Persuading Customers to Write Reviews of Your Products:

Design an email message that will persuade the customers of your online company to review the products they recently purchased. You want this information not only because it is helpful feedback, but also because having customer comments on your website indicates that there is a "social buzz" about your products, and you know sales increase based on potential customers reading reviews from previous customers. (Before you draft your message, figure out what kind of company you will be representing, what you sell, and to whom. You will also need to decide what products a sample customer recently bought, since the message will be personalized in terms of showing what each recipient purchased.)

To supply their reviews, readers will click on the photos of each item they bought, which will take them to a web page where they can select a rating (one to five stars), describe the pros and cons, and add other comments. They will also be asked to give themselves a nickname and indicate what area of the country they come from. Unless the review is inappropriate in some way, it will be put on the "reviews" page for that product for other shoppers to see. Each time a customer writes a review, his/her name will be entered into a monthly drawing for a $500 shopping spree. While you're at it, think carefully about the other visuals and links that could appear in this message. You have the opportunity to do more selling and to build a more informed, loyal customer base, so take advantage of it!