Marketing and advertising strategies have become more invisible to consumers. Buyers’ journeys get longer and more difficult, and people trust companies less. What should a business do?
Credibility is key. It all starts with testimonials from customers.
Imagine that someone is searching for a product to sell. He calls a friend to ask for a recommendation. Your friend recommends your product.
Referred by you, the person purchases from you.
Customer testimonials are the best work in this way. It’s communication between customers to the masses, instead of between friends.
There are two types of customer testimonials.
One is user-generated content. Customers post a blog post or share a social update about how much they love your product.
The second is to be solicited. The second is to ask the customer his or her opinion.
Both customer testimonials and written ones are powerful. However, where do you place them on your website? How can they help your business?
What is a customer testimonial on a website?
A customer testimonial is an honest, positive review about your product, service, or business. A customer who has purchased from you previously sends you glowing praise.
It becomes public when you publish a testimonial on your website. Anybody who is considering purchasing a product can view it and evaluate its value.
An example can be seen on the Neil Patel digital website.
Google said it. However, you don’t have to get testimonials from large corporations for them to be of any benefit.
You can either make customer testimonials short or long, as in the example above. Many companies include video testimonials. These can be very persuasive and many also use photos of customers alongside their quotes.
Remember: You’re establishing credibility. You can make up any glowing quote and attribute it to “Amy S.” However, credibility increases when you provide the full name of the customer, a link to his or her website, and information about the customer’s job title.
Why are Testimonials so Important?
A study showed that customer testimonials lead to a 62% increase in customer revenue. Do you want to increase your revenue by this margin? I know that I would.
It is the recommendation that encourages people to purchase your product or invest money in your service. Customers have reviewed it and can tell them what other people think. They are raving about it.
Two principles are at play here.
People don’t like being the first, except when they are waiting to get their hands on the latest iPhone. It’s not hard to see the point. When a customer asks about a new medication, they will most likely ask how many people have tried it and if it has worked. Nobody wants to become a guinea pig.
Being first is a risky proposition. Because the customer isn’t privy to the experiences of others, he/she doesn’t have a reference other than what the company has to say about its product/service.
What business owner would tell customers that a product is too expensive, defective, inaccurate, ineffective, or unprofitable? There is none.
The fear of missing out, or FOMO as it is known by Millennials, is the second principle. It’s real, I promise.
This is why urgency works so well in marketing. The consumer sees that there is a limited window of opportunity to benefit from an offer and so they grab it.
Customer testimonials are the same. One person visits your website and finds three glowing reviews about your flagship product. “These people are benefiting” from your product, he or she believes. “Why should I not get in on the action?”
You can use human psychology to your advantage. You’re on the right side of marketing if you get customer testimonials.
Is it ok to post customer testimonials on a website?
Data is a key component in deciding where customer testimonials should be placed on your website. Your customer testimonials will be more effective if you have more information.
These are often included on the homepages of many businesses. This strategy is effective because many people search Google for businesses and land on their home pages.
These are some other great places to include customer reviews:
- Landing Pages
- Sales pages
- Exit intent popups
- Contact pages
- Underneath blog posts
- Sidebar
However, data collection is the only way to find out which area is most efficient.
To track user navigation, use a User Behavior tool
You can track the movements of people on your website using a website behavior-tracking tool such as Crazy Egg. This is all while still adhering to GDPR. You will know their origin, which pages they visited, what they clicked, and how they interacted with interactive elements such as forms.
A heatmap behavior report, for example, can help you see where there is the most activity on a page. Scroll maps can be used to determine where people stop scrolling and begin scrolling. This information can be used to place customer testimonials in critical areas.
A testimonial would not be visible if no one scrolls down to the bottom of a page. It would be invisible to everyone. However, if your sidebar is showing a lot of activity, you might consider adding a testimonial.
Try Different Places
The testing phase is now complete. You can use past data to make an educated guess as to where customer testimonials should go. However, you will need to have hard data once you’ve published those testimonials to see if they are having a positive effect.
Test A/B on pages to check user behavior. Which version has the highest activity close to your customer testimonial? Which version converts the most?
How many testimonials should you include on your website?
There is no magic number. One testimonial might be from an expert in your field. Or you could have many testimonials.
Many businesses have a testimonial page. Click on the link to see the comments of others about the company, product, or service.
Skyword is a content production company that uses testimonial pages to highlight customer quotes. These quotes can be linked to specific case studies.
Scroll down to find testimonials from customers that aren’t case studies.
Collecting as many testimonials from customers is the best strategy. The most powerful quotes should be used in the areas that you have identified on your website. Next, create a page to include the rest. You can find out what other people think about your business by checking this link.
The best thing about displaying many customer testimonials is that you communicate two important things.
- What other people think about your business
- How many customers do you have?
Although you won’t receive a testimonial from every customer who purchases from you, it is assumed that businesses with more testimonials have more customers. It’s always a good sign.
Tips for Writing a Testimonial That Helps Increase Conversions
What is the point of writing a testimonial? You can also review other businesses and rely upon reciprocity to get more testimonials.
Let’s suppose that Company A has been using the services of Company C for many years. Your services are also used by Company B.
Send in a testimonial from a customer of Company B. Company B may write a testimonial in your honor.
Is it reliable? No. It’s a great way for you to get more reviews about your business.
A testimonial should be written with a specific message. It’s not very specific to say, “Great service, great prices!” Although it can increase conversions, it is not as effective as a testimonial that focuses on a particular area of gratitude.
Let’s take Company B, for example. This is what you might write in a testimonial:
“Every question I asked Company B was answered immediately, even though I called at night. Their responsiveness and politeness made my job so much easier.
That’s specific, right?
Maybe Company B helped achieve your goal. This might be your testimonial:
“After using Company B my sales increased by 52 percent. I’m overjoyed! Amazingly, we managed to survive before this service was available.
Do you see what I’m referring to? Your customer testimonials will be more convincing and credible if you include numbers.
Three Customer Testimonials for Business that Will Inspire You
Over the years, I have read thousands upon thousands of testimonials from customers. But few stand out. But, I’d like to share three of my favorites in terms of both detail and persuasiveness.
1. The Simple Driver
The Simple Driver provides coaching and education to help people get started as Uber drivers. Although the design of the testimonials page could be improved, the testimonials are excellent.
2. Exhibit Systems
The Exhibit System offers exhibits for trade shows and other events. I was struck by one of the testimonials from customers:
There is a lot of detail here. To give credibility to the testimonial, the customer’s name, and industry are included. She also mentions the company for its responsiveness. It’s also nice that she mentions how the company supports her goals and values. This is a powerful marketing message.
3. Blue Fountain Media
Blue Fountain Media is another great example. This testimonial embodies many of the desired qualities that I mentioned earlier in this post.
We see the full name of the customer, his job title, company, and a link to the company’s site in this testimonial. To show why he likes this company, the testimonial includes specific details such as “vibe”, “level of inquiry”, feedback, and traffic.
Conclusion
Marketing testimonials from satisfied customers can be very persuasive, so you may retweet them or ask them to post on your blog.
You have many options when it comes to how you present them and what information they should include. To get the most information out of a longer review, you might have to reduce them.
No matter what your situation, start asking for testimonials right away. Take data from your website to determine how users navigate and click. Then, choose the appropriate areas for customer testimonials.
Start your A/B testing once they are life. Get the perfect design. You will be grateful later.
Reciprocity is another important consideration. You might be able to get a review if you give one.
