Why Testimonials are Important for Business

Have you ever wanted to buy something but hesitated, because you weren’t sure about it. Maybe you weren’t sure of the quality, perhaps you didn’t know if the website you were buying from was legitimate. Or maybe you didn’t want to hand over money because how would you know that you are getting your money’s worth.

The easiest way for a business to prove themselves to be trustworthy is…

Testimonials.

Testimonials are one of the most important resources any business owner can have.

Why?

Because they establish trust and security. As human beings we are more likely to trust or act if someone else has done so before us.

Monkey see, monkey do.

If someone else has bought the same product we want and they give a testimonial saying how amazing it is, that they highly recommend it, and maybe even include pictures of what they received. Then you have third party evidence that this product is in fact real, someone is impressed with it, and they recommend it to you. So there is a very high chance that you will then buy that product.

Reading a great testimonial or review helps to break down barriers and doubts you may have had before-hand. Allowing you to complete your order with peace of mind.

The same can be said for bad reviews. If someone’s had a bad experience with something, you’re more likely to skip out on it and feel glad to have dodged a bullet, thanks to someone else’s misfortune, you know not to buy.

This is the ultimate power that testimonials offer, and they can make or break your business.

Although be warned, not everything you read online is accurate, sometimes people fake reviews or just troll businesses by giving out bad reviews (usually because they’re not the nicest people to start with).

So as a customer be sure to cross reference reviews and use your best judgment. Sometimes you may even just need to take a gamble.

If you buy something and you truly do love it, do the business a favour send them a testimonial or review their product or service. If it helped you, chances are it will help others, so be the review that changes someone’s mind, be the review that you wish you had read, when making your decision.

As a business owner know that the more testimonials you can offer the better.

The best testimonials are the ones that are accurate, they clearly tell you who says what and what they truly believe. Having their name, business and title are the best way to show legitimacy. Even including backlinks to their website, or social media accounts, if they give permission for you to.

Now this isn’t always possible for confidentiality reasons, but know that the more information you can provide the better, and know even testimonials by unnamed sources are better then no testimonials at all.

Testimonials are perfect for explaining your customer’s journeys. As in, how your product helped them from point A to point B, improved their life, or solved their problems. Other people may be in the same boat as the original customer and now they know you the business owner have the solution, because someone else has been on that journey beforehand.

So make sure you have plenty of testimonials on hand, to help build trust with your customers.

If you are service based business starting from scratch, and have yet to receive any testimonials, offering discounted prices in exchange for testimonials is a great way to start building your portfolio.

If you’re a product based business make sure you utilise your email funnels, requesting reviews after your customer have purchased and received their items.

Be sure to use your testimonials to your advantage. Including using them on your website, in your marketing campaigns and emails, as well as on your social media accounts.

All in all, be kind and spread the love, we’re all trying to succeed in this crazy thing called life.

Until next time,

Happy Writing!

Hi there! I’m Kaeleigh, a Creative Content & Copywriter who helps business owners and entrepreneurs generate leads, increase traffic and build their brands through engaging creative content.