Today’s consumers are savvy—marketers need to earn their trust, not to mention capture their attention. Customer testimonials are one venue for doing so. Consumers often trust fellow consumers more than they do corporations and ad agencies.
As the book Word of Mouth Marketing opens, “Word of mouth is so effective because of the natural credibility that comes from real people with no profit or agenda tied to their recommendations.” Winners in certain fields are often chosen by customer testimonials. Self-publishers, for instance, actively woo readers for customer reviews at Amazon.com, because they know that other readers are more likely to buy a book that has received positive ratings. In a reversal on typical PR procedures, self-publishers may even quote these reader reviews when pitching story ideas to the media.
For companies, the prospect that currently happy customers could attract new customers is enticing—unless there aren’t enough positive testimonials available. If your organization is scrambling to gather customer testimonials, here are a few tips that should help:
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Provide unparalleled service. Give your customers and clients reasons to be impressed. If you’re looking to earn the best customers, you must provide the best service you can. Your employees may be your best source of information on how to wow customers, so set up systems for employee feedback.
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Cultivate and stay in touch with engaged customers. Engaged customers are loyal, passionate consumers of your brand. They love your service so much that they would probably be happy to provide a testimonial. Through customer engagement management, you can gather such customer feedback while learning how to win more engaged customers. Consumers may deliver testimonials in a variety of media. A company e-newsletter, for instance, could call for testimonials or offer a built-in quiz. Structure your touch-points to include opportunities to provide feedback, and feature feedback from your most engaged customers.
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Use the testimonials. Nothing attracts people like fame. Your customers will be thrilled to see you using their customer testimonial wherever you put it. Just be sure that you don’t cross any legal boundaries—when someone submits a testimonial, get their permission to feature it in future company communications.
Using these tips, you can ask for testimonials in nearly every business transaction you have. Additionally, every customer experience should include exposure to other happy customers’ testimonials. Ask for testimonials everywhere, and use them everywhere. Doing so consistently creates a loop of ongoing communication and buzz about your products.
~Monica Nolan, Account Manager
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