Ask for feedback from your customers or students (and Templates) |
Testimonials from customers are among the most effective tools for marketing. Learn how to ask for testimonials and request for them, as well as testimonial templates.
Which do you trust more? A billboard along the road or a suggestion from your best friend?
The majority of people trust the opinions of other people way greater than traditional advertisements. You can build on that trust by making customer testimonials an integral part of your marketing strategy.
The only thing you need to do is figure out the right person to inquire about reviews . . . and how . . . And at what point. And, how to incorporate those reviews into your marketing materials.
Phew.
Don't worry -- in this article we'll discuss every aspect of it, from finding your happiest clients to finding creative ways to share their testimonials.
First, let's go over the factors that make testimonials an effective marketing tool.
The power of customer testimonials
"One customer, well looked after, might be more valuable than the value of $10,000 in advertising." -- Jim Rohn, business philosopher
The customer's testimonials are better than the most creative, imaginative and beautiful advertising copy.
The reason is that only 33% of the population believe they are confident in the companies they purchase from. Consumers trust each other more than companies. And 70% of consumers believe in online reviews as much as personal suggestions from friends and family.
Social proof -- showing clients' experiences and the their use of your product and service shows prospective customers why you are different from other companies. This is why coaches on the internet like Shalena D.I.V.A. feature client testimonials on their sites:
With these numbers in mind, it's clear that reviews from customers and recommendations can be powerful tools. But how can you find a reliable source of testimonials that you can incorporate into your marketing material? Read on to learn more.
How to ask for testimonials (and actually receive the testimonials)
The most crucial rule to follow for getting customer reviews to help your business online is: Be prepared to ask questions. If you can ask the best customers the right questions at the right time, you can get great reviews to incorporate into your marketing.
To begin, you must determine when is the ideal time to solicit your existing customers for their testimonials. Jon Schepke, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Reputation.com, recommends soliciting testimonials as soon as the purchase has been completed or at the end of a project.
However, if the course or service takes some time for clients to experience the results you expect, it may be best to wait a bit longer before making the request.
Like, Austin of The Impeccable Investor assists clients in learning more about the market. It takes some time for them to get gains.
He offers a Discord server to his followers to post their findings of his training. Austin then features these outcomes on his page of testimonials.
If you don't own any Discord server, or Slack community however, how do you find happy customers willing to give you a favorable feedback?
Many companies use Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey to determine the satisfaction of their customers.
NPS helps you quantify the satisfaction of your customers "On an scale of one to ten what is the likelihood to recommend the brand] to a friend or colleague?"
Based on the responses they provide on their responses, customers can be classified into three categories:
Promoters (score 9-10): Loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and are happy to recommend other customers.
Passives (score 7-8): Satisfied customers who are not enthusiastic.
Detractors (score between 0 and 6) Unhappy customers who may fuel negative word-of-mouth.
It is possible to send NPS surveys after a customer buys something or finishes an educational course.
If a customer gives your company a rating of nine or ten or more, they're considered to be a promoter, meaning they're the most likely to write you an overwhelmingly positive review. Get in touch with those customers and request their testimonial.
Based on the way you wish to utilize the testimonials there are a few different sorts of reviews you can solicit.
The reason you decided to sign up for the course?
What was your biggest hurdle before joining?
What was your most valuable takeaway from the training?
How has the course changed your business practices/mindset/etc. ?
If you have specific questions that you'd like answered, a testimonial form using Google Forms , SurveyMonkey , or JotForm is a good choice, too.
However you decide to collect feedback, make sure you obtain your clients' written permission to post their feedback on your website, like in the above example form.
Also, you can ask your customers to hop onto a phone for five minutes for feedback. You can then turn their recordings from the phone into a testimonial written. Just double-check that your final words are in agreement by your client before posting it.
Clients can also be asked to record a video testimonial, which can be especially useful for local businesses that provide in-person services and customers. (We'll share more on how you can use testimonial videos in the coming section.)
The last thing to do is do not forget review websites and social media. Direct clients who are satisfied to your preferred social media site that you prefer, like Facebook or LinkedIn, or ask that they leave a review for Google, Yelp, or other review sites .
If you find a happy customer on a review site, though, don't copy and paste their testimonial onto your own site. The majority of review websites have an agreement on their service terms which states that testimonials and reviews are owned by the user and are licensed to the site.
In addition, you could include links to these review websites on your site or contact those customers and ask for written consent to include their reviews on your site.
There is a temptation to incentivize customer testimonials by offering a gift card or discount, but be careful. A lot of review sites don't allow you to offer the possibility of cash to reviewers.
The best reviews are objective, truthful reviews because they can help potential customers to make the right choice on the best option for them.
If you choose to reward customers who review your business, make it clear in your review. As always, honesty is, the best policy.
Prior to making testimonials work, here are a few testimonial templates that you could use. Be sure to tailor the testimonial for your brand, product or service, and the tone of voiceThese are only beginning points.
1. Online course student testimonial request
Congrats on having completed your project!!
Hopefully, you've [solved pain point] at this point.
I've got a little (really it's a assure you) suggestion for you.
My life's mission to assist people in [name of group] over any pain points - people similar to you when you joined the product.
