How To Build Your Reputation With User Testimonials And Reviews
Are you stuck doing what you’ve always done to attract and retain new customers, and getting the exact same results? As most small business owners know, that generating new customers can be very difficult. Just trying to keep your business afloat requires a lot of time, money and energy, and sometimes this can feel like it’s just not worth the effort.
In today’s web-based economy, you just can’t ignore the impact of online consumer behavior, especially if they are posting comments about your business.
Ignoring what users may be saying online about your business could be a costly mistake!
By the same token, you may also be doing your business a great disservice if you are not promoting the positive things your clients say about your services and products. Testimonials, user reviews, and case studies are powerful ways of helping you market and promote your products and services online and should be included in your content marketing strategy.
In this article, we’ll show you tips for turning more visitors into prospects using knockout customer testimonials.
Client Reviews And Testimonials
The great American businessman and showman P.T. Barnum once stated that “Nothing draws a crowd quite like a crowd.”
P.T. Barnum understood the power of “social proof”. Social proof-based content is a powerful and effective way of getting your business promoted. Reviews and testimonials quoted directly from existing clients are far more persuasive when it comes to drawing new customers, clients or users than anything you have to say about your own products or services.
There is clearly a source of untapped business growth potential that most small businesses just aren’t utilizing, or utilizing correctly … testimonials and reviews from users!
Testimonials and customer reviews are effective for building credibility for your products and services.
Research conducted by marketing research companies all lead to the same inevitable conclusion: testimonials and user reviews decrease doubts potential customers may have about products or services, help users select products and help increase the number of product sales.
Here are just some findings that support this:
- According to a study by eVoc Insights, a company that researches and measures user experience, “In general, 63% of users indicate they are more likely to purchase from a site if it has ratings and customer reviews.”
- According to Reevoo.com, reviews are responsible for producing an average 18% uplift in sales and 50 or more customer reviews per product can result in a 4.6% increase in conversion rates.
- Web site visitors who interact with both consumer reviews and customer questions and answers are 105% more likely to purchase while visiting and spend 11% more than visitors who don’t interact with user-generated content (UGC). (Bazaarvoice, Conversation Index, Q2 2011).
- Consumer reviews are significantly more trusted (nearly 12 times more) than descriptions that come from manufacturers, according to a survey of US internet users by online video review site EXPO. (eMarketer, February 2010).
(Above figures sourced from eConsultancy.com)
Adding Consumer Reviews And Testimonials – Online Reputation Management
Adding positive reviews and testimonials to your site from clients is essential for creating a solid online business reputation.
Consumer reviews and testimonials, however, are like double-edged swords; they can impact your business both negatively or positively.
People may not be saying bad things about your business directly to your face, but they could be posting updates on Facebook or a discussion group about an unpleasant encounter they’ve just had with one of your representatives and this could be costing you business.
This is where online reputation management becomes vitally important to your online business success.
Misconceptions about online reputation management, such as the process being too complicated or too time-consuming (or the belief that you just don’t need it) could be seriously harming your business without you even realizing it.
See this article to learn more about a simple yet effective WordPress plugin that can help to avoid the escalation of negative reviews about your services through effective customer review management:
How To Create Captivating Client Testimonials – Useful Tips
User reviews, testimonials, and case studies are effective when it comes to helping you market your products and services online and should be used in your content marketing. When you include your own customer responses in your content, you:
- Show others exactly what pains and problems your products and services can help solve for them and how easily this can be done.
- Help your visitors identify and address their objections.
- Help potential customers connect with their motivations and facilitate moving them closer to a buying decision.
Below are some practical tips on creating testimonials:
- Avoid over-editing: Try using the actual words used by your customers as much as possible. Leave grammatical or spelling errors in the content. This helps to keep it ‘real’.
- Use photos: Marketing tests show that using images of people’s faces will draw the most attention of visitors on a web page. Adding client photos next to their testimonials and reviews will help your visitors and potential prospects take notice of your content.
- Use the power of storytelling: Stories are far more powerful and memorable than simply providing statistical facts. Being able to present a customer’s horror story and how your solution came to the rescue will make a far more lasting impression on those reading your content than presenting generalized statements about how “excellent” your support was and giving “two thumbs up” product recommendations that everyone has heard a “million times” before.
- Keep it in context: It’s good to add customer testimonials in your site copy where it best makes sense to place them, and where you believe these can most effectively help to sell your point. For example, think about the impact you can create on your visitor’s perception if you were to present a testimonial about what a “bargain” price your solution retails for before posting your product pricing information, or testimonials about problems you’ve helped your clients solve before presenting the benefits of your services, or testimonials where clients are genuinely ecstatic about your customer service when offering a risk-free guarantee or providing content designed to help readers overcome their objections.
- Quantify your information: Which of the following statements is more powerful: “XYZ solution was directly responsible for increasing our profits by $22,619 in the previous fiscal year,” or “XYZ solution definitely helped us grow our business?” If possible, ask clients to specify quantifiable results when submitting testimonials, like how much your solution helped to increase their market share or reduce their costs in specific percentages or amounts, how many hours you have helped them save, how many new leads or new clients they were able to generate, what kind of things are they able to do or experience now that they couldn’t do before, etc.
- Avoid using the same customer testimonial throughout your site: Although this can be a little difficult when you are just starting out and don’t have many clients, it’s best to avoid displaying the same testimonial everywhere on your web pages. Depending on the nature of your business, you could try to obtain more client testimonials by offering limited review copies of your product, or a special discount for clients in exchange for an honest review and permission to publish it if you choose to use it.
