New here? This is Inbox Hacking, a Free newsletter for awesome Email Marketers eager to increase their awesomeness. Email marketing insights, tools, & tactics twice weekly. If someone forwarded you our newsletter, please join over 12,523 Email Marketers & grab your Free subscription. Today we cover how and why to use reviews in email campaigns. Plus, key email stats & ways to improve your opt-in conversion rates.
Top of the morning, folks.
Today’s feature covers mouse 🖱 damage.
Our mission is to get your subscribers to click their mice into mechanical malfunction. Touch screens too. How?
By adding reviews to your emails. What a simple way to use reviews you already have to increase email click rates! I’ve gathered review email examples along with facts showing what makes people tick when it comes to clicks.
Know This
Americans agree on little nothing, so this is profound.
⭐57% of US shoppers agree that “customer reviews are very helpful.”
Write the stat below on your office wall in Sharpie if you don’t have many reviews. The few you have need to be impactful – via words. Encourage comprehensive reviews.
⭐73% of users cite written reviews as more important than star and number ratings.
Oh, and how much time do marketing teams spend creating ads? Too much because…
⭐83% of shoppers don’t trust advertisements, but do trust online customer reviews.
Teams might be better off copying & pasting testimonials from Ethel in Eufaula.
To-the-Point Email Review Example
Even an unskilled or hungover writer could craft the email below. Why? The pressure is off.
The work is done by the reviews. From the opening line, the focus is put on what customers say.
Courtesy Really Good Emails (false advertising – they’ve really great emails)
Younger Audiences
Best believe young folks (those who don’t say “folks”) do not trust companies but would let a random Yelper babysit their offspring.
⭐50% of millennials “always” read reviews of businesses by consumers. ~BrightLocal
They mean it.
⭐57% of millennials check out reviews of cafes and restaurants. 40% read reviews of clothing and grocery stores.
Folks, the only sign I need to choose a grocery store is ‘OPEN.’ Young peeps don’t even trust Piggly Wiggly!
Professional services can’t just toss up a shingle and lure in millennials either.
⭐71% of millennials search for at least one consumer review when choosing professional services.
Smart. Not all accountants are buttoned up. Some suck at math. Others are not even accountants, rather, shady ghost tax preparers.
*Read later: 2023 open-rate tools / tactics.
Storybranded Review Emails
The example email below does more than let the reviewer ramble. Reviewers can be wordy.
Instead, Sensei crafted an enticing story around a client who had a great experience at their resort.
The client’s story was also a how-to guide on the relaxation program steps. Gorgeous photos made a splash too.
The Death Star – Negative Reviews 🖤
Some reviewers are unreasonable.
Don’t use those in emails (in case that’s unclear 😉)
Most are reasonable. So it’s on the brand to make those folks’ experience awesome.
If not, then the goal is to fix the issue. Refunds, if need be. Avoid negative reviews at all costs…
⭐90% of online shoppers reported a negative review has convinced them to avoid visiting a business.
⭐35% of cases, a single negative review has affected the entire buying decision of the customer.
⭐57% of consumers won’t use a business if it has less than a 4-star rating.
The best copywriter in the world can’t convince potential clients / customers to try awesome products / services which may have just had an off-day.
Reasonable example: Occasional vehicle lemons.
Unreasonable: “We got wetter than we thought on the trip.” ~ True Google review for Kayaking Outfitter.😐
Deep Reviews Linked in Emails
In-depth review email from Really Good Emails (3 more linked at the end of this post).
The link drives readers to watch a video story of happy homebuyers the service assisted.
Pretty sure the video is a positive review of the highest order. Else the CMO has a weird philosophy.
Review-fueled Email Wrap Up
We all know reviews help our brands. It’s just that we forget the simple tools at our disposal and need reminders.
There is no downside to adding review emails to some of your campaigns.
If you discover downsides, please let me know, I’m all ears.
Now, more proof on the impact of utilizing reviews with email marketing.
⭐Hotels that responded to reviews on TripAdvisor got 12% more reviews + an improvement of 0.12 stars.
Word of mouth aka reviews > ads…
⭐57 percent of marketers prefer using reputation management to paying for ads.
*Thanks to Review42 for compiling oodles of review facts. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Knowledge Base
Knowledge is power, but first, encounters of the puppy kind.
Marketing email volume by product category.
A different angle on testing email campaigns (scientastic).
Monstrous take on conversion rates. (w/ high-converting examples).
Comparisons suck – but mimicking your competitor’s LinkedIn moves is smart (here’s how).
50% – 70% Open Rates. Consistently. Inbox Mailers can do it for you too.
Self Help
This is a test. Which should you read?
- More people make Earth better
- More people might wreck the planet
- Essentialism
Correct if you said ‘C’. It’ll take longer to read.
But can save you tons of time in 2023.
Not much you or I can do about planetary population.
So why hurt our heads contemplating such matters?
Depopulate your brain, people!
The empty space feels good, trust me.😅
*Shout-out to Inbox Hacking Subscribers →
💼Birgit at Orbis (consulting)
🚀Branden at LiftEngine (marketing)
Facts and Stats
- Why people cancel paid subscriptions: 1. Price 2. Subscription fatigue
- New poll: Email used in unison by 72% of firms using direct mail
- Dec. 2021 to Dec. 2022: avg. e-commerce conversion rate dropped by about 10% (2.36% → 2.13%)
*Pre Inbox Mailers Quote Circa 2009… “Nothing I like more than the smell of deleted emails in the morning. Same time, same channel every day.”
~ Johnnie Q. Public
Higher click volume. Up to 70% open rates. Demo Inbox Mailers.
Marketing Musings
Quick-hitter examples to have your email list busting at the seams:
→ Opt-in that nearly doubled conversions
→ Solid opt-in made even better, 26% more sign-ups
→ Yes / No pop-up targeted readers of a specific blog post (6.33% conversion rate)
*Pro Tip: Build your email list before you need it. Same thing for expanding lists.
Get Hacking
Is the spark gone from your opt-in forms?
You can talk to me👂🏼. Not all relationships last. May be time to cheat.
I don’t get paid to promote Optin-Monster but their pop-up forms always grab my attention.
Try some of their templates, see if you can ramp up conversions.
ALT Hack→ Tweak instead of cheat on your current forms.
As we saw above, little tweaks can take conversions to the next level.
Test then let me know if you saw improvements.
3 More Really Good Review Emails
- How to ask for reviews
- Funny reviewers
- Minimalist sharp design
- Eye-catching design / quick reviews
Yes, I failed accounting school.
3 standout quotes from marketing newsletters I saw recently:
- Marie Kondo admits, following the birth of her 3rd child, her home is now “messy.” ~The Hustle
- “Nowhere should we be more concerned about the lack of competition, and Google’s nonchalance about it, than the broader advertising market.” ~Marketing Brew
- “You can’t pay to become a Navy SEAL but the price can be your life. Price is more than money.” ~Trends.vc
📝Please take survey below. There will be ice cream afterward… somewhere.🍦
