Using Testimonials on Your Site

Featuring user recommendations of your products (also known as “testimonials”) on your site is an incredibly powerful way to legitimize your sales claims and offer social proof that encourages your visitors to convert into buyers.

According to MarketingExperiments.com – a leading source of data-driven internet marketing recommendations – testimonials are especially useful in a digital environment that’s often fraught with “over-marketing”:

“Today’s consumers are fed up with exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims. It’s far better to let someone else do your bragging — customers, partners, trade press, etc. Why? Because when the quality of information is debatable, today’s consumers will always resort to the quality of the source.”

But what do these testimonials look like in the real world?  And how can you capture the benefits of these user-generated content features on your own site?  Let’s take a closer look at the practice of using testimonials on your site…

For starters, the Insider Tactics marketing blog defines “testimonials” as:

“Statements made by other people and ideally by your customers that demonstrate satisfaction with your product. “

These statements can be integrated into your website in a number of different ways in order to offer your readers concrete proof that the claims you’re making about your products and services are valid.  Check out the following examples to see a few of the different ways that testimonials can be incorporated into your website:

• The Freshbooks accounting software website integrates client testimonials related to both the company’s products and support directly into its home page:

• The Market Samurai web marketing research program highlights testimonials at key places within its sales letter, making this valuable information standout with boxes and color attributes:

• The Clover website design company makes use of video testimonials to share its positive customer experiences – a technique that may be even more effective than text testimonials alone:

Although the structure of each of the different types of testimonials varies, the intent is the same amongst all of them – to convince readers that real people have purchased and benefited from the site’s products or services.

Now that you have a good idea of what testimonials are and how they can be used effectively on your website, let’s take a look at how you can go about adding these powerful features to your website…

As you might expect, the first step to using testimonials on your website is to collect them in the first place!  Although post-purchase customer follow-up should already be a part of your business model, collecting the information needed to craft good testimonials requires a slightly different process.

To capture the best testimonials, use the results of your post-purchase follow-up to determine which customers are most satisfied with your products or services.  Clearly, obtaining feedback from people who were disappointed with their purchases isn’t going to result in the most persuasive testimonials!

However, when contacting potential testimonial providers, be aware that the specific questions you ask your buyers plays a major role in the quality of the testimonials you’ll receive.  For example, consider the following two testimonial request messages:

“Hi Robert,

I’m so glad to hear that you’re satisfied with your purchase!  I’m always looking to feature feedback from happy customers on my website, so could you please send me a short paragraph describing what you like best about your purchase?

Sincerely,

Jessica the Store Owner”

Versus

“Hi Robert,

I’m so glad to hear that you’re satisfied with your [product name] purchase!  As a service to future buyers, I like to feature feedback from happy customers like you on my website.

If you’re willing to share your experiences, please send back your responses to the following questions (or feel free to write your own message), along with a picture of you and a link to your website (if applicable)?

1. What problem were you facing that (my product) solved?
2. How much has (my product) increased your profits or income?
3. How much time or money has (my product) saved you?
4. Has (my product) made your life easier? How?

Thanks in advance!

Jessica the Store Owner”

The second testimonial request letter benefits from the use of “leading questions” – that is, queries that ensure you receive a more interesting responses by prompting past buyers to share the type of information you’d like to receive.  Giving people a framework to go off of also increases the likelihood that past buyers will follow through on the testimonial process, as answering questions is perceived as less effort than writing a testimonial from scratch.

One final note on obtaining testimonial information…  There’s no arguing that the process of contacting customers, compiling feedback and uploading this information to your website can be time-consuming, even if you do stand to substantially improve your website results through this effort.

Unfortunately, many website owners use this as an excuse to make up testimonials or use “testimonial generator” programs to receive feedback from paid commenters.  However, I strongly encourage you to stay away from these unethical programs!  Not only do these false testimonials do your current customers a disservice, they can be illegal in light of new FTC guidelines that regulate how feedback can be used.

Finally, once you’ve obtained a few responses back to your requests for testimonials, it’s time to start adding these helpful snippets to your website.  There are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind as you do so:

• Include as much identifying information about the person providing the review as possible. Including your reviewer’s name and picture should be considered the “bare minimum” amount of information that constitutes an effective testimonial.  Testimonials that feature a video clip or the reviewer’s city, email address or URL are even better, although you may find that it’s more difficult to get reviewer’s to commit to sharing this personal information online.
• Share testimonials on multiple areas of your site.  Include a few on your home page to encourage new visitors to engage further with your content, but also consider incorporating them into your site’s sidebar, “About” page, “Testimonials” page or on any part of your site that sells your product or service.
• Split test the specific testimonials you use, as well as where you place them.  You’ll likely find that certain customer testimonials are more persuasive than others, and that using testimonials on specific areas of your site results in more sales or conversions.  However, you’ll only find this out for sure if you actively split test these variables to determine which reviews and placements are most effective.
• Solicit testimonials on an ongoing basis.  Testimonials get stale after a while, and any testimonials in place that refer to products or services you no longer offer will make your site appear out of date.  To benefit most from this strategy, make asking for testimonials a regular part of your customer follow-up process and swap out your older reviews as these new testimonials come in.

Are you using testimonials on your website?  If so, have you seen an increase in sales as a result?  Share your experiences in the comments below!

Image: kreg.steppe