Are testimonials an afterthought in your digital marketing strategy?
It’s time to move them up your marketing to-do list because they’re powerful.
Testimonials on your website and other digital marketing platforms greatly increase conversion rates. In 2020, 79% of consumers also said they trusted online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family.
Remember, storytelling is the most basic sense-making mechanism of the human brain.
Think of testimonials as mini-narratives that customers place themselves in to see if your product or service can work for them like it did for others.
If a testimonial includes someone’s problem or “pain point” and how your product or service solved it… even better!
So how do you gather testimonials? Here are some easy ways to get started:
1. Ask for a testimonial.
The easiest way to get testimonials is just to ask. When someone voices their satisfaction with your product or service, see if they’ll put those words in writing so you can publish them on your website and other digital marketing channels.
Go the extra mile and make a video testimonial. If someone with social capital loves your product, ask for a review and place it prominently on your site.
We know it might feel out of your comfort zone to ask for a testimonial, but think about your own satisfaction as a customer. Do you sing the praises of a product or service to friends when it’s worked for you?
Of course!
You want to share something good with others, and your customers want to do the same.
So why not ask if they’re willing to share how your brand solved their problem on your website or Facebook business page?
2. Offer an incentive in exchange for a testimonial or review.
Say you have a favorite go-to restaurant for delivery pizza. After every purchase, the restaurant emails you an offer for a free appetizer…
… if you’ll just take a few minutes to fill out a survey about your experience.
Your favorite appetizer is $6-7. A few minutes of your time is a small price to pay in exchange for that cheesy bread you love so much. You fill out the survey with a raving review about how your family doesn’t do pizza anywhere else.
Do you see how that works?
Direct incentives are a great way to get testimonials. The lower the stakes, the better. A satisfied customer is more likely to write a review in exchange for a coupon or giveaway than they are for entry into a drawing with 500 people.
What can you give satisfied customers or clients to show your gratitude for their feedback?
3. Search your business page on Facebook for reviews.
If you don’t already have a business page on Facebook, it’s time to create one!
A Facebook page is one of the easiest places to find testimonials, and Facebook users often leave detailed reviews. If you’re a local business, customers are especially prone to write one. You might have more testimonials than you think if you haven’t taken a look at your Facebook page lately.
Where else might customers and clients be talking about your brand? Yelp, LinkedIn, Google Business Profiles, or TripAdvisor? So many sites allow people to leave reviews and testimonials so mine the Internet for them.
4. Get social with testimonials.
Last week's blog was about adding social media Stories to your digital marketing strategy. We told you one easy way to use Stories is to feature people using your product or service in their own story or social media posts.
Think beyond your website and get social when searching for testimonials and reviews.
Tell followers you’ll be featuring their posts with your product on social media one day and encourage them to participate with a giveaway. If customers or clients are praising your services in the comments section, ask if you can share their kind words on your site.
Did someone tag you on Twitter with a positive review? Retweet it. Ask popular YouTubers in your market to review your product or service. Then add their video to a testimonials playlist on your channel.
Gathering testimonials doesn’t have to be a hassle if you add these action items to your digital marketing strategy. Not sure how to make the best use of testimonials? Our team at Sigl Creative knows how to get the most mileage from those raving reviews. Schedule a call today, and we’ll implement them in a digital marketing strategy that turns skeptics into believers of your brand.
