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Types of Customer Testimonials and Why They Matter
One of the best ways to measure the success of your product is not by how many units you’ve sold, how much website traffic you’ve received, or even how many people use your product – it’s how much your customers like your product. These feelings often manifest themselves in the form of a customer testimonial. Think of a customer testimonial as a stamp of approval for your company and/or product. (See our post on Testimonials: The Value of Being Authentic).
Customer testimonials are more valuable to smaller companies because they do not have the widespread brand recognition of a more established company. They are also more important for product-based companies than experience-based companies (i.e. trips, concerts, etc.) because people tend consult their friends for experience-based recommendations and the internet for product-based recommendations.
The best testimonials are believable (i.e. not too gushingly positive), recent (i.e. the person used your product within the past year and preferably within the past 3 months) and include variety (i.e. not just the glowing reviews of one feature). Perhaps the most powerful kind of customer testimonials are from those who have been “converted” from a once skeptical consumer into a happy customer.
3 Types of Testimonials
There are 3 main types of testimonials that companies typically publish on their websites. Below is an outline of each type, when to use them, and examples:
1. Customer – This type of testimonial comes directly from a customer. It can be solicited or unsolicited, but is usually the most candid. Use this type of testimonial when you want to profile real customers who have used your product or service. A great way to collect customer testimonials is from a forum or a comment section on your blog. Just be prepared to allocate time to respond to those comments, especially the negative ones, so you can clear up any misperceptions about your brand before they spread.
Examples:
Honest Discounts: “We’re covered by BlueCross BlueShield which is great coverage but they didn’t cover one of my daughter’s prescriptions. With the Honest Discounts card, we’ve been saving 25% on it in the past 4 months.”
- Kathleen from Rochester, NY
Nella Pasta: “At Equal Exchange enjoying your Tuscan White Bean Pasta Salad. Tastes phenomenal. Your website and business are quite impressive, keep it up!
- Sarah (This is actually a blog comment, but could easily be reframed as a customer testimonial.)
Rent The Runway: “I used RTR when I needed a dress for my Senior Banquet and a wedding that happened to be on the same day. A stylist talked me into a perfect black dress for both occasions so I didn’t need to change! I definitely encourage everyone to use this site because the staff is so friendly and who doesn’t want to wear a fabulous dress for less!?”
- Krystena, 18, San Diego, CA
Wiggio: ”Wiggio is simple and brainless. We’ve tried others and are sticking with this.”
- Katherine O.
2. High Profile Person – This testimonial is usually from a customer as well or someone that is familiar with the product. The difference is they are well known, either in general or within a specific industry. These testimonials are valuable due to the clout and trust other potential customers have for this person. However, try to use this type of customer testimonial sparingly – if you have too many high profile customer testimonials on your site, you might dilute the effect they have.
Examples:
Constant Contact: “The results are virtually instantaneous — they help me to get a quick read on my customers: who they are, what they’re buying, and what they’re thinking.”
- Ford’s Gourmet Foods, Patrick Ford, Vice President and International Marketing Director
WebNotes: “Prior to WebNotes, it would take one of our staffers 2 hours per day to compile our e-clippings. Now it takes half an hour.”
- Robert Nielsen Jr., Chief of Staff for Senator Tom Libous
3. Press/Product Reviews – This type of testimonial comes from someone whose profession is to report on specific topics to a specific or general audience. Most companies have a press section on their website that houses these types of articles. However, highlighting a few good quotes on the press page, home page, or a targeted landing page is helpful in bringing the value of these articles to your customer’s attention. Press/product reviews are especially powerful if they appeared in a well-known publication or were written by a well-known author.
Examples:
Basecamp: “Basecamp is so simple you can’t do anything wrong. Basecamp is addictively easy-to-use.”
- Robert Hof, BusinessWeek
Pintley: “These suggestions are what floored me about Pintley; it was like a personal list of some of my favorite beers of all time.”
- BeerAdvocate, September 2010
In general, the best customer testimonials are specific to the product or service offered, used sparingly, and written that year. What are some of your favorite customer testimonials? Let us know in the comments section.
