According to a recent survey published by eMarketer, nearly 54% of consumers surveyed help friends or family members with purchase decisions, and more than 40% share advice based on information they have read online. So how can you encourage your... More

According to a recent survey published by eMarketer, nearly 54% of consumers surveyed help friends or family members with purchase decisions, and more than 40% share advice based on information they have read online. So how can you encourage your email subscribers to join the conversation about your brand? Here are some simple tips to help you harness brand advocates with email and use that information to influence purchase decisions.

Include Forward to a Friend (FTAF) or Share with your Network (SWYN) feature in email messages with strong viral content. Sharing features are most effective for promotional messages with great deals, limited time offers or new product announcements. 

Send a post-purchase product review. The most effective examples I have seen are sent within two weeks following product delivery and include dynamic content reminding the consumer what they purchased.
 
Here are some recent examples from my own inbox:
Macy's
GAP

Crate&Barrel
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