How to Get Testimonials From Clients: 7 Tips

Table of Contents 

• How to Get a Testimonial: 7 Proven Ways
• Key Takeaways
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Making an informed decision makes us feel in control; that is why checking reviews of any service or product across several online platforms feels necessary. 92% of customers say they read online reviews before making any purchase. 

Consumers value real experiences shared by fellow users, because they establish transparency. Prominent brands add client testimonials to sweeten the customer experience.

A great testimonial consists of compelling quotes from current customers that make a product or service look like something everyone would want to sign up for. It demonstrates to potential customers that your product is not only legitimate, but also effective.

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Customer testimonials directly impact your business’ growth and ROI by providing in-depth and straightforward feedback. Now, the question is, how to get testimonials from clients? And how to use them to derive maximum ROI? Let us discuss the seven best strategies to scale and advance your business through client testimonials. 

How to Get a Testimonial: 7 Proven Ways

Here are a few tips on how to collect testimonials from clients. 

1. Explore the comments section on Facebook

One of the simplest tips on how to get a client testimonial is turning to the comments section of your Facebook and Instagram business pages. People usually like to share their experiences after using a service or product. Facebook reviews can often be descriptive, making them an excellent way to highlight your brand’s strengths. 

If you have started your Facebook business page recently, you can send free samples of your product to your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and relatives, and in return, you can request them to leave a testimonial. If you are a solopreneur, you can offer free services to some of your prospective clients and request them to share their feedback. Don’t forget to share the link to the reviews on other social channels. 

2. Dig local search directories

If you want to learn how to get customer testimonials, local directories are the first place you should search. Local search directories showcase business listings by category and location. Several businesses get listed with their names, website links, contact details, and addresses, along with reviews and ratings. A four- or five-star rating highlighted immediately below the company name leaves a positive first impression.

You can dig into online sources, such as Google, Just Dial, etc., to collect unbiased customer testimonials. You can highlight these ratings throughout your digital campaigns. You can also collect client testimonials from the comments section of these directories. Some of these search directories have an open comments section, where anyone can ask a question, and anyone can answer it. 

3. Pay attention to review sites

Another tip on how to get customer testimonials is using review sites. A four- or five-star rating can help your business climb to the top, attract more visitors, and build trust among prospective customers. Many websites furnish rating and review services through genuine, unbiased customer perspectives, constructive criticism, and product highlights. They provide a good avenue for free advertising and brand awareness.

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Some of the best niche review sites include Angi, MouthShut, RevExpo, Manta, and SiteJabber. They review products across several categories. You can highlight the best reviews from these sites on your website and social media pages. 

4. Examine your LinkedIn recommendations

Recommendations on LinkedIn can help you gain recognition and respect. If you are a professional or freelancer, LinkedIn recommendations offer evidence of your competence, skills, and abilities. Past and existing clients make these online recommendations to boost an individual’s work profile. You can ask your clients to recommend you for the skills or services you want to highlight. 

But before you ask for a testimonial, go ahead and write some recommendations for others. You will also receive more recommendations as a result! Request testimonials from highly ranked colleagues and professionals; they are more valuable than those given by average or lower-ranked individuals. 

Also, meaningful LinkedIn recommendations help your business gain a competitive advantage in the market, and offer you a way to stay active in your network. 

You can ask all your employees to be active on LinkedIn, and highlight snippets of their respective recommendations on the employee page of your website as well.

5. Request YouTube video testimonials

Customer testimonials in a video format instantly incite interest, evoke sentiments, and inspire action about your service, product, or brand. Your target audience’s purchasing decisions are influenced by both logic and emotion, and video testimonials can help you garner both. 

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The best strategy is to show a happy customer’s face—the sentimental side—while they talk about the positive ROI your service provided. Obtaining positive video testimonials requires two steps: first, providing value before asking; and second, timing your request. 

