Testimonials are a great tool for increasing potential customers’ trust. They get first-hand impressions from their peers, which can influence their decision to make a purchase or use your services. It can be tough to get testimonials from your current customers, as many people only get motivated to share their experiences when they’re negative. Here are a few ways that you can ask for testimonials to put on your website.
Follow-up Email
Have a follow-up email sequence that goes out after a customer purchases. Make sure that you request a testimonial. Explain why testimonials are important to your business and encourage readers to share their experiences online. Link to Google My Business, Yelp or LinkedIn to make it easy for them to submit their review.
Survey
Send out surveys to your email list and include a field that requests information about their past experiences with your company. You not only get testimonials with this method, but you also have the opportunity to find out about any issues that your customers may have. They won’t always come directly to you with their feedback this way you get the information you need to improve.
Brand Advocates
Some customers love your company and products so much that they would go to the rooftops and shout how much they like you. In many cases, they’ll be willing and eager to provide testimonials for your site.
These are the most loyal people that you’ll have buying from you, and they’re quick to recommend your company to family and friends. These testimonials are often excellent front and center on your site.
Don’t Be Afraid of Negative Testimonials
Many companies heavily censor testimonials and reviews on their websites, thinking that they have to project perfection to attract new customers. However, when every single testimonial and review is overwhelmingly positive, potential customers don’t trust them.
Negative or neutral testimonials help balance out the positive ones. This makes it more likely readers will trust all the info. Another benefit of getting negative feedback from customers is that it gives you an opportunity to do better.
These people might not have reached out to your customer service proactively. However, now you have the opportunity to resolve their issue and make them happy. In some cases, your biggest critics end up turning into your most passionate brand advocates.
What’s your next move needed to get testimonials going for your website?
Author: Mike Gingerich, President of web firm Digital Hill, Co-Founder of TabSite .
Digital and Social Media Marketer, Speaker, and Business Consultant. Part geek, part marketer, total digital junkie! Seeking to add value, make the complex simple, and leave a positive impact.
Follow me on twitter: @mike_gingerich.
