“It was awesome!” – How to maximise the power of testimonials

Sitting at the counter at Three being served by a very eager assistant, I had to stop him just to take a photo of this signboard behind him (and the very same board hangs behind each assistant). A very good way of suggesting that I made a good decision sitting here to show that this company is by far the best – supported by an impartial body showing the competitors score. Using the Trustpilot scoring builds credibility. A little roast of the competitors: their bad ranking is displayed as opposed to the good ranking of Three.

Make a note of the headline: instead of the usual “What our clients say” they display a huge Thank you! It is not only an eye catcher but puts the emphasis on the clients and on themselves.

How to maximise the power of testimonials in your business

There is no point in burying nice feedback just on a page of your site (if at all). Use it at each stage of the customer journey and via each possible channel. Try to find testimonials which reinforce the clients’ decision about that particular product or service, about the price (“it would have been worth twice as muc.”), about the speed of the service (“I sent my order, and in 6 hours I had my new sunglasses on.”), about the venue (“Both the venue and the catering were well above the usual conference standard.”)

Our clients are sometimes the best copywriters

Pick the best strap lines from testimonials (and not the whole bit) and spread it all over the website, in some cases it makes a good headline, or can be the title of a blog post! Use these lines as a delicate spice in your communication, and this way it is not only you talking to the client. When brands talk to people they unconsciously raise some concerns, and you immediately answer these with a confirmation from their peers.

Even if you don’t have Trustpilot (which is a good brand, and sends the message that the opinion is reliable), you can use Google and Facebook reviews, display the stars, use screenshots of the reviews to show credibility. Obviously, you can – and should – also ask direct feedback from customers, right after the service: in a video or in writing. They will be more inclined to give it to you then and their positive impression will still be fresh. In case of a conference, course, or training you can ask them to fill in a short form, and you can direct their thinking with some questions. These should focus on what their problem was, what they expected from the service, and how it solved their problem. These will be very helpful for you to use the feedback at exactly the right stage of the journey. (And by the way, a very useful way to find out more about your audience).

It is crucial that testimonials should be specific. If it says: “It was brilliant.”, however positive it is, it hardly helps someone. It should say how exactly it was brilliant, how exactly it solved a problem. Then the next clients will see they have the same problem and will see exactly how it is solved.

Display testimonials everywhere

It is not only for the website! You obviously share them in social, but look at the example I started with, at Three. You can use printed verson of this invaluable feedback at the customer service, at the reception where your clients are waiting for you, or where guests are checking in. You can frame them and put them in meeting rooms, or paint the best straplines on the wall!

In Venice, I saw a restaurant, where one feedback was engraved in a nameplate outside, so if you had no idea which places to choose for your lunch, this was a big help. Five Guys displays the quotes about them offering the best hamburger outside their place.

A final thought: testimonials are good feedback about what we do. But these should be all about thanking our clients for their trust and helping our next potential clients with their decisions.

Author: Tima Kadar, Head of Content at ContentBonum

If you find a good ad, send me it to hello@writefab.com, and I will write about it.

Copy and image by Timea Kadar, www.writefab.com

Read my quotes about words on Instagram.