www.engagementdb.com provides case studies on companies’ use of social tools as well as a database used to analyze the effectiveness of different efforts.  The site is produced by Charlene Li of the Altimeter Group and Wet Paint.  Their new report shows a strong positive effect from social channels.  Or if you prefer the highlights, here’s a write-up at OnlineMediaDaily.com.  One finding that stands out:

“As the number of channels increase, overall engagement increases at a faster rate.”

Social is one of those tools where more really is better.

Discgear.com just announced some dramatic success with customer reviews — 74% increase in conversions within 5 months.  Congrats to them and to their review system provider, PowerReviews.

But I couldn’t help noticing this quote from Michael Brown, their IT Director: “User-generated comments and reviews are second only to word-of-mouth as a purchase driver for web users.”

So, by all means, invest in a customer reviews system.  But don’t forget your word-of-mouth system, too!