If you’re looking to boost your online sales and improve conversion rates, customer testimonials could be the answer. A survey sponsored by Zendesk found that 90% of customers use customer reviews before they make a decision purchase. Another survey found that testimonials are by far the most effective type of content marketing – they’re 89% effective!
Customer testimonials can help any business. Here’s what you need to know about using them in your own video marketing mix, and why they’re so effective:
Why Are Testimonials So Effective?
One reason testimonials are so effective is because many people simply don’t trust traditional advertising. They’re not interested in what claims a company makes about their product, since they can’t believe them. They want to know how a product actually works.
Testimonials aren’t a sales pitch, and they aren’t written in your company’s voice. They’re based on the actual experiences of real customers that your audience can identify with. This overcomes the sales pitch problem and helps you reach especially skeptical prospects. Simply knowing that other customers trusted you and it turned out fine can be the catalyst they need to make a purchase decision.
Another reason testimonials are so effective is that they build trust. You’re trusting your own customers to provide you with content, based on the quality of your services. You trust your product enough that the results will speak for themselves. This kind of confidence and transparency is what creates invaluable trust with your audience.
Testimonial videos turn skeptical viewers into ones that trust you in a snap!
How to Leverage Testimonials Effectively
Like any other type of video content, you need to craft your testimonials carefully. You can’t script your customer’s reviews, of course, but you do need to make sure to follow some guidelines:
- Don’t go overboard. If reviews are gushing and overly positive, they’re going to come off as insincere. If you’re trying to build trust and confidence, this is completely counter-productive. Make sure your reviews are positive, but credible.
- Go into details. Reviews that simply say ‘this was awesome’ are good, but they aren’t going to drive sales. To maximize effectiveness, go into detail and encourage your customers to include results in their reviews. If your product doubled their sales month over month, that should be a huge talking point.
- Relatable. Just because a customer had success doesn’t mean they’re ideal for a referral. You want somebody the rest of your audience relates to. Make sure they include exactly who they are throughout their testimonial so your audience connects and identifies with them immediately.
Make sure your praise is sincere because your audience isn’t as easily fooled as some people!
If you need help building a plan to start using your own customer testimonials, make sure to reach out to us. We’ll be able to help you start collecting testimonials and editing the videos to make sure they maximize results.
You can reach out to us by visiting us at our website or calling us at 617-576-3100.
