Customer testimonials are incredibly powerful marketing tools. According to qualtrics, 93% of consumers say online reviews influenced their purchase decisions. If you’re not obtaining and using testimonials in your marketing, you’re missing out on the opportunity to turn more visitors into subscribers and customers. But how do you go about gathering them? And how do you share them in an impactful way? Read on, reader. 

First, the easiest way to get customer testimonials is to find and use what people are already saying about you on social media. Consumers turn to social media to praise people and products all the time, and it’s likely no different for your business. To find what people are saying about you on social media, search your business name on your preferred platforms. 

Another effective way to gather business testimonials is by asking to use quotes from email that customers have sent you. Did someone get in touch with you to praise how fantastic your product is? That’s a testimonial! But you must ask for permission to use the quote. Like social media reviews, quote pulls are effective testimonials because they show that the consumer cared so much for your product or service that they took time out of their day to let others know about you. That’s a strong endorsement.

One final way to get testimonials is simply to ask for them. Let your audience know that you value their feedback, and ask them to rate and review your business. (NOTE: you’ll need to be incredibly responsive to reviews, both good and bad. Ignoring the negative reviews and only engaging with the positive ones is a bad look. Finding, engaging, and fixing poor interactions is vital to a business’s success.)

Now that you have your testimonials, you need to use them appropriately. Testimonials are only effective if you use them in clever ways. 

First, use testimonials at points in your customer interactions that may need a little massaging. For example, if you sell expensive high-end shoes, use a testimonial to describe how affordable your shoes are over their lifetime, years longer than less expensive, far less comfortable bargain shoes that you replace more often. Testimonials that speak about the quality of your shoes would also be impactful. 

Next, make sure your testimonials look as professional as your business. Displaying a pixilated screenshot of a review from a social media channel on your website is not impressive, no matter what it says. Put time and effort into making sure your testimonial looks as powerful as the testimonial reads.

Last, get the testimonial in front of your potential audience. Reposting and sharing testimonials on digital channels with potential customers is the new “word of mouth.” Your social media channels are a fantastic place to share testimonials. Because 88% of consumers research products before purchase, another great place for testimonials is in certain advertisements and the landing pages those advertisements link to. Show potential customers how many current customers love what you offer, and you’re sure to gain new traction.

Obtaining testimonials doesn’t happen without effort. Need a way to gather and share your client testimonials, but short on time and know-how? Get in touch with OnPointPlus, and let our team of dedicated marketing professionals guide the way.