Satisfied customers make the best marketers. Having the best pitch for your products doesn’t have the same influence as an endorsement from a customer. Let’s look at Uber and Airbnb for instance. How do these companies make us voluntarily go into a stranger’s car or home? And vice versa, what makes people let strangers stay in their homes or share a ride? The “Review” system is the key in both cases. These businesses work because we trust customer objective reviews, comments and client testimonials much more than company self-promotion.
In this article, we will guide you through how to get new client testimonials, how to optimize their impacts and when you should refresh them.
The Effective Way to Request Client Testimonials
It’s important to have a trusting relationship with your customers before asking for a testimonial. Working hard to provide great services and conveying your value to your customers are building blocks to creating this trust. In the B2B world, most people are busy and don’t have much time to spare to give a review. It’s important to make it easy for them.
- Direct Links: Most customers won’t search for your company profile to write reviews on multiple sites. Provide them with direct links (ie. Google Review, Clutch, Cloud Tango, etc.) to your desired review sites so they don’t have to.
- Draft Review: Ask your customer if they would prefer the account manager write up a draft testimonial for them to review and approve.
- Pick the right time: When your clients are happy and not too busy, it’s time to drop the question “Could you give me a review?”. For example, you just saved your client business from a major ransomware threat or a network disruption, ask them for a review.
Testimonials don’t need to be expensive, over-the-top, or perfect. In fact, research shows that customers prefer testimonials that are realistic and authentic. Marketing campaigns and grander approaches to get client testimonials work. However, in the MSP business, a 3-liner email and a trusting relationship can do the trick.
How to Optimize the Impact of Your Client Testimonials
To optimize the testimonials you have gathered, we recommend displaying them in the following places:
- Website: Place your testimonials on your homepage to ensure visitors can’t miss them. If the testimonial is product-specific, place them on relevant product pages as well.
- Social Media: Testimonials act as great positing content in-between your regular uploads. Plan them sparingly in your social media calendar- we recommend 5%-10% of your posts to be testimonials.
- Marketing Collaterals: Adding testimonials to your flyers, brochures and sales presentations builds a trustworthy first impression and acts as a closing tool. The key is to customize your marketing collaterals by adding testimonials relevant to your potential client’s business.
- Review Sites: Take time to reply to reviews you receive on review sites. Potential customers survey reviews to form an opinion on your business and seeing your responses lets them know you appreciate satisfied customers and strive for better with unsatisfied ones.
Refreshing Your Testimonials – Why & When
Testimonials require a refresh ever so often. A few reasons why we recommend doing so are:
- Outdated Testimonials: Testimonials that no longer reflect your business in the current are not beneficial i.e reviews on discontinued products or services, customers have rebranded, etc.
- New Products: Customer reviews on new products tend to make a good impression
- New Vertical: If you plan on targeting a new vertical, having relevant testimonials better supports your venture.
You work hard to support and protect your clients. Your effort not only should make your clients happy but also help grow your business. Client testimonials are a great tool to capitalize on your everyday effort.
At Xeo Marketing, we understand your business. If you need a hand with strategic planning, (re)branding, website design or executing Marketing activities, we can help!
