Without a doubt, customer testimonials help brands build trust, gain new customers, and increase revenue. Customer testimonials play an important role in how we evaluate brands and decide which ones to give our hard-earned money to, from startups to mom-and-pop shops to multibillion-dollar international brands. So, what exactly are customer testimonials, how do you collect them, and how do you use them? This is the topic of this article.
Why are customer testimonials effective?
If you search for researches, dropshipping blogs, dropshipping agent posts on customer testimonials and reviews, you’ll find pages and pages of data confirming their worth. This is due to a powerful concept known as social proof. Social proof is a psychological phenomenon in which we observe others behaving in a certain way and then mimic them. As humans, we do this to fit in and because we believe that others are making the correct decision. Customer testimonials are an example of direct social proof.
4 Best Ways to Get Customer Testimonials
Do you want to get your own customer testimonials? Let’s take a look at a few effective methods for making it happen.
#1. Send an email requesting a testimonial
All you have to do sometimes is ask. Directly emailing customers after they’ve made a purchase with you is a great way to catch them while their memories of the experience are still fresh. Send the email within one to three days of the purchase, or after the order has been delivered if it is a physical item. Consider including an incentive, such as a freebie or a discount on their next purchase.
#2. Make use of a customer satisfaction survey
You’ve almost certainly received a few customer satisfaction surveys by this point. They’re a popular way for product and service-based businesses to learn about their customers’ experiences. I received a typical type of customer satisfaction survey recently. A few hours after my visit, I received a brief email. It thanked me for going shopping and then requested one minute of my time.
The survey began with a 1–10 rating scale and then directed me to a brief survey page with a few more questions. The survey page also recommended that I record a quick video testimonial and upload the file, which is a growing trend in customer testimonials that can be even more powerful than written ones.
#3. Use apps to gather feedback
Depending on the website platform you use, you may have access to a plethora of apps or plug-ins that can assist you in displaying positive customer testimonials on your site. There are apps with a wide range of capabilities, features, and functions. Installing a post-purchase survey app, for example, can help you automate reviews and push them onto your website. You can display them in almost any way you want. Try a section on your homepage, specific pages throughout your site, or their own dedicated page.
#4. Social media as a source
Do you have a lot of positive feedback on the internet? Collect them and cross-post them on other platforms, such as your website and social media sites like Yelp, Google, and Facebook. This can be done manually or with the help of a Shopify app such as Social Testimonial Slider.
If you want to do it by hand, start with a Google search or a look at your public-facing pages on websites that include reviews. Find out what people are saying about you and post it on your website. Using an app to save time is a terrific method to do it. Many programs will automatically scan the web and update your website with your most recent client testimonials, so you don’t have to.
How to Make Customer Testimonials Work for You
#1. Include on product pages
Customer testimonials and reviews on your product pages can help you convert more customers. Many companies employ apps to display a star rating towards the top of the page. Then, as people browse down to learn more, they come across more detailed client testimonials.
#2. Make a page dedicated to testimonials
Try consolidating your client testimonials onto a single page and making a dedicated page link in your website’s navigation, in addition to scattering them across your website. Visitors will know exactly where to seek the reviews and can look for specific information they’ve been looking for. Remember that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on high-quality movies; you can just invite them to record a video on their computer or smartphone. These “home videos” can be just as effective in terms of social proof.
#3. Case studies can be used
A case study can be thought of as an extended customer testimonial or review. You can build and distribute them in a variety of formats, such as a standalone web page or a downloaded PDF that visitors can save after leaving your site. The best case studies provide readers with a realistic picture of the situation. They go over topics such as:
- The company and the person in charge of it
- The issues that the customer was having prior to starting to use your brand
- Which services did the customer use during their working relationship with your company? What was the engagement’s timetable?
- The outcomes that the customer experienced as a direct result of engaging with your company
- How is the firm better than it was before?
For organizations that sell high-value items or services, such as technology or software, case studies are a common social proof strategy. These companies usually have a lengthier sales cycle, and case studies are a wonderful method to show that they’re worth the wait.
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