Testimonial advertising: promote your business through customer feedback.

December 19, 2022
Paula de Leon Ramirez
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With the increasing competition in the marketplace, marketers are forced to come up with innovative solutions that make their products and brand stand out from the rest. Testimonial advertising, a strategy that involves the use of user-generated content (UGC) and reviews, has become a powerful marketing tool as people like to know what their peers think of the products or brands they are considering. Actually, before making a purchase, 92% of shoppers examine internet reviews.

But what benefits does it offer to your organization and how can you use it effectively to improve your reach, awareness, and sales reach?

What are the benefits of testimonial advertising?

Testimonial advertising is a valuable form of social proof that can influence existing or new prospects in their purchasing decisions. Testimonial advertising can be defined as unbiased comments from existing customers that share their experience about a product or service and simultaneously help new visitors who are deliberating on purchasing.

With 95% of consumers confirming that negative/positive feedback influences their purchasing decisions, a customer’s voice is the most valuable piece in building trust in your brand. In comparison with word-of-mouth advertising, testimonial advertising is considered to be a more formal way of letting people know that your company can be reliable. You can demonstrate credibility in relation to a company’s claims by displaying your customers’ voices on your landing page or in marketing material. Even if your marketing staff creates captivating text and copy descriptions, nothing beats using the voice of a customer who has really used your product and expressed their satisfaction. People trust testimonials more than commercials.

It is true that promoting testimonial ads has an additional cost, but the ROI obtained has proven to be more successful than general advertising from your own company. The testimonial of an employee of a brand can be as biased as the brand itself.

How can you implement it effectively?

When it comes to utilizing reviews and testimonials as part of your marketing strategy, there are several sourcing options from which your company can choose that match your marketing efforts.

Third-party reviews: not only does it help your SEO, but adding customer reviews directly to your website can improve the perception of your company.
Quote testimonials: a bite-sized form of testimonial advertising, ranging from one sentence to a small paragraph.
Success stories: by vividly illustrating your customers’ experiences and following a narrative approach, you can transmit highly authentic reviews.
Video testimonials: an enhanced way to bring your customers’ experiences to life and capture positive emotions
Influencer or expert testimonials: when the fit between the brand and the influencer goes hand-in-hand, the opinions they provide can have high value.

What are the challenges?

You must be as good as you want people to know about in order to receive positive and authentic customer reviews. Once you can provide customers with products and services worth their praise, the only challenge left is encouraging them to write reviews. As they require you to put a certain amount of time into evaluating and commenting on your product or service, making it as simple as possible is the easiest way to obtain results. After they receive your testimonial, it is also key to engage with them, entrenching your relationship with them and showing appreciation. It is possible that negative reviews will also come through, but showing that you are paying attention and care about their feedback can take your business to the next level.

Conclusion:

There is no arguing that testimonial advertising can promote authenticity for your product, service, or company and has the power to influence customers’ decision-making processes. The variety of ways you can incorporate this tactic into your strategy makes it an easy way to promote rich content on your website and in marketing campaigns. By selecting the correct testimony and sourcing, you will be able to obtain a major organizational advantage.