4 Simple Ways to Get More Testimonials for Your Business

Testimonials are one of the most powerful, yet under-utilized tools in business.

Don’t believe me?

Think about your own experiences in purchasing products or services.

Before buying a product, do you read the reviews first? When looking for a business vendor, do you see what other companies had to say before picking up the phone?

I’m betting you do.

Which means people are doing the exact same thing when checking out YOUR business.

If people land on your website and don’t see any feedback from your clients and customers, what does that say about you?

People like to do business with those they know, like and trust. So, if a person doesn’t know you or your company just yet, they’re looking for indicators to show that you’re trustworthy.

Testimonials are a great way to do that. Not only does it speak to the value of your work, but it also helps visitors to see that you are someone that others respect and trust.

So, how do you get testimonials for your website? Here are some ideas to help:

1. Ask when the time is right.

To encourage positive testimonials, it’s important to ask at the right time. The absolute best time to do this is right after you’ve completed the project or scored a big win for your client.

For instance, if your client lets you know how much they appreciate your work, that would be the perfect time to ask if they would be willing to write a testimonial for you.

2. Bake it into your process.

Another way to approach testimonial requests is to make it part of your process with every client.

At the end of every client engagement, you could send a short survey asking the client for feedback on their experience with you. Or, you could simply send an email asking for their feedback.

Doing this will get you and your team in the habit of getting valuable feedback, and hopefully positive recommendations, that you can showcase on your site.

3. Make it easy.

For companies that rely heavily on online reviews such as hotels, restaurants, etc., it’s important to make it easy for customers to give you feedback.

For instance, you could add a button or form to your website to ask people to provide a review. Or, you could provide links to the social networks or sites (Google, Yelp, Citysearch, etc.) where they can easily leave a review.

You can also include links in your blog or email marketing efforts to remind people where they can go to leave feedback.

4. Check in with former clients.

If you don’t have any testimonials and you’re starting from scratch, it doesn’t hurt to go back to former clients and customers to ask them to share their positive experience with you. Most of the time, they will be happy to send you something you can use.

How to showcase testimonials

Once you have testimonials, it’s important to showcase them on your website.

You can weave them throughout your site by including them in the side bar as a steady reminder of the positive work you do. Or, you can keep them focused to your portfolio or products/services pages. That way, visitors can see what others have said about each service or product you offer.

How do you encourage testimonials? How are you showcasing them on your website?

Image credit: Daniel Zimmel