3 Rapid Fire Ways Testimonials Will Explode Your Business

So why are customer testimonials so important you might ask? Instead of taking your word for it, your customers with your product or services is going to impact their lives positively. It lets real customers hear from other customers, why this decision that they’re buying from you is a good one.

So in other words, people believe what other people have to say over what you say about your products and services. You’re getting an opportunity to let regular customers become brand advocates, which does more in terms of building trust, credibility, and emotion than you could ever do on your own.

Customers testimonials create something of a self-fulfilling prophecy regarding your connection with your target audience. When someone enjoys your product or services, you want to encourage them to leave a positive review or testimonial. Consumers naturally trust each other more than they trust just marketing collateral, so testimonials add more weight to the decision that they’re trying to make. Those initial happy customers, therefore, encourage purchases, which creates more happy customers, and so on, and so on.

 So let’s talk about the three rapid fire ways testimonials will explode your business. All three of these ways are, are used for testimonial lead generation. So the first thing you want to do and establish is to

 Use Social Proof

Now what is social proof? I’m sure you might have an idea what it is. But I’m going to read you the definition of social proof. Social proof is the idea that consumers who adapt their behavior according to what other people are doing. And let me start over again, I messed that one up. So what is social proof? social proof is the idea that consumers will adapt their behavior according to what other people are doing. That makes sense, right?

So let me give you an example

When we see a long line of customers waiting to eat at a restaurant it’s get’s your curosity up and makes you think that it must be a great place to eat. Look at all of those people waiting in line to get in. Or you might see a television commercial of a celebrity, drinking a certain brand of coffee.  It leaves an air of dignity and quality to the product, doesn’t it? In many industries, there’s nothing more powerful than social proof– and if you  don’t already do this with every customer you should be.

 

Figure out who your most profitable customers are, and nurture your relationship with them. Ask them specifically what they’ve gotten out of working with you. Then go figure out how you can take those stories and turn them into testimonials to show these examples to prospective future clients. So social proof is all about the power of the crowd. So make sure you have lots of different examples of happy customers you share on your social media,  your website, and at all events. It’s all about group influence.

If the press has has published any positive reporting about your brand, this earned media is a great way to build brand awareness, backlins to your website and social proof that your business is worth paying attention to. The importance of website traffic from social media can vary greatly from company to company.

But one thing no business should undervalue is the influence social media posts about your brand you can have on potential customers. Enough positive shares of your content on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram can be all the proof one needs to invest in your product or services. So showing off your glowing testimonials on social media will help you build trust with users that discover your business and encourage them to become customers. The next thing you want to do is you want to do is:

 

Make Testimonials Trustworthy

One problem with testimonials is that even if they sound great, their authenticity can’t be verified, because there is no backlinks to the reviewers website or social profile. You can create more trust by making sure that your testimonials can be traced back to a real person. Not many people will actually contact the reviewer but the thought that they could will have a huge impact on making the decision to buy from or to hire you. You want to add photos of happy customers to your website along with their testimonials. This helps grab the attention of website visitors and it also helps show your audience that the testimonials are for real people just like them.

Another great way to make sure that your testimonials are trustworthy is by using videos. A video shows the customer’s identity which makes it harder to fabricate a fake review. Be sure your testimonials are authentic and helpful though. It’s an important part of building trust. With honest business practices you’ll  be protected from legal repercussions. Every bit of damage to your reputation is hurtful and we all know once you damage your reputation is hard for people to trust and believe you. It’s hard to get your reputation back once damaged. And the last thing you want to do is:

Use Public Speaking

If you’re presenting yourself at trade shows or conference, you want to make sure that you have a compelling customer story to tell to your audience. If you’re hosting a webinar, or if you’re on a podcast, or something like that, the same advice applies. Make sure that you’re telling a compelling customer story that’s bigger than a sales pitch. Tell the story of your happy customers in as many ways as you can and in front of as many potential customers as you can and make it so juicy that people can’t wait to work with you!

Testimonials attest to your business’s quality and character. The goal of using testimonials is simple.

1. You want to build trust with clients
2. You want to inspire them to take the next step and make a purchase
3. You want them to hire you for a speaking engagement.

That’s if you’re a speaker. And while today’s customers are savvy to marketing claims and lingo, they are generally more open to content sourced from other customers. Did you know that 90% of consumers read online reviews as part of the shopping process?

And here’s some added bonus ways where you should be using your testimonials.

I’ve given you tips on how to use testimonials to upgrade your business. So here’s some tips on where to put those testimonials once you accumulate testimonials. As a business owner or speaker, it’s important to choose the most relevant testimonials to feature on your website and in your marketing materials.

 

To start:

• You want to make sure that the testimonials that are written by members of your target audience
• Sprinkle your testimonials throughout your website, making sure to include them on your homepage
• All of your key product pages and points where customers are making buying decisions.
• Use testimonials near your signup forms
• Your shopping cart pages
• Place them in the sidebar of your website
• And even above your headlines

Your goal is to ensure that your website visitors encounter positive customer feedback no matter where they land on your website to boost conversions.

Remember, if you aren’t using testimonials on your website, you’re missing out  on a valuable opportunity to convert leads.