(Updated: 7 April 2023)
Client testimonials can be seen as a powerful business development and marketing tool that should be used by companies of all sizes around the world. Business owners can use client testimonials to identify potential weaknesses or under-utilised strengths, improve business credibility, enhance trust factors, and increase conversion rates.
With many businesses competing for the consumers’ attention, having strategically placed testimonials can help influence a potential customer’s buying decisions. After all, customers are more likely to trust a person who has already purchased a specific product or service, rather than simply trusting the company’s propaganda.
In this article, we will explain why testimonials are so important for your business growth and how you can use testimonials to your advantage.
Benefits of client testimonials
Client testimonials add value to your online platforms, improve credibility of your products or services, drive traffic to your website, and improve customer relations. Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits and how your business can use them.
Improve credibility – Grow customer trust in your brand
With online fraud on the rise, customers are hesitant to trust online brands they’ve never dealt with before and may go the extra mile in verifying the legitimacy of your business. This could be checking Google My Business profile details, social media platforms, or asking a friend. Therefore, having well-placed – legitimate client testimonials across your online platforms can add credibility to your business, thus helping to alleviate any concerns a new potential client may have.
Tip: When reviewing your client testimonials, be sure to use ones that contain detailed feedback on your products or services. These types of testimonials are more useful to your target audience as it gives them a better idea of what other people thought about your brand and therefore may influence their initial buying decision.
Increase website traffic – Expand your client reach
Incorporating your various client testimonials into your marketing efforts can help improve your trust ratings online and increase the traffic to your website. For example, your business is about to release a product special, you can use product specific client testimonials within your marketing campaign to help strengthen your marketing message and highlight benefits of the product which will entice potential customers to view more, thus navigating to your website or contacting your sales team.
Tip: When your company starts receiving client testimonials, be sure to showcase them as much as you can. You can incorporate them onto your website, place them on your social media profiles, branding, or include them in your marketing campaigns, all of which are aimed to make these testimonials easily accessible.
Improve customer relations – Connect with your target audience
By showcasing client testimonials across your business platforms, you are providing customers with valuable feedback from other individuals who have first-hand experience with your brand. This shows potential clients that you value customer feedback and encourages them to connect with your brand on a personal level. It’s also important to note that client testimonials can offer business owners insights into their business, which will help when it comes to internal improvements in order to create a better UX for your customers.
Tip: Remember your buyer persona’s when compiling your testimonials. Having a variety of stories from different demographics, lifestyles, ages, etc. can help your potential customers relate to them which extends to them relating more to your brand.
Things to remember when it comes to your client testimonials
- Where applicable, add an image next to the client’s statement. By putting a face to the name, you can increase the trust factor of the testimonial by making potential clients feel more secure and confident in what you’re claiming.
- Specific testimonials are more effective than vague or general ones such as: “I was very impressed with the service I received”. Your potential customers will not know what service that testimonial is referring to. Ask your clients to provide you with testimonials that have more detailed information about a certain product or service that you offer.
- Place appropriate testimonials along with a particular point that you are trying to make. This will allow your potential clients to be more interested in that specific service or product. You can do this by ensuring that the right testimonials are present on the right pages of your website.
- The most important rule in sharing testimonials is to use real testimonials given by real customers that have experienced your products and services. Testimonials are there to provide credibility and establish trust. Faking testimonials can put your business reputation on the line and your customers are more likely to go in with unrealistic expectations.
How your business can use testimonials
Create client testimonial videos
Video testimonials are a great way to get your customers to connect with your brand on an emotional level. With video testimonials, your clients can express their emotions and share their experiences of your brand for the world to see. This emotional connection opens the door for trust, which is vital to a great business-to-customer relationship.
Share customer stories
Testimonials are great, but occasionally you need to create an in-depth story that outlines your customers’ problem / solution scenario. These customer success stories can be added to your website and shared across mediums such as social media, presentations, or videos etc. The goal of the customer success story is to show a relatable issue that your client faced, and how your product or service helped them achieve a desired result..
Conclusion – Spread the good word
With credibility being important to the success of your business, business owners should never underestimate the power behind client testimonials. By showcasing these powerful stories and client feedback about your products and services strategically in your marketing efforts, you can further support and create a trusted brand with a loyal following.
No matter how compelling you make your copy or how beautifully you present your product, testimonials remain the most effective way to show that the crowd is on your side and that people who trust you get the results they are promised.
Interested in finding out how to effectively implement testimonials on your website? Contact our team today on info@cognite.co.za and let us help you make your products and services shine!
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