How to Correctly Manage Customer Testimonials to Increase Your Brand Credibility

Author: Neil Patel / Source: Quick Sprout

Establishing credibility is important for all businesses.

There are only so many brand names today that speak for themselves. I’m referring to global giants such as Apple, Nike, and Walmart.

In these instances, consumers know those companies are legitimate. But the rest of us need all the help we can get to establish our credibility.

That’s why in the past, I’ve identified the top elements adding credibility to your website. Today, I want to explain one of those elements in much greater detail.

Customer testimonials.

Those of you currently displaying customer testimonials on your websites are off to the right start. But there is always room for improvement.

If you’re not using customer testimonials, that needs to change.

One of the reasons why these testimonials are so valuable for your business is because they create social proof.

Exactly how much of an impact will this have on your conversions? Here are some numbers you should take into consideration:

• 92% of consumers say they read testimonials and customer reviews when they are deciding to make a purchase
• 72% of consumers trust businesses more if they read positive testimonials about those businesses
• 88% of consumers trust these testimonials just as much as a personal recommendation.

One of the best ways to learn how to do something is by following the examples of those who succeeded before you. I found some great examples of existing companies doing this right.

I’ll show you a bunch of different tips and tricks to help you correctly manage your customer testimonials. Here’s what you need to do to succeed.

Add a photo of the customer

Reading text without any visuals is boring. But adding photos will draw more attention to your testimonials.

Not sure what photos to add? Instead of using a stock image, use a photo of the customer who wrote the testimonial.

Check out this example from the Square testimonials page:

I really like the way this review is displayed.

It’s clean, neat, visually appealing, and easy to read. The images draw your eyes to the review.

Including a picture of the person who wrote the review makes it more personal. It shows that your testimonials weren’t fabricated.

People reading this can do some research and find out whether the reviewer actually exists.

If you use this strategy for designing your testimonials page, make sure the testimonials look professional. Refer back to the example above. The images are nearly flawless.

If you aren’t great at taking pictures, review my guide on how to take and edit photos without hiring a professional.

If the images look like they were taken on a flip phone from 2003, they won’t add credibility to your website. But a clean photo of the reviewer will make a huge difference.

Showcase the top testimonials on your homepage

Some of you may have your reviews in a separate section of your website. There’s nothing wrong with that.

In fact, I’ll discuss why it’s important to have a page dedicated to reviews and testimonials shortly.

That said, these testimonials shouldn’t be buried. Find your top testimonials, and add them to your homepage.

Here’s an example from the Uber website:

If you scroll down the homepage, you’ll come across these testimonials from the company’s drivers.

When we think of Uber, we normally associate it with the brand providing people with transportation. However, Uber also needs to make it appealing to drivers to join its platform, or its operation won’t work.

That’s why it used these testimonials to appeal to prospective drivers.

These reviews from current drivers will help encourage other people to drive for the Uber network. Uber plastered these testimonials directly on its homepage.

As you can see, the company also included professional photographs of the people who wrote the reviews—a topic discussed above.

Now the testimonials have much more value than they would if they were just words without any visuals.

Those of you who already have lots of testimonials have an advantage over everyone else. Read through them, and select the top two or three to showcase on your homepage.

Share the customer’s credentials

You already know a photo of the customer is important. But what else can add credibility to the testimonial?

Show your website visitors who the customer is and what they do, assuming it’s relevant to your products and services.

Let’s look at an example from HubSpot:

If you are not familiar with this brand, HubSpot offers software designed for sales and inbound marketing.

Now, take a look at this testimonial. It’s from the director of marketing at AdHawk, another company in the digital advertising space.

Showing the customer’s credentials here is extremely relevant.

If the director of marketing at an advertising company was happy with the service, it will encourage other prospective customers to make a purchase as well. This definitely adds credibility to the brand.

Think of ways you can use the same concept on your own website.

For example, let’s say you own a business selling health and wellness supplements. Getting a testimonial from a doctor or physical therapist would add more credibility to your brand as opposed to a testimonial from a lawyer.

Sure, a lawyer may be perceived as someone who is intelligent and powerful, but it’s not relevant in this specific instance. Do you see the difference?

It may be an easy fix for you to add these credentials to your testimonials. You probably already have that information on file. Now just update it on your website.

Create a separate landing page specifically…

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