You've probably made a practice of asking customers to review your products, but are you using their praise to its full advantage? "Recently," says Kelly Lorenz at the Bronto blog, "I have seen an uptick in retailers utilizing customer reviews to sell products in their emails."

Why? Because user-generated reviews create a more personal connection. They're especially effective, Lorenz argues, because they counteract the inherent detachment of the online experience. "When people make a purchase online," she notes, "they lose that sense of touch and interaction with the product, which can cause some hesitation." Lorenz points to a series of Cooking.com email messages that highlight positive feedback in ways like these:

• Placing reviews directly beside a product shot and description.
• Noting the percentage of customers who recommend the product.
• Displaying customer ratings on a 5-star scale.
• Providing an easy link to all of a product's reviews.

As impressed as she is by the company's use of customer reviews, Lorenz argues it still has room for improvement. "Cooking.com may also consider adding a 'review this product' call-to-action next to the reviews in the email as well," she says.

The Po!nt: Accentuate the positive. Turning a fence-sitter into a customer might be as simple as letting your existing clientele speak for you in your emails and sing the praises of your products.

Source: Bronto. Read the full post here.

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