Building Your Reputation With Testimonials And User Reviews

Are you stuck in a cycle of doing what you’ve always done to attract customers, only to get the exact same disappointing results? As most small business owners know, that trying to generate new customers can be quite difficult. Just trying to keep your business afloat takes up a lot of your time, money and energy, and sometimes this can feel like it’s just not worth the effort.

In today’s digital, mobile and social-driven economy, you simply can’t afford to ignore the significance of what your potential customers are doing online, especially if they are posting negative comments about your business.

Ignoring what clients may be saying online about your business could be a costly mistake!

By the same token, you could be doing your business a great disservice if you don’t promote the positive things your clients are saying about your products and services. Testimonials, user reviews, and case studies are persuasive when it comes to helping you market your products and services online and should be included in your content marketing.

In this article, you will learn how to improve your conversions with sales boosting user testimonials.

Testimonials And User Reviews

P.T. Barnum, legendary businessman and showman, once stated that “Nothing draws a crowd quite like a crowd.”

P.T. Barnum understood the power of “social proof”. Using social proof as content is a powerful way of getting your business promoted effectively. Genuine testimonials quoted directly from existing users are far more persuasive when it comes to drawing new customers than anything you say about your own products or services.

There is a source of untapped business growth potential that most businesses simply do not utilize, or utilize correctly … user reviews and testimonials!

Testimonials and user reviews are a great way to build credibility for your business.

Tests conducted by leading research companies all lead to the same conclusion: user reviews and testimonials decrease doubts potential customers may have about buying particular products or services, help with product selection and help increase sales conversions.

Below are just some findings that support this:

• According to research by eVoc Insights, a company known for researching and measuring user experience, “In general, 63% of users indicate they are more likely to purchase from a site if it has ratings and consumer reviews.”
• According to Reevoo.com, user reviews result in an average 18% uplift in sales and 50 or more reviews per product can translate into a 4.6% increase in conversion rates.
• Site visitors who interact with both 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 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 User Testimonials And Reviews – Online Reputation Management

Clearly, you should be adding great reviews and testimonials from delighted clients who have experienced positive results with your business to your site.

User reviews and customer testimonials, however, are like double-edged swords; they can impact your business both in a positive as well as negative way.

You see, people may not be saying bad things about your products directly to your face, but they could be posting negative comments on a discussion thread 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 an important aspect of your success.

Misconceptions about online reputation management, such as the process being too complicated or too time-consuming (or the belief that you really don’t need it) could be seriously harming your business without you even being aware of it.

See this article to learn more about a simple plugin for WordPress users that can help you avoid the escalation of negative reviews about your business, products or services through effective user review management:

• Managing Poor User Feedback With Power Online Reviews WordPress Plugin

Tips On How To Create Awesome User Testimonials

User reviews, testimonials, and case studies are persuasive when it comes to helping you promote and market your products and services online and should be included as part of your content. When you quote responses from clients in your content, you:

• Show others exactly with similar problems and pains what your products and services can do for them.
• Help visitors identify their objections and address these.
• Help prospects connect with their motivations and facilitate moving them further along the sales process.

Below are some useful tips on how to create effective customer testimonials:

• Avoid over-editing: Try to use your customer’s actual words as much as possible. Leaving little grammatical errors and misspelt words in the content helps preserve the authenticity of your testimonials.
• Use real photos: Research shows 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 site’s content.
• Tell a powerful story: Stories are far more powerful and memorable than just providing statistical facts. The ability 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 using generalized statements about how “excellent” your customer service has been and giving “two thumbs up” service recommendations that all of us have heard a “million times” before.
• Keep it in context: It’s good to add testimonials to your site copy where it makes the most sense to place them, and where they can most effectively help to sell your point. Think about the impact you will have on your visitor’s mind by adding a testimonial about what a “bargain” price your solution sells for before posting your product pricing information, or testimonials about problems you’ve helped your clients solve before presenting the benefits of your products, or testimonials where customers are truly ecstatic about your support before offering a risk-free guarantee or addressing objections.
• Quantify your information: Which of the following statements do you think your prospects would consider to be more powerful: “Since using XYZ solution, our profits have grown by an additional $16,062 in the last fiscal year,” or “XYZ solution helped us grow our sales?” Whenever possible, ask clients to specify quantifiable results when submitting testimonials, like how much your solution helped to increase their sales or reduce their costs by 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 in a recent financial quarter, what kind of things are they able to do or experience now that they couldn’t do before, etc.
• Avoid using the same client testimonial repeatedly throughout your site: Although this can be a little difficult when you are just starting out or have very few clients, try to avoid displaying the same testimonial throughout your web pages. Depending on the type of business you run, you could try to obtain more 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 decide 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 target audience is, providing testimonials from people who your prospects aspire to become can be a 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 best audience demographic.
• Reprint across different platforms. If you get a great comment on your Facebook wall praising your products or services, contact them privately asking for their permission to reprint the content on your site.
• Don’t use fake client testimonials. Many people can tell if you are employing copy writers to write your content. Outsourcing content is fine, but prospective customers need to see that the testimonials displayed on your site are genuine. Don’t compromise your integrity or reputation with false testimonials.

