The key to the success of any business is to make sure that customers and clients are satisfied. When a customer enjoys your product or finds that your service provides them with everything they need, this individual could write a review or testimonial online about their experience with your business and brand. A testimonial is a kind of formal statement that a customer makes that testifies to the quality of a product or reputation of a brand. Testimonials are very effective because they provide other potential customers with a reliable look at what they can expect when using your product or service.

When a testimonial focuses on the value of the product or service that you provide, the message conveyed through the testimonial should resonate more with your target audience. Since the praise for your company or brand is coming from someone other than yourself or your employees, it should be more believable. When you obtain quality customer testimonials, you should start bringing in more business from better customers.

To understand how important testimonials can be to your business, around 95 percent of all consumers in the U.S. will read online reviews before they go ahead with a purchase. If your products can be backed up by premium testimonials, you should see an increase in sales. As you build a relationship with your clients, their loyalty with your brand and business will start to grow. More brand loyalty typically equates to increased sales and a stronger brand. In order to gain useful testimonials, it’s important to collect and analyze the feedback you receive. This article offers a comprehensive look at the importance of client testimonials for any business.

Key Takeaways:

• Client testimonials are formal statements made by a client to form a reputation about a brand or company.
• There are numerous different times where you can request a testimonial from a current client or past one.
• Utilizing testimonials is key in your brand success. We discuss the three design practices you should implement and the five places you should display them.

When To Request a Testimonial

When you want to obtain new client testimonials for your company, it’s essential that you request them from customers at the right moments. Two of the ideal times to request a testimonial include after the conclusion of a business transaction and after a period of 3-6 months.

Once the business relationship has ended, you will be in a great position to inquire about a testimonial. If this is a one-time business relationship on a large project, this request could be sent in the days following the end of the project. On the other hand, consider waiting 1-2 weeks if your client is getting ready to launch a product or company that you assisted with. If your products/services are sold to consumers, request a testimonial once the customer has received the product in question.

For some clients, the relationship your business has with them will be a long-term relationship. If your services and products are sold to other businesses, it’s possible that the service you provide will require ongoing maintenance. For instance, web developers will typically provide clients with site maintenance and other ongoing services in the months and years after the website has launched. In this situation, it’s recommended that you request a testimonial after 3-6 months have passed. Doing so gives your clients time to better understand what it’s like to work with you.

Best Design Practices for Client Testimonials

When seeking client testimonials, it’s important that you design and present these testimonials properly. The three best design practices for testimonials include visually engaging/appealing, be specific, and connect.

The ideal client testimonial is one that tells a story and paints a picture by only using words to do so. No matter which format you choose to go with, testimonials should be written with descriptive language that gets the point across to potential customers who are thinking about using your product or service. You can also include some visual elements with your testimonials, which can include videos and images. These elements will make the testimonials more engaging. Consider using a casual language throughout the testimonial to prove that the testimonial is coming directly from a real customer.

The testimonials you use should also be specific with the wording. Don’t select testimonials that offer surface-level praise that doesn’t say anything that will connect to other customers. Instead, choose reviews that directly show the value of your service or product. By taking this approach, readers of the testimonial should be able to envision using the product or service that you offer.

It’s also important that you choose testimonials that can be effectively connected to more information about the products and services that you offer. When you select a highly specific testimonial, you can easily link to product pages on your website that readers would want to be taken to after looking through the testimonial.

Where to Use Client Testimonials

Now that you have a better idea of which client testimonials to select, it’s time to understand more about how you can use these testimonials in a manner that properly markets your business or brand. Keep in mind that over 60 percent of all consumers find that they are more inclined to make a purchase from a website that contains testimonials and reviews. If you want to bolster the confidence that customers have when purchasing a product or service from your website, it’s important that you provide them with testimonials that answer the questions they likely have.

The five places you can display client testimonials include:

• Case studies
  
• Displayed on your website
  
• Include them in proposals
  
• Utilize them for video content
  
• Post them on social media
  

1. Case Studies

Case studies combine statistical data with anecdotal evidence to identify why a product is effective or ineffective. You can base a case study that you create around a testimonial from one of your clients. The experience they have with your business can be backed up with statistics and other data that’s captured during the case study. When you want to combine a case study with a testimonial, try to select a testimonial that’s highly detailed and specific.

2. Displayed on Your Website

Many businesses will display client testimonials directly on their website. When potential clients visit your website to learn more about the products you offer, they should be able to read testimonials by customers who have used the same products. This is great for prospective clients since they won’t need to perform additional research to find customer reviews.

You can place testimonials at several different areas of your website, which include in the sidebar or footer, on landing pages for various products, and within a separate “testimonials” page. Make sure that you include a picture of the client within the testimonial to make it appear more authentic to the reader.

3. Include Them in Proposals

Whether a potential client has requested a business proposal or you have decided to take the initiative and send one, it’s highly recommended that you include testimonials in the business proposals that you send out. These testimonials will show prospective clients what they will obtain by selecting your services or products. If you include the right testimonials, you could even win over potential clients. If you’re a marketing professional who is looking to create a marketing portfolio to show off your best work, include testimonials within the portfolio to support the work that you’ve done.

4. Utilize Them for Video Content

The modern customer finds video content to be very engaging when compared to written content, which is why you should place client testimonials within videos. Creative programs such as Canva are great for converting a written testimonial into visual content that can be placed within a marketing image or video. These videos can then be placed on YouTube, Facebook, or your own website.

5. Post Them on Social Media

Billions of people all over the world have created accounts on at least one social media website. Whether your target audience primarily uses Facebook or Instagram, placing customer testimonials on social media will allow these testimonials to reach a wide audience. You can also increase the reach of these testimonials by tagging the individuals who provided them. Make sure that you match your testimonials with appropriate hashtags, which are used on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Final Thoughts

Client testimonials are extremely useful for companies and brands that want to grow and bring in new customers. When someone is looking to use a product or service for the first time, they typically need to build confidence in making an investment into the product/service that you offer. While reading features and looking at images can help prospective customers learn more about a product, nearly all customers feel that they need to read client reviews and testimonials before ever making a purchase.

The testimonials that you post on your website or on various social media platforms can help you strengthen your reputation while effectively marketing the products that you offer. When a potential customer reads a testimonial, they can better envision what it’s like to use the product or service that’s described in the testimonial. When you want to request testimonials from past customers and clients, you can find request email templates at this link. With these templates in hand, you should be well on your way towards obtaining some great testimonials.