Customer testimonials can be one of the most powerful marketing tools a business can have. Testimonials use the influence of social proof, where customers look to their peers to validate the credibility of a business. By integrating different types of testimonials into your online presence, you can increase conversion rates and customer engagement.
Not only do they streamline word of mouth referrals, but they can reinforce the claims you make because they directly relate back to personal experiences.
In short, testimonials are priceless and asking for them should be part of your internal processes.
THIS ARTICLE COVERS:
- Testimonial format options
- How to ask for a testimonial
- Creating your testimonials
- Where to use your testimonials
DOWNLOAD THIS ARTICLE AS A PDF HERE.
Testimonial Format Options
Using quotes directly from your customers is a highly effective format option. These demonstrate support for your brand by explaining how you have earned the trust of previous customers through their experience.
The nature of this format makes it easy to use in a number of ways which we cover below, including repurposing to leverage maximum reach.
Social media is a great opportunity for finding testimonials through comments or posts made by clients engaging with your profiles. You can also ask your customers to add a review or recommendation directly as part of your after-sales process.
Because social media is public, your prospects know they can easily check the authenticity of these testimonials which builds trust and credibility.
By regularly engaging on your platforms and encouraging people to contribute to open discussions, you can improve the rate at which customers leave testimonials.
Interviews with your clients mean you can get more details about their personal experience with your company.
When conducting your interview, you want to get information that will allow you to tell a story about how and why the customer came to buy from you.
Interviews are a really flexible kind of testimonial, as you can record the interview and publish it in an audio or video form, or have it transcribed and publish the text.
Like quotes they can easily be repurposed by pulling out quotes from the interview you can brand as a post and share on your website or social media.
Case studies offer your visitors access to an in-depth analysis of a customer’s experience with your business, going a step beyond an interview. These often include facts and data so people have more information about what they are being recommended more than just vague claims.
A case study often takes the reader on a journey: problem, solution offered, execution and experience.
You can take extracts from the study, add these snippets to your website and link to the full analysis so that you aren’t failing to consider shorter attention spans.
Video testimonials have grown in popularity, and it’s not surprising. The power of visuals leaves a big impression that stands out against written testimonials.
The fact that they are easily shareable and digestible means that more people can learn about your brand, which will ideally translate into an improved rate of lead conversions.
Most people agree that testimonials are best when they are shorter, people are unlikely to read long reviews all across your website. But, this leaves a gaping space for long-form testimonials that can still be effective, a perfect example of this being blog post reviews.
Just like with case studies, you can have a small extract of the review on your website where visitors can click a link to read the full post.
Being featured in the media, whether it’s a magazine, newspaper or TV, can be life-changing for a business. It leads to widespread exposure to thousands of people and drastically improves brand awareness in the process.
This kind of testimonial is hard to achieve, and you want it to be showing your business in a positive light. But if you manage to get this opportunity, be sure to maximise the potential of it by sharing related content on your website, blog and social media.
Online reviews, particularly Google Reviews are an extremely powerful tool.
Not only are they easy for your clients to make, they improve your search ranking (often over competitors with less reviews) and are visible to your prospects as they Google what you offer.
Yelp, Facebook and TrustPilot are just a few of the multiple review sites available and choosing the right platform to send your happy clients depends on your industry but do follow up with every client asking them to place an online review.
Of all the formats, online reviews have the most benefits for your brand.
How To Ask For Your Testimonials
Now that you know all about what types of testimonials you can use, all you need to know is how to get them! Luckily for you, getting testimonials is a relatively simple process, it comes down to listening and asking.
NOTE: You must have permission to share a testimonial.
We suggest copying or linking to all reviews in a folder or document so you can use them again, add to them in the future, use them to create case studies or white papers and making them look good in Canva!
Here’s just a couple of ways to get testimonials:
- Save quotes and feedback received in emails.
- Listen for positive comments made online.
- Ask for them directly in a customer satisfaction survey.