How To Get Client Testimonials

Always Ask For Testimonials

When you complete performing a service, or a customer says they are really happy with your product or service, ask them for a testimonial.

Follow these tips for requesting testimonials:

• Contact your customers after 30 days with an email request for a testimonial if you did not obtain one immediately after completing a service.
• Add a field for testimonials in your client satisfaction surveys.
• Pull out your phone next time you meet with clients or hand over a completed project and if they are delighted with your services, ask them if they would be happy to record a very short video testimonial/feedback interview. If they agree, while recording the video, explain to viewers what you have done for your client and try to record the client’s positive reactions and feedback.
• Make it easy and write the testimonial for them. If 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 – never put words into their mouth), and use these to create a testimonial, then contact your client and ask them for permission to publish it. Explain that you have done this to save them time and let them know they are completely free to change what you have written however they like before replying with their approval.

Offer To Post A Link To The Source

Offer to post a link back to their website in exchange for their testimonial. This is a great incentive for clients to provide a testimonial. It also makes an implicit statement to visitors that your testimonials are not fake and can be verified.

Include A Testimonial Request In Your Auto Responder/Newsletter Messages

If you have a subscriber list, include requests for a testimonial in one of your autoresponder mailouts. This should be done as soon as your clients have had a chance to use your products or services. Use words like “I need your help” in your email subject and make the point of your email or message specifically about asking subscribers to provide honest feedback, a testimonial, or a review.

Use LinkedIn

The LinkedIn “Recommendations” feature helps you obtain testimonials for your account. With LinkedIn, the process for requesting and providing recommendations is simple and user-friendly and the person providing the recommendation receives a link to their profile. If you get a positive recommendation on LinkedIn, ask for permission to reprint it on your website (you can offer to publish a link back to their website in exchange).

Create A Customer Testimonials Section

Create a “Testimonials” page and add a “more testimonials …” link pointing to your main testimonials section throughout your content sections.

Practical Tip: You can measure how useful testimonials are by how long visitors remain on the section of your pages or posts where you have added the testimonial content. A great tool for measuring visitor behavior on your pages are “heatmaps”.

We have written an article about a heatmap technology you can add to your site to measure visitor behavior here:

• Measuring User Behaviour On Your WordPress Site With Heatmapping Software – HeatMapTracker Review

Testimonial Plugins

If your website or blog is built using WordPress, you can use a plugin to display testimonials. Some plugins also allow you to add a form to your pages where users can submit testimonials.

Once your plugin is installed and set up (with instructions for using the testimonials submission form – if available), all you have to do is refer clients to your “Testimonials” page.

Check out the WordPress testimonial plugins below:

Easy Testimonials

Easy Testimonials is a free WP plugin that lets you add customer testimonials to the sidebar as a widget, or embed them into a Page or Post using a shortcode. The Easy Testimonials plugin also lets you add a list of all your testimonials or output a random testimonial, and include images with testimonials, which can be used to add a photo of the testimonial author, their logo, etc.

The Easy Testimonials plugin also can be upgraded to a “pro” version with additional features and technical support.

To download and use this plugin, go here:

• Easy Testimonials – WordPress Plugin

Testimonials Widget

Testimonials Widget is a free plugin that lets you add random or selected portfolios, quotes, reviews, or text with images or videos on your website. You can insert testimonials 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 has loads more features available via a premium version, including built-in functions for improved search engine results and technical support.

For more information about using the plugin, visit this site:

• Testimonials Widget

Testimonials WordPress Plugin

This premium plugin provides plenty of great features right out of the box, including:

• Responsive design that resizes for displaying correctly on any device or browser.
• Options to display your testimonials in a widget or as sliders, slideshows, list layout, grid layout, etc. using a shortcode
• Styling options (display image at the top, bottom, or side of the testimonial, display testimonials in a speech bubble, customize font and background colours, font types and more.

Visit this site to learn more about using this plugin:

• Testimonials WordPress Plugin

To learn how to add testimonials in WordPress, see the tutorial below:

• How To Add Testimonials In WordPress

In Summary …

User reviews and testimonials are powerful sources of content that can help your business add credibility, build authority, improve online reputation, and grow your sales funnel. Always ask for testimonials, reviews, and feedback from your customers, and publish positive content about your business on your web site.

Additional Info

For additional information on creating engaging testimonials read the articles below:

• 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 website or blog, save money creating high-quality content that will add value to your visitors and grow your business online using content. It’s not only a great course with loads of useful information, it’s also completely FREE!

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