Can we have some real talk about reviews and testimonials?
No one denies they help sites like Amazon or Expedia. But are they still useful for regular businesses like yours?
If you run a small business, you may be wondering:
- Are reviews & testimonials still relevant?
- Can they really help with sales?
- Do buyers still expect them?
- Aren’t prospects more skeptical of reviews now?
The short answer to all of these is yes.
After the pandemic, the market of consumers online has become more sophisticated—and more skeptical. A double-edged sword perhaps.
But while consumers may be more skeptical of reviews, they still seek them.
Why? Because reviews are still a positive signal – a green flag of possible trustworthiness. Don’t have any reviews? That’s a red flag. We don’t have to tell you to avoid red flags in this relationship.
So, ignore the skepticism and keep sharing those reviews and testimonials.
After all, we’re in a world where people will buy products because of social media posts by influencers and people they’ve never met.
This can work for you too. Because reviews and testimonials can help boost sales.
Take a look at our post on how online reviews boost sales for local businesses. It was written in 2020, and while the numbers may have changed since then, it’s still very relevant.
Reviews still have an impact today:
- 76% of consumers “regularly” read online reviews when browsing for local businesses (Source)
- Displaying reviews can increase conversion rates or sales by as much as 190%, depending on the type of purchase and industry. (Source)
Our post linked above gives a good breakdown of the benefits, so let’s talk about how to use these reviews and where.
Reviews vs. Testimonials
Although these terms are used interchangeably, they do have different meanings.
Reviews are informal descriptions of customer experiences. They’re more general in nature and often submitted by customers themselves.
Testimonials, on the other hand, are more specific and more in depth. They focus on results seen by a particular customer and the information is usually gathered and displayed by the business. We consider them opportunities to highlight success stories or to narrow in on certain benefits or features.
You can wield both in strategic ways throughout your marketing.
Where should you use them?
As marketers, we love using reviews and testimonials in different areas to have the greatest impact on prospects. These are listed below.
Before taking these steps though, keep in mind the prep work involved. You’ll need to collect reviews, and also interview a few happy customers to write testimonials. Those testimonials don’t need to be long, but they should be compelling.
1. Power up your website with both
While this is the space to sing your own praises, you can also let your happy customers do the talking. Their words can boost your brand’s credibility and help with sales.
Avoid isolating all of your reviews and testimonials onto a separate “Reviews” page. Sprinkle them around the site instead.
Use them to reassure prospects of the value you offer. To do this, place them on your home page, service or product page, and any other sales-related pages.
2. Share these stories on social media
Share interesting, compelling or even controversial reviews on social media to tout results for happy customers. Share testimonials as well, but only if they’re short. You could also share a quote and link to the rest.
This is also a good way to spotlight certain features or aspects of your business.
If most customers don’t know you offer a maintenance plan, for example, share a review that talks about it. It can be a way to sell without using a hard sales pitch.
3. Showcase reviews in your email marketing
Including reviews in email is one tactic small businesses often miss or forget to do. But it’s a great way to get reviews out to customers and prospects, especially if they don’t visit your site often.
Success stories, case studies, testimonials or even quotes from reviews are all good ways to show the impact of your service or product. Not to mention it’s a reminder that you’re still around and doing good work.
Remember, they’re customer stories
In a world where every brand claims to be the best, reviews and testimonials are customer stories that can give you an authentic edge. You won’t need to do your own bragging when you’ve got satisfied customers who can do the talking for you.
We hope this will help you make the most of your customer stories.
Want other marketing ideas? See our guide to Online Marketing for Small Business Success.
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