, use testimonials
Each email that you send must have testimonials to help you achieve your goal. It’s not enough to collect positive reviews. It would help if you made them work.
There are many types of emails that your company sends, including welcome emails, newsletters, and post-purchase emails. Customers are more likely to purchase if you have the right testimonial at the right time.
Casper uses testimonials in abandoned cart recovery emails.
They are trying to get the customer’s attention by including a testimonial in an abandoned cart email. This testimonial dispels any doubts regarding the product’s efficacy.
Think like Casper and consider how testimonials can be used in your email marketing strategy.
To encourage people to adopt new products, you can share videos or user-generated content. You can send a product-specific review via a post-purchase email to reduce dissonance after a purchase. Show the consumer that they made the right decision. You must ensure that testimonials are relevant to your goal and used appropriately.
6. Personalize your testimonials
Personalization is a primary component of any email strategy. Ninety eight percent of marketers believe personalization improves customer relationships. Personalization is the most used marketing channel, with 78 percent using it.
This tactic can be applied to your use of testimonials by highlighting customers who are part of the recipients’ demographic. Everything is perfect for the brand. The brand features a customer story that includes short reviews and photos of customers wearing their products. They are targeting a young, fashion-oriented mom and entrepreneur who is busy.
This can be emulated by using testimonials from customers that are your target market. Are you currently able to identify buyer personas? Amanda Marra at Business 2 Community says:
It’s not enough to make assumptions about your customers. To understand your audience, it takes to research and time. It is essential to look for common patterns among your audience.
Create buyer personas by researching your audience carefully to determine their demographics, pain points, and wants.
Segmenting your subscribers into groups will allow you to personalize emails even more. This works incredibly well if you offer a variety of products that cater to different users. You can also separate them by their demographics, location, and interests. Send emails with the best testimonials for each group.
Customers are more inclined to listen to recommendations from like-minded people.
7. Combination with other forms of social proof
To get the message across, share other social proof forms with reviews. What makes social proof so effective? Ben Johnson, IIMPACT writes
There are several ways to make funds online. However, suppose you cater to the entire underwiring human beings with authenticity, social participation, and transparency. In that case, you will likely sell more and have more customers who trust your site over time.
Social proof encourages potential customers to join in on bigger projects. This increases your brand’s credibility. It helps customers make a decision they are confident about. Duolingo also includes social proof.
This email states that 350,000 teachers use Duolingo to communicate with students. This makes teachers wonder if Duolingo is helpful and if there are so many people using it. Are my students being disadvantaged by not using Duolingo? That’s powerful?
Like the example above, data and numbers can be irresistible forms of social proof. For example, you might share how many products have been sold in which countries. To prove your credibility, you can also use trust icons. You can display the logos of websites that have reviewed or featured your product. Customers also appreciate celebrity endorsements.
It’s not the goal to overwhelm subscribers by providing social proof. If you can provide additional social proof and testimonials in an email, it will make your offer more convincing.
Key Takeaways
Testimonials can increase conversions because they help customers make purchase decisions. It would support if you made them an integral part of your email marketing strategy.
- Keep them brief. The best reviews are direct and concise.
- Use user-generated content. Video, user-generated material, and other social proof such as data can enhance the impact of testimonials.
- Tell us about customer stories. Case studies and customer success stories evoke emotion and encourage action.
- Choose the right testimonials. You can increase your chances of meeting your goals by combining the right testimonials and emails.
- Personalized testimonials are powerful. Emails with testimonials from customers that match your profile will be more effective.