Are you willing to assist your friends [group name] find the [product type (e.g., digital download, online course) e.g. an online course, digital download or any other. You can help them by letting me feature your comments?
Visit this link for an easy survey if you're open to sharing. It will take 2 minutes to fill out the survey, and will help me - and your friends - get connected, so I could help greater numbers of people (solve the pain point].
Thank youfor your kind words,
[Your name]
P.S. : If you'd like to discuss your experience by email directly to me in this message or didn't receive what you anticipated using [course name] It's fine also. I'm all ears. Simply reply to me below, and I'll contact you as soon as possible. Copy and paste to clipboard
Here's the way this template will look completed:
2. Online coaching client testimonial request
I wanted to reach out and say thanks for being such a loyal customer this year! It's been a pleasure working with you on the coaching you offerI would like to thank you for your coaching services.
My objective is always to help the [group's nameto help [group name] determine the pain point and help people who are exactly like you prior to when you signed up to [coaching service]. It is true that signing up to coaching services could be an overwhelming commitment.
In that light I'd appreciate your opinion: What would you say to someone considering joining my list of clients however isn't certain?
Follow this link to take a short survey whether you'd like to contribute. It'll take two minutes or less, I'll promise. Featuring your feedback will really help other [group name] make the best choice for their [lives/businesses/health/etc. ].
Thank you so much.
[Your name]
P.S. If you'd prefer to communicate your thoughts with me via this email, that's perfectly fine as well. I'm open to hearing your thoughts. Please reply to this email and I'll be in touch with you ASAP.
This is the template you can see working:
3. Follow-up testimonial request
Just wanted to follow up regarding the letter I sent last week asking for your feedback regarding the [product's name].
Your feedback is important for me, however it's even more important to other people in [group namemembers people who are unsure whether or not they're making the right decision with the product they've chosen..
If you're interested in sharing your feedback with fellow [group name], click this link for a short survey. It will only take you a minute or two (it's fast I'm telling you that).
It is also possible to provide feedback about [product name] by email. Simply respond to this email, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Many thanks,
[Your name]
This is how a completed copy of the template would look as:
OK, with these templates already in your arsenal, you're now ready to move on to our next chapter-- how you can use these high-quality testimonials to hook new customers.
How to use testimonials to attract new customers
Customer testimonials are like the equivalent of a Swiss army knife. Use testimonials in the marketing material to advertise your offerings as well as attract new customers.
The most well-known method to incorporate testimonials is to incorporate them into your sales and landing pages. If you emphasize the value of your product in clients' their own words, they'll realize how much they stand to gain from working with you.
The testimonials on the Entrepreneur and Mindset coaches Becky Mollenkamp's Coaching page emphasize the value of Becky's products as well as her coaching service.
If your customers have websites or businesses of their own, that's even better. Linking to their site in their testimonial will benefit both of both of. They get a backlink, and also the social proof of your site has greater authority.
Elizabeth Stapleton shares the names of her clients' businesses alongside their testimonials:
Elizabeth sells tools, templates as well as coaching for bloggers. Through sharing the websites of her clients' websites, potential clients can view Elizabeth's services in action.
The site builder lets people like Elizabeth to incorporate testimonials on their websites. All you have to do is access the editor on your website and then create a new section.
If you're still not currently using the platform , sign up today and create your website 100 100% free .
Expert in advertising and author Alana Terry presents five video cases studies on her "most successful Facebook ads".
Video is an integral part of content marketing. 85percent of marketers saying video is an effective way to attract the attention of online brands as well as businesses.
The social media channel is second most popular distribution channel to share marketing video content, which means your video reviews should be shared on social.
If you are sharing the videos of your customers on social networks, keep them short:
The most ideal duration of Facebook video clips is about 1 minute.
Instagram's limit of time is 60 seconds.
Twitter has a video length limit of 2 minutes and 20 seconds for each tweet.
The maximum length for LinkedIn's video will be the 10 minute limit. .
60% of people are willing to watch a film through if the duration is under 60 minutes.
Your social post should link to your page about your product or testimonials page. So, you'll be able to entice prospective customers with the video and then direct the visitors on your website to get more info on the awesome product or service that they've just learned about.
All in all there is a way to utilize customer feedback almost anywhere you'd like to advertise your company. Do not be afraid to be imaginative and let your customers' voice a big element of your branding.
How do you obtain (and make use of) testimonials and reviews
For small business owners, the value of a positive testimonial is more than the value of gold. Customers trust the feedback of others higher than they do companies, even if those people are total strangers.
Here's how you can collect- and use -- customer testimonials:
Ask your customers for feedback upon purchase or after they should expect to get results from your services or program.
Let customers have the option to share their testimonials through a form, a quick phone callor hyperlink to a social media website or review platform.
Always seek permission from customers to share their feedback in your marketing materials.
Make sure to add testimonials on your website for increased conversions, and to prove your product's worth.
Post video testimonials on social networks to gain interested before they click through to your website.
If you keep all that in mind, you're ready to make social proof an integral component of your marketing strategy.
Maintaining your customers in your mind is always the right choice -- and when they feel that you value the feedback they provide They'll be more inclined to continue sharing their feedback. This is what I consider an win-win.