Customer testimonials are one of the most effective ways to market your business. However, it may be more challenging to lasso those positive words than you might think. Some business owners find that when they reward customer testimonials, they reap a much better return for their efforts. However, rewarding customers for taking the time to complete testimonials and paying customers for their words is a fine line indeed. We’ve got some tips for encouraging customers to provide feedback about your business without taking anything away from the credibility of those testimonials.
Getting Effective Customer Testimonials
Sure, it would be nice if every satisfied customer sent in a testimonial without any prompting whatsoever, but that isn’t the norm for most business owners. Many have to encourage their customers to state what they liked about the product or service and why they liked it. There are a number of ways to encourage these testimonials, without providing an incentive that might look like you were purchasing the positive words. Ask the customer at the time of purchase to fill out a short survey on your business. Or send one in the mail or by email a week or two after the transaction is complete.
The key to ensuring a good return on your request is to make the process as simple and precise as possible. Use some questions that require a “yes” or “no” answer, but add one or two open-ended question that will require customers to jot down a quick sentence about what they liked best about your company. You can easily do this online, or by providing your customer with a questionnaire when they purchase your product. The information your receive from these informal polls will do much more than promote your business through customer testimonials; they will also provide you with valuable input that will help you serve your customers better in the future.
Appropriate Reward Techniques
To ensure your requests get answered promptly, provide a reward system for those customers that respond in a timely fashion. However, you have to structure this reward system very carefully so that it doesn’t look like you paid for the testimonial. One way to do this is through some sort of drawing, where customers’ names go into a kitty when they complete a testimonial and send it back to you. You can offer a single prize or a set of prizes for the customers whose names are drawn. When rewards are offered through this means, it allows you to positively state that you have not paid for the testimonials you have received. By the same token, it encourages customers to complete their questionnaires in the hope that they might receive one of the prizes advertised.
Collecting customer testimonials is an excellent way to market your business online. These online testimonials give prospective customers confidence to do business with your company, and gives them a sense of camaraderie with others who have worked with you in the past. When you find appropriate ways to reward customer testimonials, you greatly increase your chances of a plethora of positive testimonials to choose from.