- As part of your after-sales, ask for a Google review.
- Approach a happy client about doing an interview or case study.
- Ask for a testimonial as part of your exit process with clients.
Creating Your Testimonials
The following covers best practice tips to get the most from your client testimonials:
For more testimonials, the shorter the better though the length does vary depending on where your prospect is at in their buyer journey.
Cold prospects will see short and sweet social media posts and may read a couple on your website.
As they seriously consider your product or service then more lengthy case studies and video content helps them in their decision-making process.
To optimise your testimonials, keep an eye out for the ones that are direct. By putting the most impactful statements at the beginning and emphasising the most direct keywords, even people just scanning your testimonial will understand why you are being recommended.
The reason we love testimonials so much is because the language coming from a customer is so much more naturally candid than anything you will write.
You want your testimonial to be authentic throughout, otherwise it will just feel like a transparent ad which could deter your customers from trusting it.
Adding as much information to your testimonial as you can while still keeping it concise will help them with credibility.
By including something as simple as the person’s name, title and/or company, this makes them far more trustworthy than if they were anonymous.
Equally important, including visual elements like a photo or company logo also means people will find the testimonial more believable.
If someone feels uncomfortable with sharing their information, try negotiating by asking if you can instead name only their initials and industry, as partial information is better than nothing. For example a divorce lawyer may struggle getting permission to include full names!
Just as the detail accompanying the testimonial helps potential customers engage with them, you want the testimonials themselves to be specific in what they are recommending.
Testimonials help support the claims you make as a business, which can sometimes be quite broad.
Aim for testimonials that speak on a specific aspect of your business as these will be the most useful to your audience.
Where To Use Your Testimonials
Testimonial Pages
You might think a testimonial page is your best option. It’s a common practice and you can make these pages very compelling with a refined design layout, you can check out our testimonial page here.
However, it pays to exercise caution with testimonial pages as placing everything together may not have the desired outcomes you’re after. It’s common for customers to rarely visit testimonial pages as they may feel they are getting more of a sales pitch than information about your business.
If marketing tactics on a testimonial page are too overt, this can be off-putting and take your testimonials out of context so you don’t make the most out of them. With a clean design and a careful strategy, you can optimise a page to give your customers an easy place to validate the credibility of your business and find links to long-form testimonials, but don’t underestimate the importance of optimising your testimonials in other parts of your website.
Other Ways To Use Testimonials On Your Website
There are different ways you can utilise your testimonials. Try putting them where they are most relevant. If a testimonial mentions a specific project, product or service, add it to the page with all of the other information your customer will need to learn about it.
If you have a glowing review you’re proud of or a testimonial from a notable figure in your industry, put these on your most popular pages. Use analytics tools to see what sections of your website draw the most traffic, including your ‘Home’ and ‘About’ pages, and place your best testimonials here so that as many people as possible see them. Another way you can utilise analytics is by putting testimonials with keywords on pages optimised for those respective words and phrases.
Share Testimonials On Social Media
- Share short quotes in branded image posts.
- Share video testimonials natively on social media.
- Summarise or quote long form testimonials on social media, linking to the full testimonial on your site.
- Remember to ask for social media reviews. LinkedIn recommendations work very well for B2B whereas B2C customers are better served with Facebook reviews.
Your Marketing Assets Need Social Proofing Too
Include your testimonials and reviews in:
- Proposals and Quotes
- Landing Pages
- Email Sequences
- Newsletters
- Site Popups
- Ad campaigns
Remember too, people have a very triggering fear of missing out. So if they see that you achieved xyz for John (particularly if he’s in the same industry), they’ll want those same results.
Testimonials are, without a doubt, a powerful asset you can use to connect with customers. For small businesses, they are a helpful resource in adding a layer of credibility that new customers will see when they find you, and should not be overlooked.
MORE RESOURCES
Here’s some more resources to help with your testimonials:
And as always if you need help we’re an email or phone call away.
