Getting Testimonials is Easy
Making The Case For Getting & Using Testimonials In Your Marketing
Every business has customers! Every business needs new customers. Getting new customers can be difficult, especially digitally. Testimonials can make the process of getting new customers easier.
How so? When people find you or your company online, they could be at many different stages of their buyers’ journey. If they are in a research phase a testimonial could give them the extra nudge needed for them to buy your product or work with your business.
Testimonials are social proof signals that provide customers with the knowledge or understanding that purchasing or working with your business is going to solve the problems they are experiencing.
Three key components to maximize testimonials effectively:
1. Testimonial content
2. Placement of testimonials within your content
3. Getting testimonials
Testimonial Content
What can a testimonial be? Well, it can be a lot of things. All of which, if a strong argument is created, can massively impact potential customers view of your product or service. You may have heard the term “people buy from people.” Yes, that could be you as you are selling that product. It could also be from the person offering the testimonial. To sum it up, people buy from you and from their peers through their testimonials.
When prospective customers read or see testimonials, they are now allowing your customers to influence their purchasing decision.
Thankfully there are many different types of testimonials. From customer emails, surveys, social media posts, case studies, video testimonials, blog post reviews, interviews, press reviews. Giving you lots of different ways to approach acquiring testimonials.
Video
The best medium for testimonials is video. You can repackage the video content into a written testimonial where needed and place within your website, emails, social media posts, etc.
Some important things to note about video testimonials. Authenticity is key so NEVER do the following:
Script testimonials
Over dramatize them
Both are surefire ways to discredit the argument and the person giving the testimonial.
How to craft the perfect testimonial:
- Addressing Pain Points
This is where the customer builds the use case to use your product or service - What was the problem they were trying to solve.
How was that problem affecting their life?
What objections did they have when looking at your product or service?
What made them overcome those objections? - Ease of Use:
How easy was the product to use or how simple was it to work with your service? - Results
We are now circling back to how the product or service solved the pain points. Essentially closing the argument.
What was the result of using the product or service?
How did the product or service make them feel? - Recommendation
Would they recommend your product or service? Why? And to whom? - Addons
Ask them to add anything about the product or service they wanted to share.
Placement Of Testimonials
They can be literally anywhere within your content. Also, this always depends on the medium of the testimonial and how many you have. You could have so many testimonials you need to create a page dedicated only to testimonials. Maybe you only have a few, they could be used on your home page, within your emails, on your sales pitches.
We use testimonials anywhere you are trying to persuade or convince people about a product or service. We also use them to reaffirm your customers after they have purchased your product or service.
Outside of your website or testimonials page they could be on your thank you emails, your product launch pages, your direct mail pieces, in your packaging (if you sell physical products). So anywhere you can place them that do not look out of place over salesy I would put them there.
Getting Testimonials: The Essential Part Of The Strategy!
This ask is the hurdle marketers and business owners need to jump over. Sometimes, we hide these asks in our marketing materials. However, what we really want to do is ask for a testimonial right after the transformation happened.
For example:
If you sell clothes you ask right after they have tried on their clothes or wore them out for the first time. With this example there are 2 possible transformational moments.
If you are a hair stylist or a barber, you can ask for one right after your haircut. Maybe get a before and after picture. And possibly ask for a review a day after or incent them to review you on Facebook, Google and Yelp. Maybe you offer 50% off their next cut or style.
To add, asking for testimonials is just another customer service opportunity. You get critical knowledge about how to improve your product and service plus further understand who your customers are and why they choose your business over your competitors.
In case we were not clear from the above, the best (or most impactful) testimonials are video testimonials. I will repost the ideal script they should follow here:
How to craft the perfect testimonial:
- Addressing Pain Points
This is where the customer builds the use case to use your product or service. - What was the problem they were trying to solve.
How was that problem affecting their life?
What objections did they have when looking at your product or service?
What made them overcome those objections? - Ease of Use:
How easy was the product to use or how simple was it to work with your service? - Results
We are now circling back to how the product or service solved the pain points. Essentially closing the argument.
What was the result of using the product or service?
How did the product or service make them feel? - Recommendation
Would they recommend your product or service? Why? And to whom? - Addons
Ask them to add anything about the product or service they wanted to share.
Depending on your budget, you can ask your customers to film themselves on their phone or you could film the testimonial yourself with your own phone or camera. Perhaps go the extra length and use a professional film crew to film it. Again, authenticity and strength of argument are most important here. If that it is not there then you will only waste your money on a professional film crew (if you choose that route).
By having the film of the testimonial, you can re-purpose the testimonial into text + picture, just text or cut little snippets together into a highlight reel of testimonials. Having the availability of these is key to supercharging your marketing.
How To Maximize Your Testimonials:
Best practice: incent customers into giving a testimonial.
How you incent them is up to you. Remember, the offer needs to be worth it for them to spend the time to do it. On top of that you get the opportunity to create customers for life. Imagine, after a customer’s first purchase, you gift them an opportunity for a year’s supply of your product at a 50% discount only for a testimonial. Or an extra supply or addon service for a testimonial. The addon service, hopefully, will eventually get them to spend more money with you since it is a free service and will eventually be charged for it.
As you can see these offers in exchange for testimonials can be a powerful tool to increase AOV and LTV.
Every interaction is an opportunity. Opportunities to make more sales, increase credibility, offer them more value, increase community engagement, etc.
You could use email, direct mail, telephone or advertising. Again, including it in all your post sale or service material is essential. On top of that, asking directly for it via one or combinations of these mediums will result in many more testimonials for your business.
Happy Marketing,
Michael
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