Testimonials are one of the most valuable assets a business can have.

According to a survey conducted by Hubspot, more than 60% of customers trust word-of-mouth recommendations and reviews from your customers.

So testimonials are the best way to convince someone new to win you the sale.

Why You Must Have Testimonials on Your Website?

Here are a few of the reasons sharing client testimonials are really useful for your business:

• They help you build trust and show your prospects that you helped your past clients get real outcomes.
• They show your company is legitimate and you know how to please customers.
• They help you indirectly state the type of clients you want to attract. For example, we love working with home builders, so we mainly showcase testimonials from home builders we’ve worked with on our website.

Avoid Using Generic Reviews That Nobody Reads

When you go ahead to put testimonials on the website, don’t share reviews that go along the lines of:

“I really enjoyed working with Max. He’s very professional and I would highly recommend his services.”

We hate to say this, but these are the kind of reviews you don’t want on your website. These kinds of reviews don’t say anything in terms of context and what problems you solved for them.

In fact “being professional” is the bare minimum you’d expect from a professional you’re going to hire. But that doesn’t tell the results they provide.

How To Get Testimonials Your Prospects Will Love

Now think about it. What your prospects or target audience care about the most? Obviously the results you can help them achieve.

And the best way to convince them is by showing them the words of your previous clients.

When your prospect comes to your website, they want to know:

• What similar problems this person had before they hired you.
• How you helped them achieve the results
• What was their overall experience of working with you
• How happy are they now with the results

Your testimonials are the best opportunity to show this transformation.

But there are few things that most businesses miss out on while asking for a testimonial. Here are some tips to help you get the best testimonial.

1) Get The Timing Right and Follow-Up

The best time to get the testimonial from your client is the moment they’re most happy with your services.

If it’s an ongoing contract, you can ask for it when your customer experience some success working with you. If this is a one-time project, then you can request for review on completion.

People get busy as they have so much on their plates. So just make sure you follow them up in a few days, by calling or sending an email.

2) What Should You Ask Your Client?

You must ask your clients very specific questions that allow you to craft an effective testimonial or case study on your website later on.

Of course, the questions may vary depending on your industry and services, but here are some common questions you may consider asking them.

• What problems were you having before working with us?
• Why did you decide to hire us?
• How did we help solve your problem or achieve the results you were looking for?
• What was your overall experience working with us?
• How likely are you to refer or recommend us to your friends, peers, or contacts?

Again! You may modify them as per your particular industry, but they must focus on your clients’ problems or frustrations before working with you and how you helped them achieve the results.

3) What is Best – Video or Written Testimonial?

Well, both types of testimonials works but videos convert better.

Videos show real people talking about their experiences and the results they achieved by working with you.

The best way to get the testimonial is to ask for both (if possible). Make sure you don’t seem too pushy while asking for both.

4) Ask for a Video Testimonial The Right Way

If your client is 100% happy to do both, you can first invite them to a video call with you, where you can ask them a few questions (similar to the ones we discussed above) and get them to talk. Ask their permission to record this call and tell them you’re going to use this for marketing your services.

Once you’re done with the call, you can save the recording and edit it to make a polished version to use on the website.

If you want to take it a step further, grab a few important lines from this video testimonial and send it back to your client along with your Google or Facebook page link and ask them if they would be happy to post this as a written testimonial as well.

Don’t forget to send a big thank you email.

To show your appreciation further, send a thoughtful gift with a personal message.

5) Where To Add Testimonials On Website?

Placing testimonials at specific locations of your website will convince prospects to act.

Here are the five locations you don’t want to miss out on:

Home Page

Your homepage gets visits more than any other page, so if you place a few of your positive feedback somewhere on the homepage, then visitors will get a chance to see it even if they don’t go further to any other pages.

Services Page

If a prospect is interested in one of your services, a testimonial or two near the CTA button could be just the extra assurance they need to take the next step.

Landing Pages

Whether it’s a landing page to promote a particular service or to capture leads for your email list, testimonials can entice visitors into taking action.

Projects / Case Study Pages

Your case studies where you showcase your past projects can also be a great place for testimonials.

Testimonial Page

Finally, creating a dedicated testimonial page is a good idea if you have a fair number of testimonials. Ensure that the content is presented so that it’s easy to read and absorb.

Summary

Now you can see how sharing effective testimonials on your website can help you make your prospective clients trust you even more.

They get to know what results or transformation they can expect from you.

If you have any questions or need our help with any part of your website, feel free to book a 15-minute call with me.

I’d love to help you out.