Testimonials and product reviews can be one of your biggest selling tools. More than 70% of consumers say they see product reviews before making a purchase and about 63% indicate that they are more likely to buy from a site that has product ratings and reviews. 

Social proof can reassure hesitant shoppers, provide additional context, and reduce returns by ensuring that buyers are satisfied with their purchase.

Ready to build trust in your business, create meaningful social evidence and build your brand love? Here are 10 tips to help you go above and beyond with product reviews and customer testimonials.

1. Keep your review front and center

Consider keeping one or two reviews right on your homepage. If you have reviews for specific items, publish them on each product page. You can also add a completely new page dedicated to housing awesome testimonials with a link to your top navy. 

Just make sure you get them on your site in a way that works for your product. We love how Primal Pit Paste featured its hardcore fans on a special section of its website.

2. Go to the same sites as your customers

Being social and accessible is the best way to get honest feedback. Make your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account easily available from your store so that customers can reach them with comments and questions. If you have a brick-and-mortar business like Milk + Honey Spa, then you also want to keep a profile on Yelp and Google Places.

3. Follow up with buyers

Consider sending an email to customers after making a purchase. When your shopping is still top of mind, you are most likely to get a review. To automate this process check out BigCommerce App Partner Yotpo, which makes it easy for you but more importantly it makes it easier for your customers. Remove as much friction as possible between your request and their ability to submit a review.

4. Ask the right questions

To do this, you need to know the type of answers you want before you start asking them. What is your target audience interested in? What are their biggest concerns while shopping? What are the pain points in your industry? Aligning these questions will help you get meaningful and relevant testimonials.

5. Contact people who leave you glowing reviews

If you see a glowing review on Yelp or a beautiful tag pic on Instagram, say thanks! Man Crates does a great job of following and socializing their positive reviews. You can also ask for their permission to shout on your site or social media channels.

6. Contact people who leave you negative reviews

By not paying attention to them, they will go away. Try to respond to negative reviews, especially if you feel that the reviewer is justified in their complaint or that other customers have complained about the same issue. Take this opportunity to learn from your customers and improve your business.

7. Run a contest

It is an effective way of marketing your business with a little help from your current customers. We've shared some social contest ideas in our recent posts on social promotion that may affect your bottom line, but it's always a good idea to keep things simple. Ask customers to add a hashtag on Instagram or post a quick note on their Facebook page. Lensbai regularly runs Facebook contests, asking fans to post photos, such as the Dil Bokeh image at the top of this post, which shows what their unique lenses can do.

8. Reward the reviewers

For example, you can provide a review to each customer that offers you a discount of 10%. And you do not need to tell that it is getting in their way. The surprise factor would add an extra bit of "wow" to their experience.

Please include the customer name and picture when posting the testimonials. This can be a good way to thank your customers, and it also adds a level of credibility to their reviews. Consider adding the source of the review, like Yelp, to encourage other customers to send in their feedback.

10. Give your customers a reason to review you

This can be something as simple as writing a personal thank you note, but this gesture will go a long way in making your customers feel warm and fuzzy. Delush Polish works so well on going the extra mile that customers actually share the packaging on Instagram.

Do you have your own suggestions to improve and enhance customer testimonials? Share your advice in the comments; we'd love to hear about it!

Author's Bio: 

Tech Guru SEO is a full-service Digital Marketing Agency in Noida. Broad digital marketing services. Laser-focused expertise. Our digital marketing services span your entire funnel, but we’ re far from generalists. Whether you need search rankings your competitors can’t match or a web presence your customers can’t miss, we have a team of dedicated specialists for the job. Strikeout your entire digital marketing to-do list, breakthrough your growth plateau, and see profound ROI with a single team of digital marketing specialists.