The Taming of the Company Testimonial
You know your business is great, your grandmother knows your business is great, and so do your customers. However, unless you get your brand evangelists to share their positive reviews about your business, you may be missing opportunities to expand your brand. You can have incredible marketing with persuasive product details, but unless you are backing up your brand claims your efforts may fall flat. The best way to support your brand claims is by sharing customer testimonials.
Let’s take a closer look at how to make testimonials work harder (so you don’t have to). We are talking about the importance of taming testimonials in order to use them more effectively for on and offline marketing. We want to go beyond the question of whether or not customer reviews are important – because we all know they are. But not all reviews are created equal. Here are our go-to tips for tooting your own horn online.
Don’t Let Your Great Impression Fade. Request a Testimonial Immediately.
Attention spans are short and fleeting, so it’s important to get a customer’s feedback very quickly after their interaction with your business. Not only is this the best time to seek a testimonial, but it should also be a fundamental part of your customer service enhancement strategy to ensure you are addressing feedback early and often.
Send a thoughtful follow-up survey or short questionnaire seeking the answers you want, as soon as it makes sense. Be sure the time stamps on your testimonials are not long past their expiration dates. And don’t be shy about asking for updates to a customer’s testimonial, especially if they are returning time and time again for your glorious products and services.
Ask For Specifics To Receive Better Testimonials
Have you ever looked at someone’s website and seen a beautiful array of reviews, but as you look closer, you notice a lot of John Does and non-specifics that seem almost as if they’re made up? Of course you have, and no one trusts those testimonials because they could have come from anywhere. To avoid any moments of mistrust, you need to legitimize your testimonials with specifics.
When reaching out to your customers or providing them with a form to fill in their feedback, make it clear you are looking for the following:
Their name: Only display their first name for privacy.
A star rating: Use this visual to make your testimonials stand out and look compelling.
Location: Where they are located and, if they were served in-person, the location their transaction took place.
Specifics about the product or service they received: It is great to read that they love your business, but why do they love it? What did they buy? Did they eat, wear, surf or sleep on it? The people want to know.
Themes that are key to your business: If you are looking to be remembered for your cleanliness, timeliness, or politeness, provide scales or clues to your customers that you want to know more about these particulars.
Share Your Testimonials Strategically To Enhance Your Overarching Appeal
The specific testimonials page on your website or Google Reviews page are not the only places people want to see glowing remarks about your company.
Amplify the positive influence of what people have to say by:
- Editing the raw testimonials to ensure they are error-free and are also formatted in an appealing way.
- Including product-specific reviews right next to where customers can learn more about that product.
- Scattering them throughout your conversional landing pages.
- Sharing testimonials on your social media accounts.
- Pulling testimonials from your emails, Google Reviews, TripAdvisor and everywhere else, to leverage for advertising collateral, key landing page embellishments & more.
Keep it Fresh, Specific & Strategic So Your Testimonials Can Really Shine
There are a lot of aspects of your business that will be complicated, but testimonials don’t have to be. When your customers boast about the great work you’re doing, do not be shy about sharing their praises. By sharing customer testimonials wisely, you will build on existing customer loyalty by extending the reach of these powerful word-of-mouth marketing catalysts.
If you have any questions about optimizing your testimonials, don’t hesitate to reach out and we can share some of our tips and tricks for turning great client experiences into hard-working marketing.
