Word of mouth played a vital role in the past, from mass marketing of new products to even revolutions. In the modern world, it is shaping the future of brands on the internet. People are now concerned about the brands’ products and services, and even about their name and social standing. The constant online chatter […]
Word of mouth played a vital role in the past, from mass marketing of new products to even revolutions. In the modern world, it is shaping the future of brands on the internet. People are now concerned about the brands’ products and services, and even about their name and social standing. The constant online chatter is defining the fate of both small and large brands.
Businesses know what they have to do – highlight the peer-generated content for the prospects and potential customers. In many independent types of research, professionals have found that new customers are more than willing to believe in strangers’ words, compared to an owned marketing copy.
In this blog, we will cover the nature and effectiveness of customer testimonials, along with some of the templates to ensure that the message is getting through – loud and clear!
There is nothing more customer testimonials than what everyone knows. It is a written or expressed statement that is made by a user of a product or service after the service has been rendered. It helps both the brand and the new customers to place value on the overall experience. Even in explicit terms, this is boiled down to a star rating in the number system with the highest number being the excellent measure.
They come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. Even there are names different for each type. A comment is something descriptive and written, whereas ratings come with stars where 5 represents the highest number. In polls, the options are given to the participants and the result speaks for itself.
If you see the internet these days, it is about brands either giving or providing information regarding their new products, services, and more. Customer testimonials drive the conversations and get the narrative in line with that of a brand.
Since the rise of third-party platforms, such as social media sites and specialized forums, the importance of customer testimonials has risen by many folds. Today, they help brands achieve the following goals:
With a good copy and customer testimonials on top of them, brands can ensure that they drive the narrative and help all stakeholders in keeping it at the top.
There is no point in keeping an asset or considering something as an asset if the brand is not going to capitalize on it. The same goes for customer reviews and testimonials because they will not serve a purpose by sitting in a database.
For years, marketers have anticipated the use and reach of customer reviews in marketing. Instead of merely putting the reviews on a separate page where they stay hidden from the public eye, brands need to cover ground through these testimonials.
Following are some of the ways that businesses can employ to get the best customer testimonials:
Now that we have established that customer reviews and testimonials are necessary for a marketing strategy, it is necessary to figure out how to put these on display. This section is dedicated to helping brands and professionals entrusted with the brand reputation of brands to put customer testimonials onto a pedestal.
Quote Reviews
Considering the reach and scope of the quote review, this is one of the best ways to make others see what users of a brand think about it. It is also the simplest way to populate your web page with keywords and branded phrases.
In addition to the exact words used by the person, they also carry a profile picture from Google or the one that is displayed on the review site page. Major review sites such as Google, Yelp, and Facebook employ this method.
Video Testimonials
Video testimonials are considered very trustworthy in the online world. They are very hard to fake and make false video testimonials, hence their inherent value. Compared to quoted reviews, they are authentic and are taken at a higher value for both prospects and search engines.
This is also a myth that video testimonials are hard to create and embed on a website. With all things in place, it takes only a couple of hours to record, edit, and post video reviews.
Social Media Review
Social media has become a force of nature in the online world. Currently, there are more than 5 billion active users on a handful of social media platforms. A social media review is something that users post online on their respective platforms. Mostly, it comes with a tweet from Twitter, a picture from Instagram, a review from Facebook, and so on.
They are organic and carry high value in terms of authenticity and reputation from a brand. Social proof is the main element for driving consumer decisions in the social media sphere, and this is what these reviews provide.
Pictorial Comment
Image or pictorial comments and reviews have their place in the echelon of user-generated content. These reviews and testimonials are more often used in providing picture proof about a product or service.
Instead of being evenly used across different industries, these types of comments and testimonials make the biggest differences for the brands with distinct products and services. For instance, a beauty products brand can get better traction from these reviews.
Case Study
Case studies are something of a specialty for a handful of industries. In these types of customer reviews, a company proves a claim regarding how their products and services enrich the lives of clients. This comes with an in-depth analysis of the needs and services of the brand and how they are aligned with the demand.
They are on the bulky side in terms of length and word count, that’s why they are only read and covered by professionals and other industry persons.
Plain Customer Testimonial
Brands cannot only showcase customer reviews and testimonials from their website but even from profiles and accounts from third-party platforms. Again depending on the scope and reach of these platforms, brands can secure a lot of clientele and goodwill through these testimonials. The most common ones include Trustpilot, Yelp, Facebook Reviews, and more.
The winners in this game include eCommerce stores and so on.
Q&A Review
Interview testimonials are something novel and unique as they are based on two-way communication. In a typical interview or Q&A review, someone asks a question that is centered around a brand, its products, and services, and then the consumer comes up with a reply.
This can be done overview testimonial or a written review with descriptive questions and answers. This has its desired effect as it can connect with consumers facing specific issues and looking for a specific fix.
Influencer Comment
This is the age of influencers and this is a fact. Today, movie stars can only get a couple of million eyeballs on them once a year. On the other hand, the influencers of different spheres and genres are garnering views and getting traction daily.
This is what brands can capitalize on. By partnering up with influencers on the respective platforms, they can have the best exposure to people who are seeking advice from “experts”.
Blog Post Review
Case studies are not the only customer feedback that can have a direct major influence on web content. Sometimes, brands even convince users to do that through blogs. Think about all the blog posts and discussions popping up on the internet when a new Apple product sees the light of day.
From expert panels to average users, everyone jumps up the bandwagon and churns out content for the brand, its services, or about a specific product. There are some dedicated sites for these but the best way to do so is to send out samples to owners of blogs and get their views.
Documentary Style Comment
Documentary style is the type of consumer testimonial where video review, Q&A testimonial, and case studies all come together. This is another hefty endeavor as not all brands are willing to put up this much effort.
That’s why brands with a long history and large cash reserves dare to put things into this perspective. The subject of the documentary is the same. Consumers were facing a problem that the brand provided the solution.
Consumer testimonials are the best and most lucrative source to get new business, but brands need to provide it in the first place and then capitalize on it. In this blog, we have provided over 10 examples that can help brands and their professionals to come up with a solution. These range from quoting the review as is to create a whole movie around the customer experience.
If you are having a hard time dealing with customer reviews and testimonials, TrustAnalytica is the name for you.
There is no single best way to cover a customer testimonial for your website. In this blog, we have covered over 10 ways to showcase and highlight the experience. You can pick from them the best that suits your purpose and matches the theme of your brand.
Customer testimonials are considered the most authentic and effective form of marketing. These are the things that customers come up with on their own after securing services and products from a seller. The great examples of customer testimonials highlight the journey and pave the way for new customers.
Following are some of the best practices in customer testimonials:
Customers leave reviews at their behest. As a professional, you can add context to the location, brand name, and other essential information to the content.
The best way to capitalize on positive customer reviews is by making them accessible and feasible for prospects and new potential customers. That’s why it is necessary to make sure that all things are in the right place.
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