Testimonials from customers are the perfect example of word-of-mouth marketing. Such testimonials can go a long way in helping your business grow as they have a significant impact on the purchasing decisions of customers. In fact, prospective customers may end up spending 31 percent more with a business that has the seal of approval from its past customers in the form of solid testimonials.
But lengthy written testimonials are passé. When you are trying to convince your leads to convert, you need a powerful medium to convey the message without sounding too pushy about your product or service. And that’s where testimonial videos from the customers can come in handy.
If you have been toying with the idea of adding testimonial videos to your business website, this blog post is for you.
We’ll discuss:
- How do testimonials benefit small businesses?
- Why do testimonial videos work better?
- How to request testimonials from your customers?
- Where should you display testimonials on your website?
Page Contents
How do testimonials benefit small businesses?
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A vast majority of marketing and business growth consultants consider testimonials to be among the most effective small business marketing tips. Here are some compelling statistics that prove just how effective testimonials are:
- 72 percent of consumers feel that positive testimonials increase their trust in a business
- 73 percent of consumers read at least six reviews before they make a decision
- 97 percent of B2B customers also consider testimonials as one of the most reliable types of content
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some other ways in which testimonials are highly beneficial for your business website:
A study shows that adding appropriate reviews along with the product listing improved the possibility of purchase by almost 4x. Besides, adding testimonials on sales pages can increase the chances of conversions by 34 percent. When testimonials speak about specific aspects of a product or service experience, it assures potential customers and encourages them to try it out themselves.
Testimonials help improve the website’s overall SEO performance and SERP rankings as they account for 9.8 percent of the total search engine ranking factors. The review schema markup code of the testimonials allows search engines to quickly locate the reviews on your website and push them out. Businesses that list ten or more reviews also experience a 15 to 20 percent increase in traffic on their Google Business listings.
Bear in mind that the testimonials page on the website cannot remain static if you want to rank high on Google consistently. Customers should be encouraged to leave reviews on the website to boost the SERP ranking and drive more traffic to the website.
Lastly, testimonials help achieve a golden small business marketing tip: establishing social proof. Social proof is an important marketing tactic as consumers tend to get affected by the bandwagon effect. In simple terms, it means that your prospects are more likely to engage with you if they see other people are already doing it. That’s why all testimonials have the same underlying message: “Don’t believe us blindly. See for yourself what other customers are saying.”
Why do testimonial videos work better?
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Testimonial videos have an edge over traditional text-based testimonials for various reasons. Video content is extremely easy to consume. Videos are easier to share, guaranteeing a wider reach. Besides, people talking straight into the camera come across as more genuine than written testimonials that may be fake. It’s not surprising that 70 percent of marketers consider video to convert better compared to other mediums.
But the thought of creating testimonial videos seems daunting. Most businesses think they would need to outsource it to a video production agency and spend a chunk of their advertising budget to get an edited version. You can always get your hands on a professionally edited testimonial video without hiring professionals. There are several free online video editing software you can use to put together a clean-cut edit.
Read more about the options available and pick one that works best for you.
How to request testimonials from your customers?
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Here are our best practices to follow when you approach a customer for a testimonial:
- Don’t rush into it: The most authentic testimonials come from your loyal customers. If you have onboarded a new client, don’t force them to provide a testimonial right off the bat. Instead, allow them to engage with your product or service for a while before you put in the request. For example, if you have a SaaS product, it is best to approach when the customer has used the product for more than 30 days.
- Personalize it: A copy-pasted mass email to all your clients requesting testimonials is unlikely to get you any results. Customize the request and reach out to each customer individually. Mass emails can be an instant turn-off. You can also request testimonials via text messages or by adding a link to the website. The method for requesting testimonials depends on the kind of business and the clients you have.
- Be polite but specific about the request: Don’t assume that every customer is ready to give you a testimonial. Thank them for their feedback and politely enquire if they are keen on providing a testimonial. However, vague requests get you vague results. For example, in the case of testimonial videos, be clear about the duration, the logistics of shooting, etc. Don’t forget to mention that the testimonial will be displayed on your website as some clients may have privacy concerns.
- Provide them options: It is best not to be rigid about the format. Give the customers an option to provide a written testimonial or testimonial videos. Remember that not everyone is comfortable recording in front of a camera.
- Never offer an incentive in exchange: Your prospects are looking for unbiased testimonials. Don’t barter a testimonial in exchange for a freebie. You can always show your appreciation to your loyal customers separately.
Where should you display testimonials on your business website?
Source: wpbusinessreviews.com
A glowing recommendation placed in the wrong location will fail to get noticed and have little impact on your conversions or traffic. Placement of testimonials, including testimonial videos, is crucial, and here’s a list of prime real estate on your website that you can’t afford to miss:
1. Product or service page
Placing the testimonial video right on the product/service page is a surefire way of impacting your prospect’s purchase decision.
Websites that placed customer testimonials along with the expensive products also recorded increased conversion by 380 percent.
You can make the CTA doubly effective by placing the testimonial video near the CTA.
Take, for instance, the Hubspot product page where the CTA is right below a series of testimonial videos by clients who talk about how effective Marketing Hub has been to cut through the clutter.
Placement such as this ensures that you don’t lose out on the prospects right at the end — as soon as they have watched the video, they are nudged to take action.
3. Testimonials Page
Having a dedicated testimonials page fail-safe option, especially if you have multiple testimonials to showcase. However, be mindful of the layout of such a page. Bombarding the visitors with too many testimonials can make you sound overly salesy. Make sure to provide adequate whitespace to enhance the overall readability of the page.
Final Words
If you want to spread the word about your business website, marketing alone is not sufficient. Tap into your existing client base and get them to create the most convincing pitch through testimonials. We hope these tips help you to approach your customers confidently for one.
