Steal this idea: Intercom’s micro case study

“What’s in it for me?” 🤔

You can talk about your company’s products and services all day. “Changing the world one project management system integration at a time.” But what’s really going through the minds of your customers? 

“Yeah, yeah yeah. But how will that help me???”

Sometimes you need to give them a nudge with a real-life example.

In this blog, I’ll show you how Intercom uses social proof for product activation and how can you use it for your business.

What did Intercom do? 

There I was. Browsing my Intercom inbox. When suddenly...

An interesting overlay popped up. A teeny tiny micro case study of how June at Guru reduced response times by 18%. Now that grabbed my attention, prompting me to try that "Apps in Inbox" feature right away. 

Why is this brilliant?

With this in-app message, Intercom is using social proof to engage an existing customer and let them know “how” a feature of Intercom has helped others.

This is a great example of how customer stories can not only attract new prospects, but also inspire the customers at the bottom of the funnel. Beats the heck out of another “❗️HEY TRY OUR BRAND NEW FEATURE❗️” email.

Inspire FOMO. Show your customers what you’re doing for your top dogs. Tie a feature to its success - “Want to reduce response times by 18%? Great, click here.”

How you can steal this idea.

Take it, it’s yours! Here are some fun ways you can use this tactic to boost your customer engagement, fast:

• Choose a success story. This isn’t the time for a humble brag. What’s the best result you’ve delivered? 
• Grab the customer’s attention. Do you have a way of reaching your customers while they’re entrenched in your product? Everything from the late 90s is cool again, including popup ads. 
• Use real numbers. Vague language is the enemy. Tell them what they need to know in as few words as possible.‍
• Personalize it. Make it relatable. As Phil of Intercom says, “Be judicious with whom you are targeting the message to”. Start by picking ONE specific issue and show how ONE person solved it.‍
• A/B test. The needs of your clients will vary. Personalize your messages to address their specific pain points.‍
• Sprinkle some emojis. 🧂 A survey by Hubspot showed that emojis drive push notification opens by 85%. We can’t help but glance at those silly little icons. 👀‍
• Use real photos. Show them the customer! Nobody wants to be a headless quote.

Even a dash of social proof goes a long way. Customers need to know what’s in it for them. Showing another satisfied customer is the way to go. 😎