How to Obtain Customer Testimonials for Your Business with Social Media
Approximately 92% of consumers read online reviews to help them decide if a business and its product or services are worth their money and time. As such, customer testimonials are one of the most powerful marketing tools to convince prospects to turn into actual buyers.
But how do you gather customer testimonials for your business with social media? This explains everything to know.
Why Use Social Media to Obtain Customer Testimonials?
Wouldn't it be great to post customer testimonials and therefore ease the worried minds of potential customers? Customer testimonials come in various forms and it can be something like:
Not only do customer testimonials provide social proof, but they also give customers a reason to choose you from competitors.
Where you have different channels to collect customer feedback, such as a website review page or email survey, social media is an effective way to get valuable customer testimonials. Here is why:
- Your customers are active social media users. Practically every internet user is active on social media and researchers claim that people spend a considerable amount of time on social media. This means customers are more likely to share their feedback on social media platforms.
- Social media users are ready to communicate with brands. Nine in ten social media users have interest in brand communication with companies they love. Since people want to communicate with brands on social media, they are more likely to provide customer testimonials if you ask them for it.
- Social media platforms have in-built features for collecting testimonials. From sharing clickable links to collecting customer feedback with the 'question' sticker or advanced direct messages on social media, there are many ways to collect customer testimonials on social media with ease.
Which Social Media Platforms to Use for Getting Customer Testimonials?
There is no one-fit-all answer to this question - it depends on the type of customers you are trying to reach and what kind of content you want them to produce. However, a few key platforms can be used for collecting customer testimonials.
Here's the list of the most popular social media platforms.
And here's the breakdown of the top platforms to use for collecting customer feedback:
Facebook. With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is among the most popular social networks. It's an excellent platform for reaching out to customers and getting their feedback, as it's easy to set up campaigns and conduct surveys.
YouTube. YouTube is the second-largest search engine and an excellent platform for hosting customer testimonials. Its video manager feature lets you easily organize and manage your content.
Pinterest. Did you know that Pinterest is the third-most popular social media website? It's an especially great choice for businesses in creative industries as it's easy to showcase products and services visually. Encourage customers to post photos of themselves with your product or service and use the captions to share their feedback
Instagram. Instagram is an excellent platform for visual content, and customer testimonials are no exception. Encourage customers to post photos or videos of them using your product or service and use the captions to share their feedback..
Twitter. Twitter is an excellent choice for customer testimonials because of its hashtag feature. This makes promoting your campaign or survey easier than ever while encouraging customers to share their feedback with a broader audience.
Whichever platform you choose, create compelling content encouraging customers to share feedback. For example, use social media captions that entice followers to leave a review. Or, dedicate some posts or question tags, purposely for your followers to share what they think about your business, products or services.
Now that you understand why and which platforms to use for collecting customer testimonials, here are seven powerful ways to get them.
1. Make The Most Out of Social Media Bio
The bio section explains who you are as a business and what makes you unique. This is where customers can learn more about your product and services.
Take your time to craft a compelling bio that encourages customers to leave feedback about their experiences with your business.
Another good idea is to include a link to an online survey or review page where you can collect customer reviews. For example, the Instagram bio section has a link tree feature that allows you to add multiple links, such as your website, review page, and other social media accounts.
2. Create a Separate Social Media Profile for Customer Testimonials
Most consumers want to leave feedback about products and services but need help determining where to share.
This is why creating a separate social media profile devoted to customer feedback can be beneficial. This page should be dedicated to customers discussing their experiences and reviews with your business, products, or services.
3. Set Up an Influencer Marketing Campaign
Influencers have a large following, which is why they can be essential in helping you to build trust and credibility with customers. Partnering with influencers lets your business get authentic customer feedback about your product or services.
The influencers can encourage their followers to share their experiences with your business, which results in more customer reviews and testimonials. They may also use a question sticker or caption, a great way to encourage followers to leave their feedback.
Check out an example on how one influencer shares her feedback on using BaliBody. When followers get an example of customer testimonial from someone they trust, it encourages them to do the same. As a result, your business obtains customer testimonials.
4. Promote Customer Feedback Surveys
Customer feedback surveys are an effective way to understand how customers perceive your products and services. The surveys provide valuable insight that you can use to improve the customer experience, which leads to more positive reviews and testimonials.
Here's an example of a social media post that promotes a customer feedback survey:
The surveys should focus on the customer's overall experience, like how likely they would recommend your product or service to a friend or family member. You may also ask the consumers to recommend areas they think require improvement.
And if you run a loyalty program, you can reach out to your loyal customers first and invite them to fill out your customer satisfaction survey. Then, you can repurpose this content and feature it on social media.
5. Encourage Followers to Communicate with You
Social media provides customers with direct communication with brands and organizations. This encourages followers to contact you directly with questions or concerns about your products or services.
Ensure your social media pages are active and up-to-date so customers know they can reach out to you when needed. And take the time to respond to messages and comments promptly.
Your social media captions can encourage or discourage followers from commenting and sharing their experiences. For example, suppose you have an Instagram caption that reads, "Share your experience with us and get a chance to win a prize." In that case, this encourages customers to leave feedback about their experiences with your business.
6. Listen to Your Fans Actively
Don't be so focused on pushing your products or services for sale that you forget to listen to your followers. Take time daily to check what your customers say about you on social media and other platforms.
This step can help you gain insights into their experiences with your products or services, which can benefit future campaigns. Furthermore, this activity can help you identify fans willing to share their positive experiences with your business.
Let's take a look at the comment section on Sephora's YouTube. Paying close attention to comments can help to understand the audience better. What is more, it's a good chance to contact the right person and ask for feedback.
7. Feature Customer Testimonials on Your Profile
Showcasing customer testimonials on your page allows potential customers to read about current customers' experiences. This step helps form relationships and trust between you and potential consumers.
Check out how BaliBody does it on its Instagram profile:
Having customer reviews on your profile allows followers to share their experiences effortlessly. This idea helps to build a more engaged community, which can benefit your business in the long run.
8. Make it Easy for Followers to Share Customer Feedback
Encourage customers to leave feedback by ensuring they know how easy it is to do so. You can add links to your social media profiles, website, or email signature to make it easier for customers to reach out.
Ensure the links are clear and easy to find so customers won't hesitate to leave their reviews. Additionally, you can provide incentives for those who leave customer feedback, such as discounts or other rewards. This encourages more people to submit their experiences with your business.
Additionally, you may encourage customers to leave reviews on your social media profiles, such as allowing them to review their experiences on the site. This simplifies the process for customers and makes it more likely that they will leave a review.
In a Word
Collecting customer testimonials with social media is a great way to generate content, build relationships, and boost engagement. Following the steps above, you can obtain valuable feedback to help your business grow. In return, you can use the reviews to improve your customer experience and reach more potential customers.