There are few marketing tools more powerful than storytelling through testimonials. People want to know about the experiences of others, and respond best when those experiences are told in the form of a story. Testimonials give an opportunity for previous clients to share their personal journey with your brand and product, telling a full story from beginning to end.
When these stories are shared spontaneously in places like Google reviews or through social media, it automatically engages other viewers and can convert floating leads into instant, dedicated customers who believe in the brand based on what they’ve read. Of course, if your company wants to use those same testimonials on websites and in marketing copy, you’ll need to secure the consent of the customers who originally shared their stories.
This can be deeply rewarding but, of course, must be done right. Once you spot a great testimonial, going through the right steps will produce greater rewards for both your brand and your customers who choose to share their stories.
Ethics and Best Practices for Sharing Customer Testimonials
Customer testimonials have become a powerful tool in the digital marketing landscape. Each testimonial serves as social proof which can influence personal decisions more effectively than any branch forced marketing language. 92% of customers read online reviews before buying, and 72% report that testimonials increased their trust in a brand.
However, unlike ratings and reviews, testimonials are something you can plan for and inspire. You can encourage people to write reviews an you can even request testimonial content from specific customers. Because there is potential for misuse, it’s also very important to use reviews and testimonials ethically in your marketing strategy.
The Right Way to Acquire Testimonials
Creating a testimonial must be done with careful respect for the customer and the authentic experience they have to share. Doing this will result in more powerful and natural testimonials that also align with ethical best practices.
Seek Genuine Testimonials
First, seek out recent customers who have had genuine experiences to use as testimonials. Ensure that you don’t tell them what to say or even give them an outline of what you expect to hear. Rewarding customers for their story can help to collect testimonials, but guided testimonials are less genuine.
Instead, ask for first draft, off-the-cuff, or even audio/video recordings to gain the most authentic expression of each customer experience.
Obtain Written Consent
Make sure that you get written consent to use each testimonial on your website or as a marketing asset. This can be a risk when testimonials occur “in the wild”. When you see a flattering and highly detailed review or a story shared on social media, it can be tempting to rebroadcast that content immediately. However, to use a testimonial outside its initial context, you must gain written permission.
Provide Content and Transparency
When publishing testimonials, add context to the story that your customer has to tell, especially when the context is missing, You might add a format that notes what product the customer bought or what service you performed for them, along with the date. Context creates transparency when it comes to social proof sources by the company. It helps future leads to see the full experience of the perspective your testimonials offer.
Showcase a Variety of Experiences
Choose testimonials that represent a wide range of experiences. If you sell products, share testimonials from customers who bought different products for different reasons and used the products in different ways. If you install kitchens, share stories of new kitchens, remodelled kitchens, or kitchens restored from damage. While each may be a positive story, they illustrate a range of ways your company can help people and don’t appear all to be the same.
Ethical Mistakes to Avoid
In addition to the right way to gain testimonials, there are a few tactics that you should absolutely avoid. These are temptations that can occur in the mind of any marketer, but cross the line in terms of ethics and genuine representation of customer experience.
Fabricate Testimonials
Never make up a testimonial. Even if you have a keyword goal, even if you can’t find good examples and are worried about reaching out to ask customers for testimonials, fabricating testimonials is unethical because it is not real social proof. In many cases, fabricated testimonials will also ring false. The language and thought patterns won’t be different enough from one testimonial to the next. They will likely feel like marketing copy rather than real stories, and your brand can subtly lose trust as a result.
Use Testimonials Without Consent
Never take a customer’s story without their permission, even if they post it in a public forum. If a customer shares a detailed review or says something flattering on social media, reach out. Screenshot the story and then ask permission to use the content. If the customer says no, respect their decision and look for other examples to use.
Misrepresent Testimonials
Never fail to provide accurate transparency. Do not move the date upon a testimonial from several years ago as if it was last year. Do not change the name of the customer who shared their story to make it fit your narrative. Don’t change the wording or details of a testimonial or present it as if it were for the wrong product or service.
Cherry-Pick Only Positive Testimonials
Lastly, don’t only show the best comments your customers have to share. A little negativity in the mix is honest, and can actually increase the trustworthiness of your brand. If a detailed review tells a good story and highlights an experience, but says one or two negative things, keep it. Don’t cut or edit it. Don’t delete your authentic negative comments, and allow each customer’s full experience to shine through.
Telling Stories from Ethically Sourced Testimonials
Once you have selected the best testimonials and been granted permission to use them – this is when the magic happens. Make use of both long, involved testimonials and short quotes that might entice viewers to read the whole thing. Break up testimonials into shorter paragraphs and tweak the font to make them more beautiful when visually presented.
You can even invite the customers to create an even more compelling version of their story by recording a video or participating in an official interview. This gives them the opportunity to share their experience in a more complete way and enjoy a little time directly in the spotlight. By taking testimonial storytelling to the next level, you can even use this process to recruit enthusiastic brand ambassadors and advocates from the customers who initially chose to share their stories in the form of testimonial reviews.
Those who are inspired by these reviews and featured testimonials may even step up to share new stories, creating an ongoing cycle of storytelling through ethically sourced customer testimonials.
Brand Storytelling with Oracle Tree
If you are ready to boost your brand storytelling strategies for a greater impact and connection with your audience, Oracle Tree is here to empower your customers and your marketing team together, finding the best stories to tell and how to tell them. Contact us today to explore the possibilities.
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