As you’ve probably noticed, there are a growing number of reviews on the Internet for all types of products and services. They are not just for restaurants and hotels anymore either. People are using sites and even search engines, such as Yelp, Foursquare, Bing and Google+ Local to read and leave reviews.
Having testimonials and good reviews for your business can help persuade people to at least consider doing business with you. Meanwhile, good reviews on sites such as Foursquare or Yelp can encourage people to click to learn more about what you have to offer among a list of competitors.
Here’s how to use reviews and testimonials to your advantage:
- Prominently display customer reviews on your website. Don’t hide reviews at the bottom of the page. By simply moving customer testimonials to the top of a website, conversions increased up to 34%. Place your customers’ comments and positive testimonials at the top of your website pages, add them to a prominent sidebar, or better yet, give them their own page.
- Feature customer reviews on LinkedIn. Many people pay close attention to LinkedIn profiles when selecting vendors, so make sure that you’ve made the most of yours by seeking testimonials from past clients and managers. To encourage people to view your profile, include it in your email signature.
- Promote customer reviews in your store. If you’ve received glowing reviews from visitors or media organizations, feature those recommendations in your office, storefront or restaurant. Post these reviews and testimonials on a billboard in your store so that potential customers can see the praise you’ve received.
- Include customer testimonials in your sales pitch and marketing materials. One of the most effective ways to gain people’s trust and drive new business is to include compelling customer testimonials in your marketing campaigns. Testimonials serve as a form of “social proof”; they allow you to leverage existing social connections to positively influence prospective clients. If you’re cold-emailing prospects, including a couple of short testimonials in your sales letter can help you make a positive impression on potential customers. Likewise, putting testimonials in your brochures and other marketing materials can enhance your brand’s credibility and inspire new customers to check out your products or services.
Testimonials on your website and other related websites can really help improve conversions. Good customer reviews on review sites like Google, Foursquare and Yelp can help attract more people to check you out and eventually to business with you. In this article, I’ve outlined a few steps we go through for ourselves and clients to increase the number of testimonials available and get more good reviews. What methods and tactics do you employ to get reviews for businesses?
