In this technology-driven day and age, we are constantly exposed to marketing. Though digital and print advertising is everywhere, recommendations have the most powerful influence over our buying behavior. They are relatable, honest, and build trust in a brand. According to Neilsen, 92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer, and 70% of people will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know. Furthermore, studies show that “social proof” can be more powerful than promotions in driving sales. This is why it is important to request testimonials from your customers, and to use them in your marketing efforts. For more information on how to collect testimonials and reviews, read our blog ‘The Importance Of Reviews And How To Encourage Them’.
There are many ways to use testimonials to market your business. Here are 4 places where testimonials can be used:
Using testimonials in your email campaigns is a great way to relay a powerful message to your audience. You can add a testimonial to your emails in live text, headlines, or feature the text in a designed visual. You can even link the testimonial to the page on your website that reflects to topic or focus of the testimonial.
Social Media
Testimonials are extremely valuable on social media. Featuring the text in an eye-catching visual, and even tagging the customer who submitted the testimonial or adding a photo of their pet (with their permission), will stand out and help you engage with your followers.
Website
Featuring testimonials on your website, especially near any call to action buttons, ie. “Shop Now”, can be very persuasive to customers. Adding a “Testimonials” page or section to your website is another great way to showcase all of your positive feedback!
Print Materials
Since testimonials are proven to be so powerful in driving sales, adding them to any print materials such as brochures, flyers, in-store signage, swag and mailers is a must!
Some helpful tips about using testimonials for marketing:
Make Revisions
Edit your testimonials, rearrange sentences, and delete words you don’t need. Testimonials should be grammatically correct, professional, informative and to the point. Make sure that every word has a purpose and get rid of any “fluff”. Always be sure to get approval from the customer to use the revised version of their testimonial.
Maintain Variety
Share testimonials about different products and services. Don’t use multiple testimonials about one subject in the same space. For example, if you’re creating an email campaign, you might want to feature one testimonial about your great customer service, and one testimonial about your large selection of premium products.
Turn Negatives To Positives
Look at negative testimonials as constructive criticism and a chance to change your business for the better, and to make your customers happy. If you receive a negative testimonial about knowledgeable or unhelpful staff, you may want to hold a meeting to educate your staff and review your customer service goals. Always respond to the customer to acknowledge that you value their feedback and are addressing the issue.
Update Your Testimonials
It is good practice to continuously collect testimonials (read our blog on this here), and to update them on your marketing materials frequently. Updating your testimonials provides fresh, new content and perspectives for your customers.
Encourage Product Ratings
Along with testimonials about your business, having product ratings and reviews on your website will help your customers with their purchasing decisions. There are even solutions that allow Brands to share their reviews with retailers, so that you don’t have to start from scratch. Bazaarvoice is a platform with a Shopify plug-in that does just this.
Testimonials are so important for marketing a business, and there are so many ways to make the most of your testimonials. We hope that you find success with these tips!