Customer testimonials should be an integral part of your brand’s marketing strategy. It provides your brand with authentic endorsements that allow your brand to build trust and positively influence your potential customers. Think about it, consumers are bombarded with advertisements and marketing messages every day, so testimonials cut through the noise by giving them content made by real customers that are genuine and relatable.
The Impact of Testimonials on Consumer Behavior
- Trust: According to a Nielsen survey, “92 percent of consumers around the world say they trust…recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising”. Consumers trust their peers to give them unbiased feedback about brands.
- Conversion: Vidyard shares that testimonials “drive 86% more conversions”. Testimonials are very influential, and lead to more people choosing your brand over competitors.
- Purchase Decision: Invesp reports that “88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations”. Consumers trust testimonials, causing testimonials to impact their purchasing decision.
The Challenge of Obtaining Quality Testimonials
It can be difficult to collect high quality testimonials. Customers may hesitate to provide feedback, be unsure of what to say in their testimonial, or find the creation process too time consuming. That is why it is important to give your audience clear directions and straight forward directions. An additional bonus would be to offer them incentives for creating content, which will motivate them to do it!
Understanding the Anatomy of an Effective Testimonial
An effective testimonial is not only just positive feedback. It includes a narrative that connects with potential customers through showcasing real results and genuine experiences with your brand.
Key Parts of a Compelling Testimonial
- Authenticity: Testimonials that are relatable and genuine, and your customers’ opinions resonate well with your audience.
- Specificity: Your customers should be specific and detailed in their testimonials. They should clearly explain how your product or service helped them solve a problem, or made a difference in their lives.
- Timing and Detail: It is important to balance the length of the testimonial with the necessary details.
The Balance Between Timing and Detail
If a testimonial is too long, potential customers might stop watching early on, and miss important details. Or, if the testimonial is too short, there could be crucial details left out. Effective testimonials are concise, yet informative. They should showcase key points without overwhelming your potential customer with too much information.
The Value of Authenticity and Specificity
Customers tend to not trust sponsored posts since most creators are being paid to compliment a brand. That is why video testimonials are so powerful because they offer authenticity since your customers are unbiased, and provide their honest opinion. Effective testimonials also address specific concerns that potential customers might have. By explaining your product or service’s benefits and positive results, they make your brand more credible.
To learn more, check out our article showcasing Inspiring Testimonial Advertising.
Pre-Question Strategies: Setting the Stage for Success
It is essential to properly plan out your testimonial campaign by using a strategic plan.
Timing Your Request
How you ask for a testimonial is important, but it is just as important to time your request strategically. Request a testimonial from your customers when they have had enough time to fully experience your product or service. This ensures that customers give a holistic review of your offerings. But, be sure not to ask them for a testimonial too late. If your brand waits too long, your customers might miss out on giving a detailed account of their experience.
Choosing the Right Customers to Approach
While it is good to get a lot of testimonials, the quality of the testimonials is extremely important. Choose customers that have had a positive and impactful experience with your brand. Look for ones that are able to articulate the value of your products or services.
Preparing Your Customers for the Creation Process
Properly prepare your customers for the testimonial making process! If you make the process too complicated, your customers will be less likely to create a testimonial. Explain the process of creating a testimonial, offer them prompts, and provide examples of a good testimonial. This ensures that the process is easy, and they will feel comfortable.
For tips on requesting testimonials, check out our How to Request a Testimonial guide.
Testimonial Questions For Your Customers
To get impactful testimonials, ask your customer the right questions! Here are some key questions, organized by your marketing objective:
Questions to Establish Customer Background and Context
- Can you describe your company and your role?
- What specific challenges did you face before using our product or service?
- Why did you look for our product or service?
- Can you describe why you need to use our product?
It is important to understand your customers’ background, and the context behind them buying from your brand.
Questions to Uncover Pain Points and Challenges
- What pain points made you look for a solution?
- How did these pain points affect you or your business?
- What did these challenges prevent you from achieving?
- How did your pain points hold you back?
Questions to Highlight Your Solution's Impact
- How has (brand) addressed your challenges?
- Can you tell us about specific results you have seen after using our product/service?
- How has our brand made something easier for you to accomplish?
- Can you tell us about how you used our product or service to accomplish a goal?
This information is extremely important to include in a testimonial. This feedback will be convincing to potential customers, and make them decide to choose your brand.
Questions to Quantify Results and ROI
- What measurable benefits have you gotten from using our product/service (examples are: increased revenue, saved you time, saved you money, etc.)
- How has our brand impacted your overall ROI?
- On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate our product or service’s ability to solve your problem? (One being not helpful, Ten being extremely helpful)
By quantifying results, your brand is able to stand out and be more legitimate in the eyes of your potential customer. Using concrete numbers allows your brand to specify the impact of your brand on your customers.
Questions to Explore Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
- How would you rate your satisfaction with our brand?
- Would you recommend our brand to others? Why?
- If you have shared our brand with others, what did you tell them?
- Would you purchase from our brand again? Why/Why not?
Customer satisfaction should be one of your brands’ top priorities. It is important to ask your customers about how satisfied they are. Their feedback will help your brand improve and grow.
Questions to Differentiate from Competitors
- What made you choose our brand over others?
- How do we compare to other solutions you have tried?
- What is a feature our product or service had that made you pick us?
This information is extremely useful since your brand can highlight your unique selling point in your marketing. These questions are also a great way to see how your customers compare and contrast your brand to others.
Questions to Gather Improvement Suggestions
- Is there any room for improvement with our brand?
- What additional features or designs would you find useful?
- What is one thing you wish was different about our product or service?
Your customers’ feedback can be a great way to expand your offerings. Maybe there is a different size, material, or color that your customers wish your brand had. Or, maybe your service experience was too short, and your client wishes it was longer. Utilize this information to explore additional options for your brand.
Strategies for Video Testimonials vs. Written Testimonials
Video testimonials can be more interactive and express emotion better than written testimonials. However, written testimonials can be easier to share, and can be more concise. So, depending on where you are sharing your testimonials, you can pick whether to showcase videos or written testimonials.
For more information, read our article “Testimonials vs Reviews: Understanding the Difference”.
Streamlining Video Testimonial Collection with Vidlo
Collecting video testimonials, and keeping track of them, can be a difficult task. It is important to have an organized way to view all the videos your customers make, along with data about them.
Introduction to Vidlo: A Game-Changer in Video Testimonial Collection
Vidlo revolutionizes the way businesses collect video testimonials. We make the process simple and smooth for both your brand and your customers.
How Vidlo Works: Simplifying the Process for Both Businesses and Customers
- Send Your Vidlo Link to Customers: Your brand can easily send links to customers where they can record their video testimonials.
- Easy Self-Recording Process for Customers: Customers can easily record testimonials within a few minutes using their personal device!
- Management and Organization of Collected Testimonials: Vidlo provides your brand with tools to manage, organize, and utilize the testimonials your customers make efficiently.
Using Vidlo allows your brand to harness the power of customer testimonials to build trust, enhance credibility, and drive sales. Want to see how Vidlo would work for your brand? Sign up for a free trial here: https://app.vidlo.video/register.
