The Persuasive Power of Testimonials

The Persuasive Power of Testimonials

The Persuasive Power of Testimonials (And How to Unlock Them for Your Business)

Several people believe that testimonials are fundamental to your business. Data shows that testimonials increase conversions and they influence the customer research and buying habits.
Similarly, positive reviews influence the buying habits of 90% respondents who read online reviews according to Zendesk.
Moreover, you can join the power of social proof via testimonials. Also, you can positive reviews influence.

Why customer testimonials work

Since testimonials are a powerful form of social proof, they are persuasive. Basically, a social proof is a psychological concept based on the idea that we try to follow the actions of people around us because we think those actions represent correct behavior.

Social proof helps you leverage your current customers and validate future buyers

Take it this way: if a face cream is recommended by your favorite beauty icon then you are going to believe in it. In fact, you will even buy it. Similarly, a product is authenticated by a testimonial instantly.
Moreover, the purchase decisions are influenced by testimonials which are real, and authentic pieces of product feedback.

Research on testimonials: Proof that they work

Studies have shown that testimonials do influence sales and conversations.
Let’s explain it through examples because numbers don’t lie:

  • There is an increase of 18% sales of the sites that showcase testimonials according to Econsultancy. Also there in an increase of likelihood of purchase for 63% of site visitors.
  • A site page was tested by WikiJob with testimonials vs. one without, the version with them earned 34% more conversions.
  • If there is 50 or more reviews per product then it means a 4.6% increase in conversion rates according to Reevoo data.
  •   The percentage of people who trust online reviews written by other consumers as much as they trust recommendations from personal contacts is 88% according to Brightlocal.

The overall gist of the above data is that: Testimonials are essential for ecommerce businesses.

How to gather customer testimonials: the logistics

It is very simple to collect your own testimonial.
Step one is simple: You need to make the ask.
Data shows that, most of the time customers are happy to oblige if you ask for a testimonial. a survey was conducted by Brightlocal. The results showed that   68% of consumer respondents will leave a review for a business when asked.
So, how do you go about asking for testimonials?

1. Use an automated email that sends 5-7 days after delivery

It is wrong to think of gathering reviews to be a manual, time-consuming process. In fact, you can reach out to each and every customer and ask them to leave a review if they’re satisfied with the purchase, with the help of an automated email that’s triggered to send 5-7 days after delivery.
You might offer a small discount off their next purchase with you, enter them into a drawing for a prize, or even just give them a shoutout on your social media accounts to thank them to encourage action.

2. Send a customer satisfaction survey

As mentioned above, there are various ways to gather testimonials. Customer satisfaction surveys are one of them. They are conducted to gather testimonials and rich customer insights, and you can do this efficiently thanks, again, to email automation. You can automatically follow up with customers post-purchase to gather feedback by integrating a tool like SurveyMonkey.
The survey questions would be like:

  • What doubts did you have before completing the purchase?
  • What questions did you have prior to purchase?
  • Why did you buy?
  • What are you using for?

Moreover, you can include few open ended questions so that customers could write testimonials.

3. Use apps to gather feedback

There are certain apps that work with Shopify, if you’re looking for a way to integrate a tool that can simplify testimonial collection, consider a few apps that work with Shopify, such as:

All   these are integrated with your Shopify store which can help you quickly start gathering customer reviews and testimonials.

What to ask for in testimonials to set up home-run social proof

You need to have testimonials that are solid; convincing that could drive results for your business because It’s not enough to have general testimonials. Customers spend 31% more with businesses that have good client testimonials according to data. Thus, specificity makes a home run testimonial.
Moreover, when it comes to social proof, generalizations aren’t very effective. Instead, you want highly descriptive recommendations and approval that touches on some of the aching points and hindrances to buy your target audience is facing.
Also, your testimonial givers are encouraged to be more specific by:

  • Reminding them of the product they bought from you. It is your work to keep the product fresh in the customer’s mind.
  • Asking questions using words/language you want mirrored back in the testimonial. keep in mind the key words and phrases customers use when talking about the product. You need to include those words and phrases.
  • Showing them what other happy customers said about the product(s) they bought.  by showcasing some contextual examples, help inspire better quality testimonials
  • Spelling out what you’re looking for in a testimonial.  Keep it very precise and specific about what you want format-wise. For instance, Do you need short-form soundbites? A few sentences? Stories?
  • Asking for supporting materials. according to research on the concept of ‘truthiness’ adding a photo of the person giving the testimonial boosts trust, while media like product photos/videos are valuable user-generated content that can enrich testimonials.
  • Asking them to address common customer doubts (reverse testimonials).Use questions like, “What were your concerns about buying?