Customers should know why they should choose you in today’s competitive marketplace. While you can promote yourself in every way possible, it often comes down to providing social proof. Customer testimonials are powerful because they provide a non-biased opinion about what your company has to offer – and they can influence purchase decisions more than anything you could say about your products or services.
There are dos and don’ts involved with obtaining and posting customer testimonials. As a digital marketing agency, we’re committed to the ethical side of customer testimonials. Allow us to provide some guidance.
Do Seek Genuine Testimonials
Seeking genuine testimonials can be a great way to boost conversions and gain more sales. According to Vendasta, approximately 92% of customers will read online reviews before they finalise their purchase. As such, you’ll want to ensure that there are reviews available for people to read.
Genuine testimonials means that you have real people who have bought your products or used your services write up their thoughts. While it looks nice to have some “reviews” on your site, it’s best to be authentic. If you write them yourself, you’re starting off your relationship with consumers on a lie.
Do Obtain Written Consent
While a customer may tell you in an email that they were happy with your product or share a comment on social media, you cannot copy what they’ve said and use their name without written consent.
Don’t hesitate to contact a customer who has nice things to say about your company. Most who have already offered a compliment will be more than happy to let you share their testimonial.
Do Provide Context and Transparency
Context and transparency are important because you want to give potential customers a full understanding of how the testimonial came about. Did a person buy your product, or were they given a free product in exchange for a review? Be sure to disclose this so that people know what’s going on.
By the way, there’s nothing wrong with giving away product in exchange for reviews, as long as you’re honest. This can help you to build more reviews so that it helps with search engine optimisation.
Do Showcase a Variety of Experiences
Let people see a variety of testimonials. Not all of them have to be glowing. Instead, let people see how there was an issue, but your customer service department rectified everything.
When you show a wider range of experiences, it shows authenticity. You can also place disclaimers on the reviews to help explain why one experience was different from another.
Don’t Fabricate Testimonials
Did you get a testimonial that didn’t sound as good as it could have? Did it fail to list an employee’s name? Leave them be. If you get in the habit of fabricating testimonials, your customers are likely to find out.
Don’t Misrepresent Testimonials
With the right level of creativity, you can spin anything. Leave the testimonials alone so that they highlight what’s really going on with your company.
If you misrepresent a testimonial, you are basically lying – and that’s no way to build a lasting, trusting relationship with your customers.
Don’t Cherry-Pick Only Positive Testimonials
Not all customer experiences are home runs. Many people look at negative testimonials to see just how bad things were – and what the company did about it.
While cherry-picking positive testimonials sounds like it would make your company sound better, it can actually sound warning bells that you’re not being authentic.
Show the negative testimonials on your site but be sure that you and your team are learning from them, too.
Leverage Customer Testimonials Today
Customer testimonials are a powerful component of any digital marketing strategy. It’s important to take an ethical approach to obtain testimonials so that you begin building trust with potential customers.
At Oracle Tree, we prioritise ethical practices. We’ll show you how you can elevate your credibility and make more meaningful connections with your target audience. Learn how you can market your testimonials and use them to gain vital insight into the way you operate your business.
Small business owners often need help with this aspect of ethical marketing. When you’re ready to focus on the power of testimonials, contact us to learn how we can help.
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