Why testimonials are good for business

I regularly have conversations about testimonials with other small business owners. The talk rarely starts on that topic, but it will crop up at some juncture and I will inevitably ask if they consistently gather client testimonials, at which point there is generally one of three reactions.

a) An involuntary flinch. The business owner knows they should be getting testimonials (although sometimes they can’t articulate exactly why) but there is something stopping them.

b) A satisfied smile of the person who has nailed their testimonial strategy and is reaping the rewards.

c) A 100 yard stare as they zone out and start shouting ‘LA LA LA LA LA’ inside their head as it’s just another thing they need to put on their to do list.

To all the Bs out there, nice work. For the As and the Cs, don’t panic. Here are the most common questions I get asked about testimonials, which should give you some pointers as to where to start – or just get more consistent about it.

Why do testimonials work?

I call testimonials the no-selling sell, or the best bit of free marketing a business can do, because they deliver multiple benefits for your business and cost only a small amount of time and effort in return. If you want a plumber, or a kid’s maths tutor, where is your first port of call? I would suggest it is your friends, because you want the peace of mind that the business has already been road tested by someone else. They give you a positive low-down on their favourite plumber, and hey presto, your search is over. What have they actually done? Given that plumber a testimonial.

Buying from someone new, whether a plumber or a business coach, creates buyer anxiety. What if they are not right for me? What if they make a mess of it? A testimonial is a fantastic way to minimise the purchase anxiety for your prospects, because they are evidence – or social proof – that your business does what it says successfully and leaves happy customers in your wake.

Done well, a testimonial is a tiny story. And humans love a good story. It engages them on a more emotional, thus persuasive level and makes what you do more relatable and tangible for them. I have created a number of testimonial formats, including a classic story format, to help you and your customers create great testimonials, but more of that later.

How should I ask for a testimonial?

Now this is the point at which many small business owners are thwarted in their testimonial endeavours. It feels too much like asking: ‘please can you write down how bloody amazing I am, and I will shamelessly share that with the world’. Feels awkward? How about reframing it in your mind as ‘please can you share your experience of my business so I can attract more amazing customers just like you’.

There are many ways of making a testimonial request a seamless part of your business process, but at its very simplest, it is a simple ask on an email. Be honest: tell them that you use testimonials as a part of your marketing as you find it helps attract the right kind of clients and a testimonial from them would be brilliant. It’s not about asking them to big you up, you are asking them to endorse your business. I have a checklist of different ways you can ask for a testimonial, and there is a link to this resource at the end of this blog.

Timing is all with a testimonial. Emailing a customer three months after a project has been finished, or weeks after they had that delicious meal in your café, they are likely to have forgotten half the good bits. Time your request to suit what the client received, when they experienced it and how long the benefit lasts. You want to capture the testimonial when they are on the ‘high’ of maximum benefit. When is that for your business?

For example, when I run zoom seminars, I ask the participants to write a short testimonial in the chat: they are buzzing from the session, have a head full of ideas and crucially, are in the room – a captive testimonial audience. I usually get 100% response for my testimonial request -and I guarantee that if I emailed them even 5 minutes after the session had finished, I would get about a 30% response rate at best.

Where should I use testimonials?

Let’s start with the obvious one: your website testimonial page. Tick.

But what about putting a short, impactful testimonial on your home page? This is a powerful way to make a sales message sound genuine and non-salesy. And definitely put product or service specific testimonials next to the description of your product or service on your website  - the ‘here is my offer’ and ‘this is the benefit that others have had from it’ is a compelling story.

And why not put a short, pithy testimonial at the end of a shop listing, if you sell online? At the point at which the cursor is wavering over the ‘add to basket’ button, a customer’s insight about that item could be the clincher.

And of course, social media is a great way to spread the positivity of your testimonials, be they text based or video. Even better if you can tag in the customer who gave you the review, thanking them (and spreading the reach of your post, potentially).

Don’t forget to get a bit creative about where you use your testimonials. Think about your brand touchpoints - the places your brand and services touch your audience. What about including a short testimonial in your email signature? This can be easily updated and will get in front of the eyeballs of so many people. What about on your business vehicle? At the bottom of an invoice, to reinforce the value of what you have done for clients?

There is no doubt testimonials are good for business. As a small business owner, it is good to know that you have people who are happy to champion your business to the wider world, to spread your brand story, to showcase your services or to just tell other people about how bloody great you are. So get testimonials in your process, your business will thank you for it.

And if you have enjoyed this blog, feel free to write a testimonial about it. You can find me on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram! You might want to mention that the blog helped you think about testimonials in a new way, that it gave you the push to start using testimonials or that it had lots of practical tips to use. (Bonus tip: always give people ideas for testimonial content, no one likes having to stare at a blank page desperately trying to make thoughts appear),

In the Tool Shed, the complimentary membership area of our website, there is a resource all about testimonials, including a checklist of ways of asking (including writing them yourself – yes, it’s a thing) and 6 testimonial formats you can use. Just hop on over to the Tool Shed and look for Testimonials the No Selling Sell.