Testimonials and reviews show prospects that you’re trustworthy and reliable. Here are some more great reasons they improve sales and marketing.
Customer reviews and client testimonials show potential buyers that you’re legitimate and do what you say you’re going to do. They help you build credibility and trust, which leads to conversions and even long-term customer relationships.
Reviews and testimonials should be an important part of marketing. They contribute to your online presence. They may sometimes be the reason a customer converts when they’re on the fence.
But this supportive content also helps on the sales side of things. The team can point to positive reviews and experience as a form of proof, which boosts the rate of successful deals and keeps people coming back for more.
So, how do they work so well? Here is a brief look at what they are and 10 ways testimonials and reviews help sales and marketing.
What are reviews and testimonials?
Many people leave reviews after working with a business. These are usually short reflections about what it was like to work with you. They may provide information about their general experience, a specific person they worked with, how a product worked out for them, or pricing information. Reviews are typically posted on product pages or sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook.
Customer testimonials, on the other hand, are a bit more personal. These are more intentional pieces of content that a brand asks for when someone has a great experience. They endorse the brand or products and are posted on a business’s website. They’re used in marketing materials as well so prospects can hear first-hand how great the brand was to a past client.
10 reasons testimonials and reviews help sales and marketing
Brands can ask customers for both reviews and testimonials, and they both help with a brand’s sales and marketing strategy. Here are 10 reasons why:
1. Customers read reviews (a lot)
First, people read reviews and testimonials more than ever before. Most people go online first when making a buying decision, with 78% of consumers saying they use the internet to find out more about local businesses at least once a week. That data also shows that 98% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, with 77% reporting they “always” or “regularly” read them.
2. You’re more likely to get positive reviews
Another reason reviews help sales is that they’re more often positive than negative. 80% of consumers say they’d be likely or highly likely to leave a review if a negative experience was turned into a very positive one. Another 34% of consumers say they only leave positive reviews while just 7% say they only leave negative reviews. With all that positivity, people won’t have many reasons to not work with you.
3. People can create videos
Video testimonials are becoming a popular option for testimonials. 89% of marketers say video testimonials are their most effective marketing tactic. Asking for a video testimonial or giving it to customers as an option allows them to get creative and even get the word out there about their own business. Video is engaging and exciting for people, and it will make the experience seem more credible to hear about a positive experience from a real, live person.
4. You can respond to comments
A great feature of online reviews is that you, as the business, can respond to them. So, if someone posts a negative review about a bad experience, you can respond right away to address an issue, give them a discount, ask a question, or even apologize. Responding to reviews shows customers that you care about customer service and do what you can to address problems.
5. You can add them to your sales deck
An effective way to incorporate reviews and testimonials into your sales strategy is to put them in your sales deck. Testimonials will help people feel like you can solve their problem while providing proof that everything you’re claiming in your pitch is true.
6. Positivity builds trust
Consumers love seeing lots of positivity when considering working with a business. In fact, 72% say that positive reviews and testimonials lead them to trust a brand more. Whatever you’re trying to tell people with your marketing content and sales strategy, they’ll believe even more when you can show your track record with customers.
7. Reviews show people an investment is worth it
Consumers don’t want to give their dollars to just anyone. People today want to know they’re making a good investment in a product or service. With all their options online, it’s hard to know who to trust and whether their support will pay off. Reviews and testimonials show them your brand is worth the investment.
8. You can expand your reach online
A big plus about reviews is that people can leave them in a host of different places. Google Reviews and Yelp may be the most common, but you can also find more niche places that allow reviews, depending on your industry. For example, if your products are on Amazon, you’ll have much more review visibility. If your business is travel-related, TripAdvisor is a popular review site, as is Zomato for restaurants.
9. Some customers require reviews to buy
Many customers depend on reviews to make a decision, and they won’t even consider moving forward without seeing some proof from past customers. It’s been found that 72% of consumers will only convert after reading a positive review.
10. Customers will know you’re reliable
Finally, consumers see reviews and testimonials as reliable content they can trust before moving forward. 97% of B2B customers, for example, say that testimonials and recommendations from peers are the most reliable types of content. And, 88% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as they trust personal recommendations.
How CrewHu can help with customer service
CrewHu helps you level up your sales and marketing efforts by integrating customer service management with employee recognition. You can gather key customer feedback and implement better systems to reward workers for a job well done. Start tracking better customer service KPIs with the platform.
Book a demo today to get started with CrewHu.
