How to get customer testimonials
Customer testimonials are a form of social proof that can do absolute wonders for your conversion rate - in fact, studies show that 91% of shoppers will at least occasionally or regularly check online reviews before making a purchase. Consumer testimonials or product testimonials don’t just appear out of thin air, and while many companies might make it look like their testimonials simply fall into their laps, the truth it there’s a few tried and tested strategies out there for securing great authentic testimonials that will increase your brand trust and appeal to new audiences. Let’s jump in to the why, who, when and how of asking for testimonials from customers!
Why to ask for customer testimonials
No matter your field or industry, testimonials carry weight in all their forms - whether it’s through word of mouth from a friend or acquaintance, or a formally written letter of recognition, it’s just human nature to look for anecdotal evidence from others to confirm whether we should part with our hard-earned money. Testimonials can come in all forms, from kind Instagram comments to in-person words of thanks, but utilising them efficiently can make your brand trust soar and greatly increase your conversions when it comes to new audiences. Nurturing your relationships with your customers should always be a top priority, but it can be doubly beneficial when it comes to asking for their testimonial on using your business.
Who to ask for a testimonial
It’s probably best to start here - who will you be approaching for a customer testimonial? Your safest bet is going straight to your superfans and most loyal customers. These are the people who have had the most experience with your brand and can speak on the finer details about what makes your offering unique, as well as of course shed some positive light on your business! In many cases they are likely keen to help you out, and may have even already offered a testimonial in the past.
Think about which of your customers fit into your ideal target audience, or have their problems most effectively solved by the solution you are selling them. For instance, if your business sells breast pumps to new breastfeeding mothers, you may want to ask a mother who has had used pumps before who can speak on her previous experiences. If your customer bought it as a Baby Shower gift however, asking them for a testimonial won’t make so much sense. Another way to determine who the best fit is, is to look at your highest paying customers and see what they have in common - if you can tighten up your audience demographic by detecting a usual “type” of buyer in these top ranks, you can focus on attracting more of them by getting testimonials from those who share their consumer profile.
When to ask for a testimonial
There are a few different stages in the customer journey where asking for a testimonial makes sense, but getting this wrong can look awkward and, at worst, annoy your customers - so it’s important to get the timing right. No customer likes being asked, “So what did you think?” about a product or service that hasn’t even been used yet or even arrived on their doorstep!
It is, however, still a good idea to ask customers while their purchase is still fresh in their mind. Depending on your product, about a week after you know they have received their product or had their service, don’t be afraid to follow up and ask them for their thoughts. Even if the feedback isn’t something you’d want to telegraph by using it as a testimonial on your website or print materials, it can be invaluable constructive criticism that can improve your offering immensely for future customers. Depending on your product, a customer may feel like a certain amount of time needs to pass before they can accurately reflect on its value or their post-purchase sentiment. That’s totally okay - you can let them know that a testimonial on their experience up until this point works great as well. Whether that’s how easy they found the process, their first impressions of the product or service, or even just dealing with yourself or your customer service team as the face of the business. You can look at implementing an email drip campaign for the weeks ensuing to ask for testimonials also, to gauge their sentiment later on in their post-purchase journey.
Not achieving much cut through? Don’t be afraid to follow up again later. It might be that your customer didn’t feel they had much of an opinion to offer at the time, or simply that they were busy.
How to ask for a customer testimonial
The main strategy here is to ensure you are reaching out to customers individually - no one likes being bulk-messaged or on the receiving end of an obvious copy and paste message, so try to personalise your reach outs wherever possible. Being reached out to personally will also likely make them feel more positively towards you and your brand, which, when asking for a testimonial, certainly doesn’t hurt!
Not all of us are wordsmiths, and that’s okay - but it can pose a challenge when looking for a truly persuasive or at least sufficiently articulate testimonial from a customer. More than anything, authenticity is the most important attribute a testimonial can carry, but by asking your customers guiding questions you can help to shape a testimonial that’s not only flattering but also has the capacity to inspire and motivate other customers as well. Think about questions that target specific aspects of your business and will draw out helpful details of your customer’s experience with you - think about framing your questions in terms of how your product or service benefitted the customer. If you sell a product intended to help save people time, you might want to ask “how much time did our product save you?”, or “what were you able to do with your free time from using our product?”. This gives people an opportunity to give real-world context to your offering, and allows prospective customers who are reading the testimonial to think about how your offering will be applicable to their own situation and their own problems they are looking to solve. Aside from such specific questions, you could also ask more open-ended ones like “How has our offering benefitted you?” or, “What was the best part about your experience with us?”.
Ready to build that portfolio of stunning customer testimonials? We can help you shape that portfolio and engineer it into something that skyrockets your conversions. Get in touch with us here at Racket to chat about better marketing your brand or business.
