What is a Customer Testimonial?
A customer testimonial is a glowing statement or comment from your previous or current satisfied clients that explains their experience and positive reviews about your business.
Testimonials are the modern-day word-of-mouth, and getting them is no easy feat.
But it’s 100% worth investing your time & effort.
An effective customer testimonial has three characteristics:
- It is truthful and accurate.
- It describes the qualities of the service/product promoted.
- It must be based on client satisfaction.
Unlike reviews that customers can give on various platforms and cover both pros and cons, most testimonials focus on the positive aspects and are collected by businesses.
However, there is always the chance that some satisfied customers even proactively submit their own.
As part of the testimonial process, your B2B or B2C client describes the steps your teams took to implement a solution and address the challenges or objectives they faced throughout the process.
Customer testimonials matter because they provide a deeper, more emotional connection with your brand.
Testimonials can be either written or recorded, serving as strong social proof that your business provides quality services or products.
Having them on your websites and social media pages helps to build trust with potential customers and is an excellent way to encourage them to make a purchase.
Simply put, by collecting customer testimonials, you can show your potential customers that others are happy with your service - and they may also be able to experience it the same way.
Why Testimonials are Important for Your Business?
It’s a simple fact that testimonials increase your brand credibility and build trust.
In today’s chaotic world of influencer marketing, consumers are more skeptical than ever about sales claims, which is why you need testimonials to support your marketing efforts.
The more reviews your brand has, the greater the chances that users will convert and purchase your products.
In the same way, positive reviews increase the product's visibility in the eyes of prospects, who are more likely to buy items with detailed descriptions.
By asking for testimonials for your business, you’re giving your customers the chance to become brand ambassadors, a more effective method for building trust, credibility, and emotion.
Generally, testimonials are almost as reliable as words of mouth and recommendations one receives from friends and family.
Below are some additional benefits of using testimonials for your business:
✅ Testimonials Provide Social Proof
In general, social proof is what influences your potential customers' actions.
For instance, if you've purchased a product because a celebrity or a TikTok Influencer endorsed it, bought a specific brand of snacks because your family told you about it, or stayed in line for hours to see what all the fuss was about, then you've experienced social proof.
It’s somehow similar to the “herd mentality” in which we tend to act more like a group than as individuals.
Now, when people research online for a new product or service, they often look for social proof, and testimonials are the best way to provide it to them.
Including testimonials on your website surely makes you look more trustworthy and professional and results in users choosing you over competitors.
✅ Testimonials Improve Customer Relationships
Asking customers for their feedback and testimony is a great way to improve customer service, and it's also a good approach to improve your brand's reputation.
This way you create a deeper bond with your prospects and make them feel truly valued by asking about their experience with your brand.
Additionally, it helps build better relationships with customers and makes them feel like they're part of a community.
The more a customer feels like part of your community, the more likely they are to turn into loyal customers and recommend you to their friends, which is great for business!
Customers who feel that their opinions are valued gain status on social media and are more likely to shore up their position with further recommendations.
✅ Testimonials Help with SEO Ranking
Testimonials are unique user-generated content that not only provide search engines with relevant content but also can help you rank for long-tail descriptive keywords and ultimately boost your SEO efforts.
"Testimonials on your site give it an SEO boost in Google's algorithm and bring you about 45% more traffic, on average." Yotpo Blog
Reviews and testimonials are a significant boost to SEO as they provide fresh content, tons of backlinks, and even a way to shape organic rankings with long-tail keywords over time.
Image Source: Courtesy of Yotpo
Asking how? Easy peasy lemon squeezy. 🍋
It's enough to gather all your testimonials and search for long descriptive phrases that your customers used to describe their experience with your brand.
Viewing UG testimonials, you see how the users phrase their concerns with descriptive words, and then you can use these long-tail keywords and phrases for your on-site optimization.
This also helps you better improve your brand messaging to use the words your customers want to hear.
Next time you’re doing your keyword research for long-tail keywords, be sure to check out your customers' testimonials and take notes.
6 Easy Ways to Ask Customers for Testimonials for Your Business
When was the last time you were so satisfied with a brand’s service or product that you just could not keep the appreciation to yourself?
If you’re anything like: well then, kudos!
You happen to be one of those rare people. But don’t tell anyone else because they probably aren’t like you—and even if they were, they still might not be willing to share their sentiments with businesses.
In spite of that, as a business owner, you intuitively know that people who love your product are going to want to tell others about it.
The tricky part is getting them actually to write a testimonial about it. 🤔
So how do you get more of those glowing reviews without resorting to more intrusive methods?
Here we share six non-intrusive and effective ways to ask for testimonials for your business and boost your reputation.
1. Follow Up After a Positive Customer Experience
One of the best ways to ask for a testimonial is after a good customer experience.
It is when customers are satisfied enough to be asked to spend some time explaining their positive experience.
You can ask for it at the end of the conversation, on follow-up with them after they've had time to reflect on their experience.
Either way, we recommend that you instruct your support team to stay in touch with these prospects after solving their issues and catch the best timing to ask for a testimonial.
This way, not only do you give your customers the best customer service of all time, but you also make them feel valued and considered.
You can also create a list of recent clients who resolved their issues and then contact them for feedback after completing a successful project.
One thing is for certain, if they have received great service from your business, they will most likely provide great testimonials.
2. Send Customized Follow-Up Emails & Newsletter
Email marketing and follow-up emails play a key role in any sales process, but not everyone knows their way around it once it comes to asking for a testimonial.
