How To Get Testimonials And How It Helps Build Trust For Your Small Business

What Are Testimonials?

A testimonial is a statement or review from a past customer that describes how a product or service helped them. Testimonials are usually written by ordinary customers who were asked to share their experience with any product or service. Testimonials are used in many ways like company websites, TV commercials, and product packing. Learn here how to get testimonials as customer testimonials are a popular strategy in advertising for businesses, especially when incorporated into a company’s website or social media pages.

They are different from reviews because reviews are generally unguided and are written directly by the customer. Testimonials help build trust and credibility with your customers, especially if they are used to overcoming skepticism.

Benefits Of Testimonials

Testimonials are a powerful tool for appealing to potential customers. Here are some benefits associated with testimonials:

• • Testimonials foster trust in the business

Testimonials help businesses build trust and faith with their customer base. Other customers are more likely to trust the word of a fellow customer than an advertising pitch from a brand. Customer testimonials are effective proof of your claims. They provide a deeper level of trust among the customers.

• • Customer relationships are improved

When you are asking a customer for feedback and publishing their recommendations the customers are feeling valued. By doing this company’s relationship with customers can improve a lot.

• • More relatable

Customers reading testimonials for any product find it very relatable rather than listening to brand advertisements. Customers can find it easy to empathize with the writers of testimonials and can imagine themselves using the same product. Adding a human element like testimonials to a marketing campaign is an effective way for companies to connect with the public.

• • Reduced cost

Customers who have used a product and are satisfied usually supply testimonials for free. The best and most trustworthy testimonials are often the ones that customers write in product reviews. A company that utilizes free testimonials may be able to cut down on advertising costs and hence reduce its marketing budget.

 

How to get testimonials for your business

Let us discuss some tips and points by which you can get testimonials for your business:

1. Provide a way for customers to give reviews

You should allow your customers to give their reviews of the product they have purchased from you. Ask your customers to leave a review, including by email, on the product’s receipt, or on your company website. To encourage customers to write reviews, you can offer a discount code, gift, or other bonus in exchange for a review. This is one of the best ways to get testimonials from customers.

2. Personal touch

You can contact personally your loyal and regular customers and invite them to provide testimonials for you. When doing so, be sure to acknowledge their support and tell them how much their reviews mean to the company. The customers are likely to appreciate your efforts and supply you with positive reviews.

3. Ask questions

Ask meaningful and good questions about your product. Ask “how” and “why” questions. These types of questions encourage the customer to explain in detail how the product has benefited them and why they would recommend it to others. Such types of questions from your side are likely to provoke meaningful answers that you can use for marketing purposes.

4. Provide incentives

Another idea to get testimonials from customers or clients is to offer incentives for those who provide testimonials. Customer time is precious and there is no problem giving your customers something in return for their time and opinions. A discount on a future purchase or a small free gift can help to a great extent.

5. Follow-up

Follow-ups are also a good option to get testimonials from customers or clients. Contact recent customers to ask for feedback, after any purchase or service. If they have received great service from your business, they will be likely to offer some great comments.

6. Edit and adapt the results

When using testimonials, it is important to preserve the customer’s authentic content. But you can edit testimonials for spelling errors, typos, or grammar mistakes. You can also shorten the testimonials to make them easier to feature in commercials or on product packaging.

What Should A Testimonial Include?

An ideal testimonial should have the following important elements:

1. Customer’s name
2. Date of testimonial
3. Location of the customer or client
4. Photograph of customer
5. Name the product used by the customer

Where To Use Testimonials?

Once you have got the testimonial you can feature it in several highly effective ways. Some of the most common options include:

• • Company’s website
  • Email newsletters
  • Product packaging
  • Television and radio commercials
  • Social media posts
  • Promotional videos