Don’t just take our word for it

The concept of social proof is simple: if you see someone else – or a group of people – doing something, you’re more inclined to mirror the behavior yourself. The same is true in the world of commerce, in that consumers are more likely to be persuaded to buy if others like them have done so (and the experience was positive).

It’s no surprise then that dotmailer partner Trustpilot has a string of customers who are seeing significant conversion rate and revenue increases from reviews. Customer testimonials can bolster any kind of digital marketing, including PPC and SEM, yet email remains one of the most powerful ways to drive sales to your website. In fact, on average, email drives 18.4% of ecommerce orders[1], making it a very attractive marketing channel indeed.

The challenge for marketers is that not only are their emails fighting against a cluttered inbox, they’re also tasked with encouraging users to click through once the email is opened. Personalization, persuasive copy and relevancy go a long way to enhance the performance of email campaigns, but it’s social proof that adds the all-important layer of authenticity and trustworthiness. After all, consumers are more likely to listen to another consumer’s perspective of a product over a brand’s description.

How can I maximize social proof in my emails?

There are two ways to approach social proof in email marketing:

1. Existing emails

Firstly, there’s the opportunity to add ratings, reviews and trust marks to existing emails. A simple tactic could be adding Trustpilot’s TrustScore to your email header or including a customer review in the footer.

If you’re featuring products in your email, you can also include customers’ star ratings to demonstrate popularity and credibility. In this instance you’ll want to ensure that the product page displays the correct rating and reviews, otherwise you might be doing more harm than good. Thankfully, Trustpilot enables you to add live ratings to your emails and website – so they’ll always be accurate.

Other emails that are worthy of ratings, reviews and trust marks are the welcome series and abandoned cart reminders. Welcome emails are designed to introduce your brand’s USPs and build trust with prospects, and social proof is the perfect way to back up your message. Abandoned cart emails remind customers that they didn’t check out and all it could take is some carefully placed social proof to get them across the line.

2. Emails built around social proof

While your existing emails can benefit from a peppering of ratings and reviews, social proof can also define a new suite of campaigns:

• Top reviewed products

You could create an email featuring your company’s top-reviewed products of the week or month, along with their accompanying ratings.

• How you’ve used customers’ feedback

An email telling customers how you’ve used their feedback to make improvements to your product or service shows that you listen and act on comments.

• Feedback emails

An obvious one, but email is the best way to collect reviews from people who’ve purchased a product or service from you. You can set up an automated email program to deliver the feedback request at the right time in the customer journey – e.g. a day or a few weeks after the order was placed, depending on your offering.

[1] eCommerce Pulse – July 2016, Custora, 2016