How to ask for client testimonials-best practices

Your loyal clientele will always be the best advocates for your business. According to a B2B Content Marketing Report, client testimonials are the most effective type of content marketing. Another survey by Search Engine Land shows that more than 72% of customers trust online reviews just as much as they would a personal recommendation. The vast majority (52%) of internet users agree that positive reviews influence their decision to pick a brand.

You need recommendations and testimonials from existing customers to make a name for your brand in today's market. However, this raises the question of how to ask for client testimonials. The following guidance from Workee experts will show you how to get client testimonials.

How to ask a client for a testimonial?

Ensure the timing is impeccable

First, evaluating your client base and their experience with your product or service is important to choose the optimal time to request a testimonial. It's best to ask for a testimonial when a client has had positive experiences with your product or service, both in terms of the result and the working relationship. Do some digging with your team to see if your product or service benefits the customer before you send out your first request.

Know when to send automated or manual requests

Automation may be more effective than manual approaches depending on when you believe it is the optimal moment to send testimonial requests to users through email. If a client uses a free or trial version and does not frequently interact with customer care, it may be more reasonable to send an automatic email when they achieve a certain level of success with a product. However, if you often interact with your clients, the nature of your chats may educate you when the optimal moment is to fulfill the request.

Offer value to your clientele

If you want your consumers to read your email, much less write a testimonial, you must first give them a cause. Offering a gift in exchange for testimonial contributions is a smart strategy. If that is not possible, write them a persuasive email describing the advantages of giving a testimonial for both parties.

Give them practical options

Allow your customers to submit written or video testimonials. Make it feasible for customers to provide a testimonial of your company in whatever format is most convenient for them, whether it is audio, video, or text. You may, for instance, present customers with the following options:

• Film a little video in a location where they feel at ease.

• Summarize their accomplishments in two or three paragraphs (be sure to provide prompts or questions).

• The opportunity to have the writing completed for them; all that is required is a final proofread.

Ask clients straightforward questions

You can understand why a client is pleased with your service by asking relatable testimonial questions. Prospects are much more likely to connect with the review if they can "see themselves" in the situation. It is vital to be open-minded while requesting testimonials to avoid receiving one-word responses. Choose questions that will help you understand not only their feelings about working with you but also their situation, including the problem that prompted them to seek a solution, the factors that led them to choose you as a provider, the benefits they anticipated receiving, and the challenges they faced.

Maintain brevity and clarity in your testimonials

Always provide your customers the opportunity to submit brief testimonials. As an example, they may provide one to two phrases. They can share their thoughts in less than 240 characters. It should contain keywords that best describe your products or services. If you want a more friendly approach, you might have them choose two or three emojis to represent their life before and after using your product.

Showcase the testimonials website

Client testimonials may be shown on your website in three places:

• Your homepage - This is often the most frequented page on any website.

• Sidebars - Putting testimonials in the sidebar ensures they will always be accessible to visitors as they browse your site.

• A dedicated client testimonial page - It's a good idea to collect all customer feedback on one designated page. It will come in handy when potential customers want feedback from current and former clients. Each testimonial should highlight a specific feature of your product and help potential buyers connect with existing customers and see themselves using your products.

Add links to their website

Whether you publish the testimonial on your website or social media, include a link to your customer's website. This increases your chances of getting testimonials from clients. They know you will provide a hyperlink and promote the testimonial through social media. Also, other clients will see that you provide backlinks and approach you to contribute a testimonial.

Proven ways to receive client testimonials

Obtaining great customer testimonials and reviews boils down to asking the right way. So, how do you approach a client for a testimonial?

Through request email

Email is a popular way to interact with your customers and obtain testimonials because it is:

• It's both free and convenient.

• It's instant and can reach anyone worldwide.

To simplify things, you can create a convincing testimonial request email and send it to several customers. You can also create a testimonial request template to help you avoid recreating an email whenever you reach out to clients for testimonials.

Through client interviews

An effective way to acquire a testimonial is to interview your customer about your offerings or services. You can get useful, qualitative feedback by asking the right questions. "Could you tell us a bit of your experience with [ product or service]?, What made you purchase [product]?, How has [product] helped you and how were things before you bought [product]?" are good examples of questions to ask for testimonials. If possible, you can also request a picture of your clients using your product or service.

By co-writing the testimonial

Helping your client write their testimonial is an efficient way to get a testimonial for your product or service. Time is not always the only factor preventing customers from providing testimonials. Stress over saying the appropriate terms or being sufficiently detailed may be the problem. You may assist them with their testimony by inquiring about their experience with the services or products and the outcomes of their use. After gathering their information, you may summarize what they said and post it on your website or social media platforms.

Through social media comments

Receiving testimonials on social media is another feasible approach to attaining organic feedback swiftly. Customers that are pleased with your product or service will promote it on their social media profiles without any further effort on your part.

Through SMS

SMS or text messages are an excellent and efficient approach to getting customer testimonials. Unlike emails, text messages are less likely to be marked as "junk" or ignored. Your request for a testimonial will be seen. Before sending an SMS, ensure you have specific authorization to do so. Nothing is worse than irritating a consumer with an unnecessary SMS asking for favorable feedback. Also, keep your communications brief, and if you're sending numerous messages, spread them out, so they're received correctly and in sequence.

Key things to remember when getting client testimonials

Do the asking

1. Always ask your clients for testimonials. If you don't, you'll receive little or no testimonies.

2. Getting your client's approval and putting everything in writing before publicizing their testimonials on your website or other marketing channels is always a good idea to avoid legal or privacy issues.

3. Creating a sense of urgency increases the likelihood of receiving quicker responses. For instance, "We want to debut our testimonials area by next week, so if you could accomplish this in the next day or two, that would be fantastic."

4. Including your client's first and last name, where suitable, boosts the apparent validity of their feedback. If your client wants to be discreet, using their first name and the first letter of their last name will do.

5. Including your client's photo to increase the credibility of their testimonial.

6. Testimonials don't have to be perfect. It's ok to edit typos and grammar but don't over-edit so you can maintain the gist of your client's testimonial.