If you’ll learn anything today, it’s that not all client testimonials are created equal. In this blog post I’ll be explaining the different ways that you can get client reviews, and how you can implement them in your marketing strategy to get ‘the most bang for your buck’. Before you consider how you’re going to use your testimonials in reviews, you’ll need to actually get some.
When approaching a client for a review, the first thing you’ll want to ask for is a video testimonial. A video review from a client holds so much more value and legitimacy than any other form of testimonial, as prospective buyers get to see the genuine reaction of the client, and moreso they can have their own questions answered for them, depending on what information you include in the video, which we’ll get to shortly.
As already mentioned, video reviews are the crème de la crème of client testimonials, and should be sought as often as possible. The problem is that not every client wants to do them, which is why I often make it a conscious decision to work with extroverted entrepreneurs that love the camera (i.e. personal trainers, vloggers etc).
What to ask the client for
At the very least though you have to ask your client for a video review of their experience working with you. If they politely refuse then fair enough, you can settle for a written review instead. If you are working with this particular client on a freelance website, such as Upwork or Fiverr, then a written review will be a sufficient form of testimonial anyway.
When asking your client for a testimonial, you’ll want them to cover a number of important points which answer any questions or concerns that your future prospects may have. An obvious concern being whether you’re worth the money that you’re charging. Your client can put all of this to bed by covering the following:
- Who are they and what do they do?
- What was their situation like before working with you?
- Why were they cautious of working with you initially?
- What specific results have they achieved from working with you?
- What’s it been like working with you?
If you want to see a great example of a solid video testimonial, then check out the video below from my client Karl. I had sent him the list above and he touched on each point brilliantly, without sounding like he’s reading a script (which he isn’t). He’s also filmed it in landscape, which is worth making very clear to your client!
How to use the client testimonial
First and foremost you will want to start creating a portfolio on your website, like I have on my testimonials page, where you can start collecting reviews and perhaps even describing the projects in detail. In doing so, you will begin to establish yourself as someone who takes pride in their work. It also gives prospective buyers an opportunity to check out the quality of your work.
Once you have done this, you will then want to start using your video testimonials as a marketing tool to attract new clients on a regular basis. The reason why I stress the use of video testimonials is that they’re going to be much more effective when it comes to gaining your ideal client’s interest, let alone convincing them to purchase your products or services.
Paid Advertising
A very effective way of targeting your ideal customers is by way of paid advertising. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube allow you to create ads that allow you to place your content right in front of the very people that you think would be most interested. The beauty of including a video testimonial in your paid advert is that it’s not you bigging yourself up – it’s your client. It always seems more authentic when the compliment is coming from someone else, right?
This strategy works best when you are re-targeting users that have already visited your website. You can achieve this by implementing a pixel (e.g. Google Tag or Facebook Pixel) which will track your website visitors activity, and effectively follow them to the respective social media platforms where you can target them with ads.
An example of this would be if a website visitor was looking at your pricing page, they then leave the page and visit Facebook instead. Perhaps you were too expensive for them? Perhaps they were on the fence? Either way, you can target them with Facebook ads containing a video testimonial from your client telling them that you’re more than worth the money, thus increasing your chances of converting the sale.
Content marketing
If you don’t have the budget to run a paid advertising strategy, which many people don’t, then don’t worry. Client testimonials can be used effectively in an organic content marketing plan, meaning that you can include your reviews in your ‘regular posts’ on social media. The effectiveness of this may not be as great as with paid ads, however that depends entirely on the quality of your posts to begin with.
If the only thing that you’re posting is testimonials, then it’s fair to say that you won’t find much success. When it comes to social media, people will only follow those that provide value. I for one wouldn’t follow anyone that was constantly posting about how great they are. Instead I’m far more likely to follow someone that regularly posts useful advice, accepting a few testimonials every now and then.
The best way to do this is to drop some continuous, free knowledge to your followers, with a small sprinkle of client testimonials for good measure. If you can do all of this whilst throwing in a bit of good humour (if in line with your brand), then you’re certainly onto a winner.
Webinars, Courses and Newsletters
You may require paid advertising or content marketing to get people onto your webinars, courses and newsletters/email lists, but these are all great opportunities to up-sell your products and services to interested leads. For example if you had an online course which teaches people how to improve their nutrition and general health, you can include a section in the course (or on a newsletter email) which shows your client praising your personal training services.
As mentioned you can use your client testimonials in newsletter emails, this can be a really effective way of up-selling your services and increasing repeat business. It’s worth noting though that you’ll want to avoid attaching the video to the email directly, as it can take up a lot of space and perhaps even make the email too big to send. Instead you can just add a link to the case study you made in your portfolio.
Affiliate Programs
One great method that not everybody considers, is to offer an affiliate fee for any referrals made by a client, and in turn have them promote your products and services on their own platforms. This can work wonders in building a wider network of people that will trust you without even having spoken to you. Consider the benefits of a client that has a huge following, especially one that represents your ideal demographic.
The best way to do this is to set up an affiliate program on your website, whereby you can provide each client with an affiliate link specific to them and them alone. The program will automatically calculate the amounts due to each affiliate, based on the amount of people that they have successfully referred to your business. It’s a definite win-win for both sides!
Conclusion
Testimonials can be a key tool in your overall marketing strategy, and should be showcased in your portfolio on your own website. The very first step towards creating a great portfolio is to just ASK! Following that, your client testimonials should be shared with your ideal customers via paid advertising, content marketing, webinars, courses, newsletters and more. If you need any help with any of the above, then please feel free to contact me here.
