Having the ability to embrace the bad while utilizing the good from your customers' testimonials will only benefit you and your company in the long run. This is a great place to start if you're just starting to embrace UGC and its never-ending benefits. Customer testimonials are one of UGC's pillars. They're easy to access and can give you an insight into what your customers actually think about your company.
While some testimonials are just straight-up rude and uncalled for, people who actually use the product and are experiencing issues are like little nuggets of gold, fool's gold. It's not really worth anything to anyone else, and you don't tell people about it, but when people see it, they ask you why you have it. All you want to do is keep working until you get enough actual gold to show off, also known as the good comments. You can make the most of the bad testimonials by taking them in and fixing the issues that are happening. While doing that, you repurpose the positive testimonials into your campaign.
If you're not already doing this, you need to. It's free UGC; not utilizing this in your campaign is essentially throwing money down the drain and doing your company a disservice.
In this article, we will go over ways how you can leverage customer testimonials into your campaign. Before we get into the how you need to understand the where and why.
Where Do I Get Customer Testimonials?
I don't want to share all this vital information if you still don't understand where to even start when it comes to generating consumer testimonials. Reviews and consumer testimonials can easily be gathered by follow-up emails or by simply asking your consumers to write a review or make a video. This will definitely generate positive UGC, and if you're still struggling, try offering a coupon code in exchange for a simple testimonial.
Why is Using Customer Testimonials Important?
They’re Humans Behind the Brand
Yes, it is true. Real people, just like you are running your favorite online brand. I know it's shocking. They're just as real as the people who make the testimonials. With the consumers not seeing the face of the brand every day, if ever, It's important to include written and video testimonials that can showcase the voice and a face of a person. Testimonials allow the consumer to relate, connect with, and empathize with other customers before making their decision. Your favorite big-name brands spend more than the average person will earn in their lifetime on UGC to humanize their company. Don't stress out; you can do this at a fraction of the cost by taking the time to source good testimonials. It's worth an hour's worth of work, with video testimonials alone raising your conversion rates by 32%.
Trust Me
You won't get your customers to trust you if you're the only one saying how great your product is. It's like a mother talking about her children. She loves them unconditionally and thinks, "How could anyone not like my kids?" I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Mom, but some people do hate your kids. Having someone else boast about your product or service is an easy way to build a reputation in your niche.
When was the last time you bought something with no reviews versus something with hundreds of positive reviews? See what I mean?
With customers trusting a company more with good reviews and even trusting them as much as a personal recommendation, it's important to showcase them as much as possible.
More Testimonials, More Money
Money makes the world go round, and if you haven't caught on already, the more testimonials you bring in, the more money you're likely to make. Getting straight to the facts, your customers are almost 60% more likely to make a purchase after interacting with a positive customer testimonial. In comparison, products and services with over fifty reviews add nearly an extra 5% in conversion rates. It's never too late to start gathering UGC. The sooner you start, the more conversions you're likely to gain.
Social Proof
There's no denying we've all gone and done something or blown way too much money on a product or restaurant just because your friends and family recommended it. You might have even waited in line in the freezing cold for the midnight release of the new video game. It's essentially the definition of social proof, and it gets the consumer to think that if they like it so much, then I will, too. An amazing example of this is Jam Cafe. It's a small brunch restaurant that has a line no matter what, rain or shine. They don't take reservations, and with a small seating availability, they create a line that travels down the block. Every time you pass it, it immediately grabs your attention and makes you look at what's going on.
I know this might not be relatable as most people have online E-commerce businesses, but the same general rules apply with over 90% of people making their purchasing decision solely based on previous customer testimonials. The online testimonial does the same thing as the line at Jam Cafe. It makes the consumer think we need that product because everyone else seems to.
How to Use Testimonials In Your Campaign
On Your Homepage
It's the first thing customers see when they click on your website link. Knowing how much testimonials matter to consumer conversion rates, why not showcase them front and center? With very little time to capture the user's attention, you need to showcase those testimonials loud and proud, not tucked away three scrolls down the page. Try to include the reviewer's name, location, and link to the original review to maximize credibility to the consumer.