- Appeal to your target audience: As every infomercial featuring a celebrity endorsement, subject expert or “busy mom” knows, if you know who your best customer is, providing testimonials from people who your prospects can relate to is an extremely powerful motivator and influencer. People want to see and buy from “better versions” of themselves, so make sure to include testimonials that appeal directly to your ideal customers.
- Reprint testimonials across different platforms. If someone posts fantastic feedback on your Facebook page praising your products or services, ask them for permission to reprint the comment or post on your blog.
- Don’t use fake client testimonials. Prospective customers need to see that the testimonials you provide on your site are genuine. Don’t destroy your credibility with ”made up” testimonials.
How To Get Testimonials
Ask
If you have just completed performing a service, or a customer says they are really happy with your product or service, ask them for a testimonial.
Follow these useful guidelines for soliciting testimonials:
- Contact clients after a specific period of time, e.g. 90 days with an email reminder for a testimonial if you have not obtained one immediately after performing a service.
- Add a text box for testimonials in your client satisfaction surveys.
- Take out your phone next time you visit a client or hand over a completed job and if they are delighted with your services, ask them if they would be happy to record a short video testimonial/feedback interview. While recording the video, explain to viewers what you have done for your client and try to capture the client’s positive reactions and responses.
- Make it easy for them. When a client sends you positive written feedback that contains snippets of useful testimonial material interspersed with the rest of their message, grab the juiciest sections (only use what they have given you – don’t put words into their mouth), and shape these into a testimonial, then contact your client and ask them for permission to quote them on your site. Explain that you have done this to help them save time and invite them to change what you have written however they see fit before replying with their approval.
Offer To Post A Link Back To The Source Wherever You Quote Their Testimonial
Offer to add a link back to their site in exchange for their testimonial. This is often enough of an incentive to get clients providing you with a testimonial. It also makes the implicit statement to visitors that your testimonials are real and can be verified.
Include Testimonial Requests In Your Auto Responder/Newsletter Messages
If you have a list of subscribers, include a request for a testimonial in one of your autoresponder broadcasts. This should be done as soon as your customers have had a chance to use your solution. Use words like “I need a quick favor” in the subject of your message and make the point of your email or message specifically about asking them for honest feedback, a testimonial, or a review.
Use LinkedIn
The LinkedIn “Recommendations” feature allows you to solicit testimonials from other members for your profile. The process for requesting and providing recommendations is quite simple and user-friendly and the person who provides the recommendation receives a link to their profile. If you get a recommendation on LinkedIn, ask for permission to reprint it on your site (you can offer to add a link back to their website or profile in exchange).
Create A Testimonials Section
Create a “Testimonials” page and add a “read more customer testimonials …” link to your main testimonials page throughout your content sections.
Practical Tip: You can measure the effectiveness of testimonials by how long visitors remain on the section of your pages or posts where you have added your testimonial content. ”Heatmapping” technology is a great way to understanding what visitors are doing on your site.
We have written an article about a heatmap analytics software you can add to your sites to measure visitor behaviour here:
Using Testimonial Plugins For WordPress
If you use WordPress, you can use a plugin to add, edit and display testimonials. Some plugins also let you add a form to your pages where users can submit feedback and testimonials.
Once your plugin is installed and set up (with instructions for adding testimonials via the submission form – if available), you can then send customers to your “Testimonials” page.
Below are some great plugins you can check out:
Easy Testimonials
Easy Testimonials is an easy-to-use free plugin that lets you add testimonials to the sidebar as a widget, or embed testimonials into a Page or Post using a shortcode. The plugin also lets you insert a list of all testimonials or output a random testimonial, and include an image with each testimonial, which is great to add a photo of the testimonial author, their logo, etc.
The Easy Testimonials plugin also provides a “pro” version that offers additional features and developer support.
To download and use the plugin, go here:
Testimonials Widget
Testimonials Widget is a free WP plugin that lets you add random or selected portfolios, reviews, quotes, or text with images or videos on your blog. You can insert testimonials content using a shortcode, theme functions, or widgets with category and tag selections and specify different display options such as random or specific ordering.
Testimonials Widget makes plenty of additional features available via a premium version, including built-in options SEO functionality and developer support.
Visit this site to download and use the plugin:
Testimonials WordPress Plugin
This is a premium plugin that offers plenty of great features right out of the box, including:
- Responsive design that resizes for correct display on any device or browser.
- Display options for your testimonials in a widget or as slideshows, sliders, grid layout, list layout, etc. via a shortcode
- Styling options (display image at the top, bottom, or side of the testimonial, display testimonials in a speech bubble, customized font and background colors, font types and more.
To download and use the plugin, go here:
To learn how to add testimonials in WordPress, see the tutorial below:
In Summary …
User reviews and client testimonials are powerful sources of content that help your business in terms of adding credibility, building authority, improving online reputation, and growing your sales funnel. Always ask for feedback, reviews, and testimonials from your clients, and publish positive content about your business on your web site.
Resources
For additional resources on creating engaging testimonials see these articles:
- Ecommerce Consumer Reviews: Why You Need Them And How To Use Them
- How To Create Captivating Customer Testimonials
- 5 Tips For Knockout Testimonials
- Make Customer Testimonials Meaningful
- 7 Simple But Powerful Customer Testimonial Examples You Can Steal
- Your 5-Minute Guide To Writing an Amazing LinkedIn Recommendation
- How To Get Great LinkedIn Recommendations
We also recommend subscribing to our Free Content Marketing Email Training Series. You will receive regular training emails with actionable information that will teach you how to drive more traffic to your site, save money creating useful content for your visitors and grow your business online using content. It’s not only a great course with loads of useful information, it’s also 100% FREE!
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