To make the most of this valuable asset, consider sending out timely follow-up emails asking for testimonials.
In fact, asking for customer testimonials via email can be one of the best ways to get them.
Several proven methods can help you grow your email list, such as developing gamification strategies and using popups to increase engagement.
Once you create your email list, it can help you reach out to most of your customers and follow up without forcing an answer from all recipients.
In most cases, your message lands in the inbox of your customers, and only those who already know you and follow your brand are most likely to open the email and take the time to reply.
You should try to customize your follow-up email, and if you are sending a newsletter asking for testimonials, do not combine different categories in one message.
Instead, send a newsletter specifically for this purpose and express your intention clearly.
Consider these simple yet effective rules when writing follow-up emails:
- Customize it to give your customer a unique experience.
- Avoid passive-aggressive tone.
- Consider the timing of your email once you are planning the campaign.
- Have a sample testimonial letter or testimonial request template to save time.
3. Use Timely Testimonial Popup Surveys
Yes, popups convert, and using them to ask a happy customer to write a testimonial for your business does magic.
The thought is probably running through your mind that "Can't I just ask for a testimonial later?"
The short answer is yes, you can, but it's best to strike while the iron is hot!
Have you ever noticed how excited people are about a new product or service for the first few hours?
It's something that they cannot wait to share with everyone, and they can't hide how excited they are.
This is exactly the point where you can showcase your feedback surveys and collect testimonials from your customers.
Let me share with you some tips on how to ask for testimonials by popups and get the best out of it.
Your clients are already primed and ready to give them, so why not make hay while the sun shines and hook them for testimonials by popups?
You can use an easy popup builder like Popupsmart to create smart popup surveys and collect user testimonials and feedback.
Consider going even a step further and including previous customer testimonials and reviews in the popup to build more trust with the prospect.
Keep in mind that participants generally respond to questions asked by you. Unless you ask for a testimonial by popups at the end of the survey, it's very unlikely that they give it voluntarily.
Make sure you gather all their data using popup surveys, then ask them to provide a testimony when the time is right.
4. Engage with Users on Social Media
Numerous businesses use social media platforms to stay in touch with their targeted audience.
You can use social media to find out the customers who are willing to engage with your brand more than others and ask them to write you a testimonial.
It's sometimes as simple as searching your name on the platform and reading the comments they write about you, and then asking those happy customers to write a testimonial for your business.
Write a comment for them and thank them for purchasing your products and service.
People get excited once they see their favorite brand is noticing them.
Next, ask them directly what you need and give them something like a coupon in return for sharing their testimonial.
Another easy way to get testimonials is to use people's comments about you on social media. You can approach those who shared comments about your services and ask permission to share their testimonials.
There are no specific orders for getting customers to submit testimonials on social media; however, we recommend you to use your imagination and try to sound personal, friendly, and emotionally engage them.
5. Make Them a Special Offer They Can’t Resist
This is the ultimate trick that can be mixed with all the tips we gave you above.
It's no secret that people love free stuff, especially those who are already familiar with your brand and have purchased some of your products.
So take advantage of this fact and make your loyal customers an offer to persuade them to write or record a testimonial for your brand.
They love you already, and they may even talk about you on social media or with their friends, so why not treat them with a little discount and ask them to write a review?
You can create an email marketing campaign and send follow-up emails with funny subject lines to ask for testimonials along with a special offer.
You can also use popups to ask for your customers for testimonials and offer them a voucher, coupons, or discounts for a limited time to create FOMO.
Another option is to organize a giveaway contest for clients who provide testimonial videos or letters about your product.
Make sure your loyal customers know about it by including it in your loyalty program.
Create popup campaigns and let your customers know they will receive 20% off their next purchase if they write a testimonial immediately.
Clients are more likely to buy from you if they are rewarded for actions other than purchasing, which improves their engagement and produces significant customer reviews.
6. Help Your Clients with Writing Testimonials
People don't always know their way around the words, and once you ask them to write you an account of their experience, they can easily panic.
One thing you can do, however, is provide them with a template to get inspired by and lift this burden from their shoulders.
Perhaps you can ask them for more details about their experience and rephrase their sentences in a better way and ask for their approval of the piece.
It's important to remember not to write the entire testimonial piece for your customer.
While the testimonial must come from your client, helping them with the writing process can be helpful and time-saving for both parties.
How to Ask Customers for Testimonials: Key Takeaways
You now know how testimonials can be a great way to get your customers to talk about their experience with your product.
It's also an excellent tactic to get new customers to try out your product. You can also collect testimonials all along your customer's journey with popups, from the moment they contact you to when they request support.
Automating the process of requesting testimonials with email marketing software or timely popup surveys can also help collect reviews and feedback at the end of a project.
Ultimately, as long as you follow the advice outlined here and mix them, you should have no problems getting more people to sign up for your software.
In no time, you’ll have a large base of happy customers who can provide you with tons of written and visual testimonials.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Testimonials Make a Difference?
Yes, they do. Testimonials help you establish credibility with your prospects and assure them that what they're about to purchase is worth it. They increase confidence in your product or service and eventually increase your revenue.
What are the Types of Testimonials?
There are various types of testimonials that you can use to collect feedback for your business. Here are a few most used types of testimonials:
- Video testimonials
- Review testimonials
- Social media testimonials
- Interview testimonials
- Authority testimonials
- Quote testimonials
What is a Testimonial Page?
A testimonial page is a form of publicity on your website showcasing how others have benefited from your product or service, which makes it a powerful social proof tool for establishing trust and encouraging potential buyers to purchase your product or service.
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