If we consider the rise of the influencer and dissect how popular individuals with large online followings have become massive marketing heavyweights, we can recognise how a positive testimonial or review of your service/product can bring a huge boost to your business’ reputation.
Personal endorsements from verified customers and users of your business or product often give your brand more authenticity and trustworthiness in the eyes of potential new clients. Influencers are usually paid to promote or endorse brands to their dedicated audiences, encouraging them to check out the companies they are publicly supporting. In order to maintain a positive public persona, most influencers try to only accept brand deals from companies they actually like and actively support.
However, influencer marketing can be an expensive option for SMEs and it is difficult to accurately predict how an influencer campaign will perform for your business. To boost your marketing with feedback from people who have engaged with your brand and products that support your message and claims, asking your verified customers for testimonials on their experience with your company can give you the leg up you need.
First question: how are customer testimonials different from a standard review?
Product or service reviews tend to be restricted in length because they are often left on third-party websites, seller pages, or in comments on your website. They are typically short, to-the-point, and include a star or number rating. While they are a great source of customer feedback, you are not able to predict or control what customers write and the anonymous reviews can cause reputational damage.
Customer testimonials are more in-depth accounts of a client’s experience using your product or service and working with your brand team to achieve their goals. You would ideally want to feature clients you have a long-standing, positive relationship with and who knows your company well. Written as more of a narrative piece, customer testimonials go into detail about the benefits and impressive results they experienced while using your business. The biggest difference: a customer testimonial is fully transparent about who the client is, including name, job title, company, and even a photograph.
Second question: how to secure good customer testimonials for your website and socials?
Reach out to customers you know have had an amazing year working with you or have recently given you positive feedback on your impact on their business and ask if they would be willing to go on record about their experience. Many of them may be too busy to write the testimonial themselves, so send them a set of simple questions and then ask them for a quote on their personal feelings towards your brand. You can then use the information they provide you to build a biography of their customer journey, giving your marketing a more personal feel and showcasing examples of who you have worked with to new potential customers.
If we consider the rise of the influencer and dissect how popular individuals with large online followings have become massive marketing heavyweights, we can recognise how a positive testimonial or review of your service/product can bring a huge boost to your business’ reputation.
Personal endorsements from verified customers and users of your business or product often give your brand more authenticity and trustworthiness in the eyes of potential new clients. Influencers are usually paid to promote or endorse brands to their dedicated audiences, encouraging them to check out the companies they are publicly supporting. In order to maintain a positive public persona, most influencers try to only accept brand deals from companies they actually like and actively support.
However, influencer marketing can be an expensive option for SMEs and it is difficult to accurately predict how an influencer campaign will perform for your business. To boost your marketing with feedback from people who have engaged with your brand and products that support your message and claims, asking your verified customers for testimonials on their experience with your company can give you the leg up you need.
