Did you know that testimonials can increase conversion rates by 34% and can generate over 60% more revenue? In fact, many people refuse to purchase an item or service without reading positive reviews and testimonials.
If you haven’t considered the importance of adding testimonials to your website, you’re missing out on a fantastic opportunity to grow and retain your customer base.
Unfortunately, those glowing testimonials will seldom come to you without a little encouragement. Read on for tips and tricks to get the testimonials you need to drive your business forward.
Getting a Testimonial: The Right Timing
The timing of your request for a testimonial is very important. You need to ask for feedback after the customer has had a chance to use your product or service, but you don’t want to wait so long that the experience is no longer fresh for them. Ideally, you should request a testimonial about a week after the purchase or service has been completed.
A good time to ask for a testimonial is after your company has performed a service that is “above and beyond” for a client.
Make it Fast, Easy, and Rewarding
In today’s busy world, it may be hard to convince someone to take the time to give your business a testimonial. Using an approach that is fast and easy will encourage your customers to engage, and even more so if you offer an incentive. A coupon, a free service upgrade, apparel; the possibilities are endless and the idea of “free” is appealing to almost everyone.
But how can you make submitting a testimonial easier for your customers?
Create a Form
Getting a testimonial may be easier if you create a streamlined form for customers to fill out. The form can be a combination of multiple choice or rating questions with a free form portion at the bottom. Keep your wording vague enough to apply to any service or product your company provides so that the same form can be used for all testimonials, regardless of the services or products you provide.
Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool. Everyone is connected, and it’s estimated that 49% of consumers rely on social media for recommendations. Not only is social media a great place to ask for testimonials, it’s a fantastic place to post them, too.
Email provides a great opportunity to get customer testimonials, but only if you make the subject line appealing enough to entice readers to open your message. If you’re asking for testimonials via email, have a free offer or discount in the subject line to encourage higher open rates. Within the body of the email, you can attach your form or a link to your website
Website Link
One of the easiest ways to get a testimonial is to provide a link on your website. This makes the process more streamlined for your customers. Don’t forget to sweeten the deal with your free offer or discount if you’ve chosen one.
Text Message
Most people have their phones with them all the time, but a third of them prefer texts to phone calls. In fact, statistics show that responses to texting are 209% higher than a traditional phone call. Sending a request for a testimonial via text messaging is effective, especially if you provide a link to a form or your website.
Bad Reviews are Important, Too
You expect a testimonial to be a glowing review of your company, your teams, your products, and your services, but that’s not always the case. Instead of a testimonial, a customer may respond with complaints or dissatisfaction.
If someone takes the time to leave a bad review or complaint, there are most likely more dissatisfied customers who chose not to. It’s important to take a deep dive into all your reviews, even the bad ones, and see what needs to be addressed to improve your customer experiences.
Take the time not only to investigate claims made by dissatisfied customers, but to respond to them as well.
Let Us Give You A Hand with Your Messaging
Now that you understand how important testimonials are for your business, it’s time to turn to the professionals. We can help you create the messaging you need to get the testimonials you want. Contact us today!