3 EASY WAYS TO GET TESTIMONIALS
The power of a testimonial is undeniable. In fact, 92% of consumers read reviews online, and 88% of consumers trust online reviews. When someone is determining whether they should do business with you, they are 58% more likely to convert if you have testimonials. Those stats alone should be enough to convince anybody why they should be leveraging testimonials in their business. Having positive feedback from consumers shows the world these 3 things:
People like you
People trust you
People recommend you
When you have sources outside of your own group of employees or marketing backing you up, it makes it pretty clear to the world that you are credible and worth doing business with. People need to see with their own eyes that there are results, and as much as you can talk about how good you are, nothing screams ‘credibility’ more than testimonials. So here are 3 easy ways to get testimonials.
1. VIDEO TESTIMONIALS
Video testimonials take the top spot. When someone records a video of themselves talking about you, it’s very difficult to lie. It’s not an uncommon practice for businesses, especially new startups, to write fake reviews and post them online. Having someone outside of your business, family, or friend group make a video talking about how great you are is by far the best way to establish credibility and trust through a review.
2. SCREENSHOT TEXT MESSAGES
If you don’t have any video testimonials yet or aren’t able to get any right away, the next best thing is screenshots of text messages. Here’s how you get them:
Simply go into your text messages and every time someone says something good about you, screenshot it. It could even be things people say about or to you like:
You’re very professional
You’re reliable
I love your energy
I made $X after working with you
I closed my first deal yesterday
Thanks for the awesome work
It doesn’t have to be a whole paragraph. Just a simple sentence that reflects positively on you or your products/services is good enough to share. Once you get those screenshots, if the person who texted you is comfortable with you posting their name, go ahead and share it with their name or social media profiles tagged. Having that name attached to the screenshot gives the photo a big boost of credibility, proving that it’s not a fake. However, if that person or you are not comfortable sharing names, go ahead and white out any identification, and still share it! Having something is better than nothing.
3. SCREENSHOT EMAILS
Whether you have text message screenshots or not, you should do the same thing with emails. Some client/customer relationships are more professional and conversations take place in emails, so do the same thing with those by screenshotting conversations. Find some stuff that makes you look good, and share it! It’s that simple.
BONUS: HOW TO GET COMPLIMENTS
This is a bit of a cheeky move, but if you don't have anything that you can screenshot or record, all you have to do is ask! Go to someone that you’ve already worked with and given results to and say, “I’d like to hear what your experience was working with me. What kind of results did you get? How much money did you make after hiring me?” Of course, change this message to fit the services that you provide, but if your clients and customers really liked your work, they should be more than happy to quickly share a few key points in their experience working with you. Then all you need to do is simply screenshot, and share.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU SHARE TESTIMONIALS?
Some people post a few testimonials and then stop because they think it’s enough. However, I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t ever stop sharing them. The more often that someone sees all the amazing things said about you, the more likely they are to buy from you. I personally try to share testimonials on a daily basis on my Instagram, however if I ever run out, I still make sure I’m getting at least five or ten out per month on social media, as well as a handful added to my website every month.
THE MORE YOU HAVE, THE BETTER
People need constant reminders that you’re really good at what you do, and it’s great for new contacts to be seeing constant results as well. You can never have too many testimonials. I'm constantly asking for and posting new reviews, which you can see on my website here. I’ve made it a habit to ask for testimonials from many of my clients, and with my speaking career, always asking audience members to record a quick video about how I did on stage. Having so much positive feedback not only encourages me to keep going, but also does a great deal in building my brand and boosting my sales. Testimonials are something that will never go out of style, and I encourage you to take advantage of them. If you need ideas on what kind of testimonials you should be asking for, check out my Instagram page here to take a look and get ideas.
