Ever been recommended a product or service by a friend? Known as Word of Mouth (WOM), it's the surest way to guarantee a person goes with an otherwise unknown brand. We buy what we trust.

Unfortunately, for most businesses, there's no way to ensure your customers are spreading the word – unless you ask them to.

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Enter customer testimonials.

Part of social proof, customer or client testimonials let you capture people's honest thoughts and feelings about your product and tell them to new leads and prospects. They're not optional – they're essential.

According to BrightLocal, 77% of survey respondents "always" or "regularly" read reviews and testimonials when browsing for local businesses. They're looking for a reason to trust.

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What is Social Proof?

Why do you choose one brand over another? It could be the price, their website design, or the product or service. But one key factor is often what people say about it – the wisdom of the crowd.

Social proof describes a psychological and social phenomenon where people copy the actions of others. If someone randomly starts a queue, people will begin to join it. The more people join, the more others want to. Such conformity can seem funny at first. But it makes a lot of sense: if everyone uses something, there's got to be a reason.

In marketing, social proof takes the form of positive testimonials. If you've got a handful of glowing endorsements, it's much easier to convince a customer to part with their cash – 88% of consumers trust user reviews as much as personal recommendations.

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Why are Customer Testimonials Important

Not convinced? Sure, collecting customer testimonials can be a hassle, especially on customer review sites like Google Business, TripAdvisor, or G2. However, they're worth their virtual weight in gold.

Not only does the testimonial instantly validate your product, but they're a little slice of copy waiting to be inserted into emails, social media posts, and websites. You can ramp up your conversion rate and sales with just a few words.

The numbers don't lie:

• Before buying, a typical shopper checks out 10 online reviews.

• For a company's claims to be credible, 63% of consumers need to hear them 3-5 times.

• To trust a business's star rating, consumers usually want to see about 40 online reviews.

• According to Trustpilot, positive homepage reviews boost the likelihood of purchases for 86% of customers, while 85% are swayed by reviews on product pages.

• Young shoppers (ages 18-24) expect a whopping 203 reviews on each product page.

• Reviews older than three months lose relevance for 85% of consumers.

• McKinsey & Company observed that sales increased significantly when a product's rating jumped from 2.5 to 4.5 stars.

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How to Collect Customer Testimonials

There's a simple way to collect client testimonials: ask. If you don't ask for feedback, you won't get any. Not only does that reduce the social proof you've got to showcase, but it also prevents you from improving your product or service. Try these tips:

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1. Direct Email Requests

Send your customers a personalised email after they have purchased or used your service. Ask for their feedback and if they would be willing to provide a testimonial. Better yet, provide clear instructions for how customers can leave a review and say thank you!

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2. Feedback Forms on Your Website

Create a dedicated section on your website where customers can submit their reviews and testimonials. Build these forms directly into your website or create a portal where customers can leave a quick review – think of the Amazon five-star system.

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3. Social Media Outreach

Engage with customers on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Encourage them to share their experiences and stories related to your product or service.

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4. Incentivise Testimonials

Offer customers a discount, a freebie, or entry into a giveaway in return for their testimonial. Given the value of testimonials to your business, it's an ingenious way to motivate people to share their positive experiences. Lots of companies enter reviewers' names into a raffle as their incentive.

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5. Conduct Customer Surveys

Use tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to create surveys asking for feedback. At the end of the survey, request permission to use their positive feedback as a testimonial.

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Customer Review Sites

Local businesses, like restaurants, tradespeople, or hotels, go boom or bust based on testimonials on review sites. Encourage customers to post their reviews on:

• Google My Business: Ask satisfied customers to leave a review on your business's Google listing. Regularly monitor and respond to these reviews to show customer engagement.

• G2: The largest and most trusted software marketplace housing real-time, authentic peer advice from verified users

• TripAdvisor: Essential for travel, hospitality, and restaurant businesses. Customers often leave detailed reviews of their experiences.

• Amazon Customer Reviews: If you sell products on Amazon, this platform is crucial. Regularly request and monitor feedback here.

• Trustpilot: An open platform where customers can review any business. Engaging and responding to reviews here can help in building trust and credibility.

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Other prominent review sites include G2, Zomato, Booking.com, Glassdoor, and Consumer Reports.

Remember to always thank customers for their reviews, irrespective of them being positive or negative, and address any concerns they might raise.

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How to Use Customer Testimonials

As you'd think, client testimonials should be front-and-centre in your marketing efforts. Too often, they're tucked away in a side corner of a website or the bottom of an email newsletter. That's a mistake! If you're struggling to integrate your customer feedback into your content, try these tips:

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Turn Them Into Statistics

Aggregate your customer reviews into statistics you can advertise on your website and marketing. For example, you could highlight customer satisfaction rates, success metrics, and other compelling data. A straightforward solution is to count the number of positive testimonials, creating a persuasive statistic like "95% of our customers experience faster results."‍

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Share on Your Social Media‍

Platforms like Instagram or Facebook are perfect for sharing video testimonials from your clients. Use storytelling techniques to showcase how your client solved their problem with your help. Encourage your followers to repost, retweet, and share the post to amplify your reach.

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Create a Testimonial Section on Your Home Page‍

Your home page is the prime location for reviews. Whether that's pairing a testimonial with images of the actual customers (for added authenticity) or including a carousel of different testimonials, it's a must-have for any business.

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Publish in a Product Brochure‍

Customer spotlights, quote banners, and success metrics are compelling features of a product brochure. Customer spotlights allow a deep dive into how a product solves a specific problem, whereas success metrics allow a broad-scale view of your real-world outcomes. ‍

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Include in a Promotional Email‍

Always begin or conclude your email with a powerful testimonial. You can also have specific emails narrating a customer's experience and highlighting the benefits they enjoyed. Finally, add a CTA after testimonials to turn that social proof into action.

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Add to a Product Page‍

Including social proof near purchase buttons or adding video testimonials discussing a product is guaranteed to boost your conversion rate.

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Examples of Testimonials

Basecamp

Few brands do as well at integrating social proof into their site as Basecamp. This project management platform includes customer testimonials everywhere it can. You'll see them below their logo on every page, in highlighted quotes, and in a home page carousel.

That's not all. They've even got a dedicated page called "Night & Day," where they detail customers' experience before and after using their product. Pretty clever marketing, right?

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ClickUp

ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform covering Docs, Chat, Whiteboards, and more. Head over to G2, and you'll see its most impressive accomplishment: a 4.7 out of 5 rating from 8,564 reviews. That's almost unheard of!

Through persistent efforts, it earned an incredible series of reviews. But they're not just a wall of text. They've got pros and cons reviews and tons of video client testimonials. Take note: This is how your master customer reviews sites.

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Zappos

Zappos, the US online fashion retailer, made it its mission to deliver the best customer service possible. They're not shy about it. You'll find their X (formerly Twitter) page filled with Zappos commenting on customers wearing their products or retweeting customer testimonials and praise.

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Final Thoughts

Eager to amplify your brand's trust factor using customer testimonials? Meet Trumpet – your ultimate tool for crafting a compelling sales narrative. From weaving testimonials into your microsites to tracking their impact, Trumpet does it all.

We're the secret weapon for leading marketing teams, ideal for everything from initial outreach to seamless onboarding. Schedule your demo with trumpet today to witness the transformation!