As we all know, asking for any kind of praise or feedback can be a bit of a social nuisance. It can be tricky asking for marketing consultant testimonials, but it’s really worthwhile because they are one of the most effective ways of overcoming doubt for visitors on your page. Here we share our tried and tested way of getting them, without pulling our hair out and without breaking out into hives.

But first, why is important to get testimonials?

Testimonials Are Important Because…

They are social proof.  They are one of the best ways to enhance the online reputation of your business and help make that conversion. They work especially well when positioned near the point of purchase because they reassure.

• Customer testimonials are the most effective type of content marketing according to a survey by B2B Content Marketing.
• After personal recommendations, testimonials are the second most trusted source of information about a brand, product or service as told by a study from Nielson’s Global AdView Pulse.
• A Search Engine Land survey found that 72% of people trust testimonials as much as personal recommendations, while 52% said that positive online reviews will increase the likelihood that they’ll patronise a local business.

In short, they work! OK?

When To Ask For Testimonials?

• When you’ve just solved a problem for a client
• When you’ve delivered a successful project
• A client has enjoyed success thanks to your work
• They express their happiness with your work or thank you profusely (which should be taken with a grain of salt if it’s after midnight and in a bar)

How To Ask For Testimonials

We have our own tried and tested method and it works pretty well. The challenge is to remember to do it, and get testimonials!

Send out a generic email to your client asking for a testimonial, but give them something to work off. Keep it fact based ie we did xxx on xxx date etc. Then send it and ask them if it’s ok to use, and if they are willing to add a little bit of emotion.

• If they send it back to you as is – they didn’t like you so don’t use it!
• If they’re inspired and write you a glowing review then congratulations, you’ve just got the testimonial you wanted without any of the social awkwardness.

If that doesn’t sit well with you, here are some other methods to try.

• Put an interview or a survey at the end of a project. Project completion is the best time to ask for a testimonial – your work is fresh in the client’s head, and as long as it was a job well done, they will be excited to have a quick interview with you, or do a short survey.
• Use previous testimonials. Thanks to the interference of social media, it’s really easy for clients to reach out and post quick and positive feedback on projects on social platforms. But always ask first, it’s bad practise to use a client’s name and words without permission.
• Swap testimonials. If you’ve worked with a client and enjoyed their products or services, leave a review. This will encourage them to do the same. And if it doesn’t, a gentle nudge can go a long way.
• Compliment them. Appeal to a client’s ego and they’ll do whatever you want. (Okay maybe not whatever, but they won’t mind feeding back over a nice phrase or two.) Say something like, “Your opinion means the world to me – would you mind letting me know what you thought of the work I did for you?“

Tip: always thank your client for any feedback they send you. Not only will this make a good impression, they’ll always have a positive view of you, which can come in handy if you ever work with them again. It also might lead to some referrals.

What Questions Should Be Answered In Testimonials?

A client testimonial is essentially a review of your brand, one that consumers will read and be inspired to either buy or pass. So it needs to include certain aspects of your business. Here are a few sample questions that a powerful testimonial should answer.

• Why did you specifically select [you/your company] for this project?
• What made you believe that [you/your company] was the best for achieving your desired result?
• How did you benefit from working with [you/your company]?
• What are the two most significant improvements that have resulted from your work with [you/your company]?
• What exactly did [you/your company] do to contribute to the outcome you wanted?
• What were the results of working with [you/your company]?
• Describe why you feel that working with [you/your company] was successful.
• In the future, what type of businesses would most benefit from working with [you/your company]?
• If a potential client was on the fence about whether to work with [you/your company] or not, what would you say to them?

Bang! The Awkwardness Is Gone

Swallow your pride and get out there and ask for praise for your work. You may be pleasantly surprised. You can start using your testimonials on sales pages, contact pages, blog posts, videos and social media marketing campaigns.

And from that, your business will flourish. Keep track and you’ll notice how conversions will increase and the time from initial meeting to sale will decrease.

Don’t miss out on the benefits a powerful testimonial can bring to your business! They are one of the most powerful tools out there.

If you need a helping hand with your testimonials – get in touch! We have mastered social awkwardness.

 We’ll always get back to you within one business day.

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