Why should you have testimonials for your business?

If you’re selling any product or service, testimonials are one of the most vital and powerful marketing assets to convert visitors to customers for your business.

Based on a survey from Bright Local, 88% of consumers believe online reviews are as trustworthy as personal recommendations. 90% of consumers said positive customer testimonials affected their buying decision, according to Dimensional Research. These numbers clearly show how much impact testimonials have and what a valuable tool they can be for any business. This article will discuss why you should have testimonials on your website.

What are the testimonials?

Let’s understand what exactly testimonials are first. In the business and marketing world, testimonials refer to written or spoken comments that compliment or promote a product.

Average consumers encouraged to share their experience with a certain item or service are the primary source of testimonials. They describe their usage of a product or service and the advantages, performance, quality, and value they have observed.

In a nutshell, testimonials are proof of people speaking about your product or service in their own words. The best testimonials are genuine, accurate, and specific, allowing potential purchasers to relate with the customer, the problem, and how they addressed it.

Why should you have testimonials?

There are several reasons why you should have testimonials. Let’s discuss a couple of them:

1. They promote building trust and credibility

With the rising number of online businesses and shops, customers have difficulty determining which ones are legitimate businesses and which are just scammers. Because they are social evidence, testimonials increase your brand’s legitimacy and audience trust.

The more real positive things people say about your brand, the more credible it becomes. The greater the number of reviews you have, the more trustworthy your firm seems to its target demographic. And the more favorable evaluations you get, the more competent and helpful your brand appears.

According to Wyzowl, 9 out of 10 individuals believe what a customer says about a company is more trustworthy than what the company says about itself.

2. Testimonials Demonstrate How Your Product Solves Problems

When customers write a testimonial, they usually talk about their experience with the product or service. A specific product or service resolved the issues they had. These kinds of testimonials are valuable for any business. They help better demonstrate to future skeptical customers how doing business with your brand can help make their life easier.

Usually, receiving impactful testimonials requires a little nudge from the company’s side. When gathering testimonial material, you have to direct the dialogue with the respondent to delve deeper into how your products and services made their life simpler or more prosperous. This can significantly benefit your business and make it easier for potential customers to decide.

3. They Help Cut Down the Marketing Costs

Using client testimonials regularly might produce 62% more revenue. Testimonials can be used as a free company marketing method to boost the seller’s reputation and acquire the trust of prospective clients.

Most testimonials are free and come from your audience’s desire and willingness to share their positive experience with others. Without paying additional costs, business owners may use a collection of positive testimonials as a marketing technique for the things they sell. However, some brands may offer prizes, vouchers, or discounts to encourage their customers to write testimonials. 

4. Increase conversion rates

For a good reason, people prefer to trust other customers over enterprises. Few individuals will trust a company’s claims because they believe their ultimate purpose is to take customers’ money. On the other hand, customer testimonials function similarly to references in convincing visitors that they can trust your company. Therefore using testimonials in your marketing may improve conversions and sales by up to 34%.

The more you demonstrate to potential clients how excellent your products or services are, the more sales you’ll produce. People constantly seek high-quality items, excellent customer service, and reasonable costs. The testimonials you gather may demonstrate all of this and more, persuading consumers to buy from you.

5. Help Promote Communication Between the Brand and the Client

Using testimonials in marketing content helps humanize your business, which is more important than ever. People nowadays want to know how your company cares for its customers and employees. When you can get that information directly from the audience, it becomes more relevant. Individuals expressing their real experiences and feelings about your brand have a more significant impact than traditional dry taglines. Therefore you can utilize testimonials to promote communication and emotional connection between the brand and its clients. 

Bonus: Tips for effectively using testimonials

Based on what you’ve already read in this article, we are confident you understand what valuable tool testimonials can be for your business. Now it’s time to learn tips on how to use them effectively and get the most out of them.

1. Setting up a system for collecting testimonials.

First, you will need a system for collecting testimonials from satisfied customers. Depending on what kind of testimonials you would like to get, there are a couple of ways you can go about it. If you want simple and short testimonials, you can send out forms for your customers to fill out. If you wish to have longer written testimonials or even video testimonials, you can reach out to your customers via email and see if they are willing to provide that. To encourage them, you can offer them a discount for their next purchase or think of another way to make them more willing to give testimonials.

2. Choose the proper place to display testimonials.

You want your testimonials to be seen by as many potential customers as possible. Make sure to incorporate them into your website whenever possible. Include them on your landing page, and contact page. You can even make even a separate testimonials page.

3. Use visual content

Whether a video testimonial or a quote with a picture of a real customer, they have a much more significant impact than just plain text. Invest in creating a testimonial video to complement a couple of your most enthusiastic customers’ statements to bring them to life. Or make your testimonials more visually appealing by including an image next to your customer’s statement.

Conclusion

Testimonials have the power to change and influence the decisions of prospective customers. As a result, each testimony must be given special consideration. You’re passing on one of the most cost-efficient and powerful marketing methods if you don’t use testimonials on your website.

In the complex digital marketing world, acquiring testimonials and using them effectively may sound too time-consuming for business owners, and that’s when a digital marketing agency comes into play. At Internet Marketing Geeks, we are excited to help your business grow and thrive and are ready to take over your marketing steering wheel. Reach out to us today!