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How to gather the best customer testimonials (including video!)

Posted by Grace Townsley

May 26, 2022

A woman is recorded while giving a video testimonial.

Great testimonials are a boon to your business. A testimonial says all the great things about your business that you can’t exactly say yourself… At least not without sounding pompous! And best of all, they build trust and authenticity — two factors that are crucial to your brand’s success.

Strong testimonials benefit your business because:

• Companies that showcase customer testimonials during the sales process generate 62% more revenue.
• Testimonials placed near expensive items boost conversions by 380%.
• A full 72% of customers won’t make a purchase decision unless they read a positive review.

These numbers show testimonials are a free tool that can make a serious difference for your business! But how do you gather high-quality ones?

The best testimonials start with great questions

Remember, your customers aren’t copywriters. They need strong, simple prompts to get the wheels turning. Questions that dig deeper generate testimonials that work harder. Try questions like:

• What problem did you hope to solve with this product or service?
• What about this product or service made you the happiest?
• Why did you decide to purchase our product or service, instead of someone else’s?
• What kind of person do you think this product or service is perfect for?
• What did you expect to get from this purchase? What did you actually get?

By breaking down their testimonial into bite-sized, strategic pieces, these questions go beyond the boring, “Tell us what you thought about your purchase.” Which isn’t even a question at all! They help paint a picture for your future customers of exactly who would love this product or service, what they would love about it and why.

The kind of testimonials you gather really matters

To be considered authentic, testimonials must feel genuine. That means presenting the testimonial in its original form, without making a lot of changes to the structure or flow. If the quote sounds too much like you wrote it, your customers will be wary.

Put your testimonials in quotation marks and always include a picture of the customer who wrote it, if possible. Use their first name and any other relevant facts about them, like their job title or home state, that help potential customers relate to the reviewer. If your testimonials are from prominent companies or well-known brands, be sure to use their logo too. This lets your testimonials do double-duty as both social proof and credibility boosters.

Video testimonials should be your #1 priority

Nearly 80% of customers watched at least one testimonial video to learn more about a product or service before they purchased. And of the customers who watched testimonial videos, 47% of them reported that the video was effective because it helped them understand how the product or service actually worked.

Video testimonials are particularly impactful because they’re easy to digest and are the most trusted form of review. Any company can create fake written testimonials, but video is hard to forge!

Here’s how to get a high-quality video testimonial:

• Make it easy.

Many customers will be hesitant to make a review video because they may be camera shy or feel they don’t have time to stop and record something. But asking your customer to jump on a quick recorded video chat or using a video testimonial tool lowers that barrier.

• Give them specific questions to answer.

You can use a couple questions from the list above, or make your own. A candid response usually works better for a testimonial video than a scripted or memorized review.

• Shorter is better.

Your video testimonials should be anywhere from 30-90 seconds. Any longer and your viewers will click away.

• Ask early!

The best time to request any testimonial, video or written, is soon after your customer has enjoyed their product or service, while the experience is fresh on their mind. That excited energy makes for a highly compelling video.

Key takeaway

If you’re not leveraging high-quality testimonials across your website, social media, and sales materials, you’re leaving money on the table. Great testimonials, and especially video testimonials, are an uncomplicated way to instantly increase your conversions and build trust— two things every business wants!

Author

Grace Townsley

As a professional copywriter in the finance and B2B space, Grace Townsley offers small business leaders big insights—one precisely chosen word at a time. Let's connect!

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Small Businesses

How to gather the best customer testimonials (including video!)

The best testimonials start with great questions

The kind of testimonials you gather really matters

Video testimonials should be your #1 priority

• Make it easy.

• Give them specific questions to answer.

• Shorter is better.

• Ask early!

Key takeaway

Author

Grace Townsley

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