Take Casper, for example. A huge portion of their homepage is solely dedicated to testimonials from their customers. They have a direct link to hundreds of other positive reviews. It is an easy way to persuade your customers to click that add to cart button.
Take Your Testimonials to Instagram
Other than posting on your main feed, brands can tap into the power of customer testimonials through an innovative avenue—Instagram Stories. By asking for video testimonials from clients and sharing them on Instagram Stories, your brand can amplify this with targeted extended reach through paid advertising. This strategy not only highlights customer testimonials but also gains trust within the community, ultimately boosting your overall conversions.
Bell's Cookie Co. not only makes undeniably delicious-looking cookies, but they have mastered the art of promoting testimonials from customers on their Instagram via stories. An extra tip is to make highlights on your Instagram account to always keep those stories alive past their normal 24-hour expiration date.
Don’t Forget About Your Email
Let's be real, there is only so much you can do as the brand to convince your target audience that they should be buying from you. Throwing in those customer testimonials can help push the narrative a bit further and get them closer to making a purchase.
As mentioned earlier, a great way to get customer testimonials and increase customer engagement is through a well-thought-out email campaign. By creating a capturing subject line and posing relevant questions, you can assess your customers' true perceptions of your brand and its offerings. This not only allows them to share their thoughts but also provides you with valuable insights. As a bonus, it gives you a reason to share their opinions in subsequent follow-up emails.
An example by the team at Capterra, showcasing their product Peppertype. They get straight to the point and even further incentivize their consumers by offering a gift card in exchange for a review.
Feature Them In a Case Study or Blog
Utilize blog posts and case studies to dive deeper into a customer's testimonial story. These types of testimonials provide an opportunity to add some extra detail beyond a simple "this product is great" review. In order to get this done, start by getting permission from the customer to feature their testimonial. When you get their approval, arrange an interview to create either a case study blog or an interview piece, allowing them to share their experience. The goal is to uncover the challenges they faced, the solutions your brand provided, and the results they experienced after using your product or service. With a bit of effort, you'll acquire high-quality and authentic content that resonates with your audience.
We do this here at Bambassadors with all of our case studies. A great example and a happy customer is the marketing VP for Lumen, Daniel Rosenfeld.
Get That On Video!
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video has to be more, right? In this case, for testimonials, you bet it is! While written testimonials can get the job done, video testimonials are way more effective. A video can offer a lot more information in a short amount of time and requires less attention from the consumer. No reading at all, just listening.
By combining Video, text, and audio all in one, you can really hit a home run when it comes to video testimonials. There are many examples out there, and you'll probably even see a few within the first couple of minutes of scrolling through TikTok or Instagram reels. An easy example to share that meets all the criteria for a perfect video testimonial is this one done for OLIPOP.
She states it's not a paid video; the brand sent her a care package because she said she loved the product, she shows it, and she is over the moon excited that she has more of her favorite drink. If this won't get you new customers and creators making you free testimonials, then I don't know what will. These testimonials can be featured throughout your various social media platforms. Take care of your community, and they will take care of you!
Dedicated Landing Page
You've worked so hard to gather and generate all these usable testimonials, and you're not going to build a showcase to show them off? A dedicated landing page on your website for customer testimonials is an absolute must! You know potential customers are going to look and dig up any reviews they can find, so why not make a beautiful landing page for them? Creating this landing page can simply help build trust and encourage them to spend their hard-earned cash on your product or service.
Take Slack for Example
Putting some creativity into their testimonial landing page, they have their reviews from clients under a section called "Customer Stories." They take those testimonials to highlight the different features that their service provides. This is a unique idea. Slack made it possible to view almost every aspect of their service while reading about happy customers. That's what you call smart marketing.
Final Thoughts Before You Get to Work
Being one with your customers has essentially become a must in order to survive in the world. Using these reviews to your advantage can do your company a huge favor and can essentially give your existing campaign a complete makeover.
If you're still wondering about the world of UGC, click here to check out all of our other blogs that will help you become a master in the E-commerce world.
.svg)
.jpg)
.png)