When you over-deliver on value with your service or product that truly solves their problems, followed by excellent customer service and support, your client will be glad to give you a good testimonial. Furthermore, asking your loyal clients for a video testimonial entails the following advantages for them:

• Your loyal customers get to stand at the forefront of your story as brand ambassadors.
• It gives them recognition and exposure.
• It further builds mutual trust, reinforcing that you value their opinion about your product or service.

Honest reviews recorded in a realistic flow of thought provide ample space for human error, and natural fumbles may make the testimonial seem more genuine. You can assist your client in recording the testimonials by hiring professional videographers. Keep the following points in mind before asking clients for testimonials. 

• Keep it honest, natural, and human.
• Maintain brevity and authenticity.
• Focus on the specific features of your product.
• Pique the audience’s interest in the first 9-30 seconds.
• Perform detailed post-production editing.
• Promote the video on all social media platforms, ad spots, and your website.

6. Offer a reward-based feedback system

You may know about the advantages of positive customer feedback/testimonials. But how can you persuade your clients to start posting their thoughts? Following are a few tips on how to get a testimonial that actually helps. 

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• Provide them with the right incentive for leaving a review wherever possible.
• To encourage online reviews, you can start a loyalty program or cashback reward that will keep your customers coming back.
• You can also offer discounts, coupons, or special deals on the next purchase in exchange for a review.
• Sometimes, after a gentle reminder in the form of a post-purchase prompt, a consumer will write a review without being asked. Do not forget to send a testimonial request email that is easy to read and follow. 

7. Configure Google Alerts and Social Mention

Customers frequently use the internet to look for the best products in a certain category. There are, quite certainly, a plethora of third-party reviews written about companies offering these products on other websites, in the form of news articles, personal blogs, and forums. People can say whatever they want when they’re published on another site, and you have no control over what they decide to write about you. These reviews present the most unbiased take on your product. 

Where do you find these unsolicited customer reviews? Simple. Set up daily email notifications using Google Alerts and Social Mention. Choose a few terms such as your name, business name, brand, and specific products. As soon as you have these reviews, you can contact the people who have mentioned your brand and request them to post these comments to your website. People are usually happy to help, especially if it means getting a link from your site.

Key Takeaways

• 92% of customers say they read online reviews before making any purchase.
• A great testimonial makes a product or service look like something to sign up for immediately. 
• One of the simplest tips on how to collect testimonials for clients is to visit the comments section of your business pages on social media platforms.
• Dig into Google reviews, Just Dial, and the like, to collect unbiased customer reviews.
• Independent review sites additionally support your business and help it climb to the top, attract more visitors, and build trust among prospective customers.
• Furthermore, LinkedIn recommendations for you and your employees exponentially boost trust in your ability to run a successful business, thus attracting investors and opportunities.
• Recorded testimonial videos soft-soap your target audience with logic and emotion.
• Offer discounts, coupons, or special deals on the next purchase in exchange for writing a review. This is one of the most essential tips on how to get customer testimonials.
• Set up daily email notifications using Google Alerts and Social Mention in order to know how much your company is being talked about. 

Conclusion

You’ll be able to generate more leads and close more sales, now that you know how to get testimonials from clients, and how to use them effectively. You should create a solid testimonial page to add credibility to your business. Testimonials provide social proof, which boosts sales and conversions. Place these testimonials strategically in all the places related to your business. 

Finding existing reviews from around the web and presenting them on one page of your site is the quickest and easiest way to accomplish this. You can also look for customer testimonials on social networks, such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

You can collect testimonials from specific places, such as search directories and niche review websites. To take things a step further, ask current customers to create YouTube video testimonials for your company. People sometimes need an extra incentive to leave a review, so offering a coupon or discount in return is a great idea! 

Be careful about choosing whom to ask for YouTube testimonials, because not every customer would want to recommend you. In such cases, no incentive is quite enough. Also, some criticism gives the product or company a more authentic and credible feel. Especially so, if the company has taken a proactive step to make that customer happy. Finally, keep an eye out for any media mentions that may be floating around the web.

FAQs