What Are Customer Testimonials, Types, And How Should Businesses Use Them?

Customer testimonials are important to build trust and loyalty. Research says that more than 90% of customers read online reviews and testimonials of the product that they want to purchase. Also, more than 80% of people trust the recommendations that are online as much as the recommendations that they get from their family and friends.

Thus, these testimonials are one of the most important and free promotional strategies. Often, a particular brand might request the customer to provide feedback after the purchase of a product or availing of a service. Other times, customers might voluntarily provide a review to help other customers to purchase a product.

In today’s post, we will learn:

• What are customer testimonials?
• What are the different types of customer testimonials?
• Why are customer testimonials effective?
• Tips on how businesses can get customer testimonials

Let’s get started.

Customer testimonials

Customer testimonials are the recommendations that we get from different mediums such as websites, social media sites, etc. affirming if the product of a company has met the customer’s needs and expectations. These testimonials are the ones that we look for before purchasing any product online or offline. These are important because it convinces new customers that since the brand has met the customer’s expectations in the past and there is a high possibility that it might do so in the future too.

Different types of customer testimonials

There are different types of customer testimonials. Any brand can use the given types to get reviews or testimonials from the customer and use them to build trust and credibility among the customers.

• Customer reviews
• Social media
• Short videos
• Case studies
• Press reviews

We will learn the given types of testimonials one by one along with relevant examples:

Customer Reviews

These are the reviews that are given by the customers about the brand’s product or service through different platforms such as Google Reviews . For example, when a customer wants to know more about “the tea story” restaurant that they have heard about, the first thing they will do is google search and check its reviews.

The given below is one of the examples of a customer review that is given by a local guide in google reviews. By reading this review, the new customer who plans to go to the restaurant will understand more about prices, ambiance, taste among other things.

Google reviews

Social Media testimonials

In social media testimonials, the customers write about their experience of the product or service voluntarily. The various platforms that are used by the customers to share their experience are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter among others.

The given picture is one of the social media posts that a satisfied customer has posted about in their Instagram and tagged the Brand Bewakoof . This not only provided the brand with the promotion of its products but also added a layer of authenticity to the brand.

Social media testimonial

Video testimonials

The video testimonials are effective and popular as they are visually stimulating and they grab the attention of customers even for a fraction of a few seconds. In these testimonials, customers or clients who have purchased a particular product or service of a brand speak about their experience.

The given below is a video testimonial of Omada Health, a digital care solution that offers five personalized programs. In the video, the customers who have purchased these programs have talked about their experience.

Video testimonial

Case study testimonials

Case study testimonials are the in-depth analysis that is given by an existing customer or client about their experience with a brand. They often include facts to demonstrate how much they have benefited from using the services of a particular brand. These testimonials help in better lead generation and more sales.

The given below is a case study testimonial that is taken from salesfolk website. In this testimonial, the client has clearly explained the response rate of the brand along with an increase in the revenue of her business due to using salesfolk services.

Case study testimonial

Press Review testimonials

The press review helps businesses that are growing to get featured in newspapers, digital media blogs among others. This testimonial will help increase the awareness of the brand as it has the potential to reach thousands of people. These news outlets not only talk about product launches but also give reviews about the products. Getting featured by a news outlet sometimes helps to generate leads for the business.

The given below is an article that is featured in the Intrado Globe Newswire, a digital media company. The article talks about the product launch of Nabati Foods.

Press review testimonial

Effectiveness of Customer testimonials

Brands while promoting their products or services make use of a psychological concept called the Bandwagon Effect. This concept states that people do something because someone else did it previously. Thus, customer testimonials are effective because they act as endorsements or social proofs and provide credibility to a particular brand.

Zendesk survey states that out of 1046 people surveyed, 90% of them agree that they were influenced by the online reviews when purchasing a product. The sole reason why customers write reviews is to share their experience with the business. This review, good or bad, influences people to make their decision. It puts their apprehension to ease and enables them to understand the products and the brand better.

There are immense benefits to the companies if they can make use of these customer testimonials. The majority of these testimonials cost them nothing. All the businesses have to do is ask the customers to provide a review after the service, or set up google alerts notification to keep track of the reviews when someone has mentioned their brand name. Also, it is important for the brands to respond to each and every comment despite it being positive or negative. Thus, the brands need to be real and authentic and they should not forget to ask for the permission to share the reviews of the customers to avoid getting into legal complications.

Tips on how businesses can get customer testimonials

Customer testimonials or reviews are essential for businesses to convert potential customers into customers. The information that is provided in various testimonials will help the customer in their purchasing decisions.

Here are some of the tips for businesses on how to get customer reviews and make use of them.

Search Social Media:

This is one of the easiest ways to get customer reviews. Most people use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to praise brands or vent their anger. Thus, the company needs to search for its name on various social media sites and understand what people are talking about the brand.

Get customer quotes from emails:

Email testimonials are provided by the customers after they have used the product or service. These customer quotes are rare and it shows that they have taken time out of their busy schedules to share their experience.

Create a survey:

The businesses need to create a survey to get specific information about the product. This is helpful when the brand wants to know the opinion of the customers. The survey form must be shared with them right after the service is made.

Use local search directories:

There are different local search directories where the customers can write a review about the products of the brand. Some of the popular directories include Google Business Profiles, Yelp among others. The more reviews, the more the trust and credibility of the brand.

Provide incentives:

The brands can provide incentives such as free products to the bloggers in exchange for an honest review. The reviews written on a particular blog will be read by the blogger’s subscribers. Thus, it will not only lead to awareness of the product but also have the potential to convert them into customers.

Submission form on Website:

The brands can create their own submission form on the website. It must contain details such as name, email id, rating, testimonial among others. The brands can also show the results of the testimonials to the visitors who want to know more about the brand.

Conclusion

Customer testimonials are one of the most powerful tools that any business can possess. These testimonials help the brands get instant feedback from the customers and new clients for free.  To effectively utilize these testimonials, the businesses need to identify what kind of impact they want to have on the customers. Whatever your business need is, it can be easily addressed if you have a digital presence, where customers can write reviews about your services. Get in touch with Workik today to create an SEO-friendly website that helps your business rank higher in google search and stand out amongst your competitors.