If you shop online, the term “customer testimonials” should not appear new to you. Even if you don’t, you probably must have seen them a lot on the internet. Google has lately incorporated them as well in their Google Maps to add more credibility to locations that users browse on the same.
Most credible online sellers have a particular space (on their site) reserved for these little chunks of content that look something like this one right here-
So, why do you think they have actually reserved a special place on their website for these testimonials? Is there a special reason?
Of course, there is. Everything is done in web design and digital marketing for a particular reason. Let’s see.
Why do companies use customer testimonials on their service/product website?
Place yourself in a customer’s shoes and answer this question.
“What do you usually do while you’re shopping online on Amazon?”
You browse through countless products and make your choice accordingly. But another question crops up at this exact point- “How do you make your choice?” Through reviews? I bet it is.
You may either refer to the customer reviews/testimonials that are provided on the very same page, or you may actually go to a 3rd party website (such as a newspaper report or a YouTube video) to take the opinions of an expert. But the point is, you choose the product AFTER going through the customer reviews.
So the above point itself proves how important testimonials can be for your business if you can use them the right way with full honesty.
In a nutshell, I would say:
- Testimonials can help your customers make a quick decision.
- Testimonials can increase your website’s conversion rate.
- Testimonials can increase your business on the internet.
- Testimonials can make your business appear legitimate to the outside world.
So it’s a no-brainer that companies would prefer to have customer testimonials on their website to fare well in the long run.
How do you get customers to write reviews/testimonials for your website?
From a moral point of view, there’s only one way through which you might be able to do that. You’ll have to ask them for it.
If they agree to do so, you are in luck. If they don’t, you’ll just have to move on to the next one.
Here are a couple of tips for you that can come in handy for this exact purpose of yours:
- As soon as a business deal is closed successfully from your end, shoot your customer a mail and acknowledge the fact that it has been a pleasure to do business with him/her. And then request him/her tactfully to write a review/testimonial for your site. Even a single line would do.
- Ask your best customers to do it for you for the benefit of your website. Tell them personally that you need their support so that you can improve more over time. This step might appear to be too simple from the hindsight but it’s important nonetheless. Who knows? It may actually propel you to the success that you had dreamt of at the start.
What kind of testimonials should you display?
POSITIVES? ONLY positives?
No; it won’t work out well if you go down that route. Most of your customers are aware of this fact that no business is 100% perfect. Problems are bound to occur at some point which is an acceptable fact indeed.
But if you think of highlighting ONLY positive reviews/testimonials on your page, your potential customers may take your website as a fake, which is something that can have a real adverse effect on your site reputation in the long run.
Studies say that most consumers trust company reviews if they have a mix of positive and negative reviews on their website. So if you want to opt for my suggestion, I would ask you to go down the same route. Balance them both and place them carefully on your website. It can benefit you well in the long run.
So that’s it then. Hope we got the message across to you as clearly as possible in this article. It’s time to bid adieu for the time being. Hope you had a great read.
