The Easiest Way to Get Glowing Testimonials From Your Clients
Social proof. You’ve heard of it, yeah? It’s one of the best marketing tools out there and yet it’s highly underutilized.
Why? Because so many service-providers and business owners don’t know how to ask the right questions. You need a review that not only states you did a great job but how you transformed someone’s life!
Continue reading for ways positive reviews can improve your business and how to create an experience that makes it easy for clients to leave an in-depth and personal testimonial.
The Importance of Testimonials
Just how important are reviews? According to one study, over 90 percent of people read reviews before buying a product. In a digital world where we can have an item delivered to our doorstep in a matter of hours, it’s no wonder that e-commerce platforms boast their reviews all over their websites.
My husband literally will not buy anything on Amazon without first reading the reviews. He wants the good, the bad, and the ugly. He’s also one that loves writing in-depth reviews so the relationship is mutual!
I, on the other hand, trust my favorite influencers on Instagram to give me advice on what clothes, baby products, and kitchenware I simply can’t live without. And to be honest, I haven’t been led astray yet! I am happy with nearly all of my purchases that were recommended to me from people I follow and trust on social media.
That social proof phenomenon is real. Not necessarily because we want to be just like everyone else but because the research is already done for us.
If I want to hire a brand photographer to take pictures of me for my business, I’m going to look at the pictures on their website and social media. I may even stumble over to some of their clients’ pages to see what photos they liked enough to post.My rational mind knows that only the best photos were selected to be featured on these sites.
So beyond the final product, I want to know what the experience was like. Was the photographer difficult to get in touch with? Did she have limited scheduling options or a confusing payment process? Did she take forever to get the final images back?
This piece is so important. When I see a review for a restaurant that says “waited 2 hours and the food was meh” I’m not very likely to visit that establishment for a meal.
On the other hand, if a restaurant has a review that says, “I waited in line for 2 hours and this was the BEST FOOD OF MY LIFE!! Totally worth the wait” I’m more willing to sacrifice a bit of my own comfort to get a final product that’s going to knock my socks off.
The same is true for a business owner that is looking to outsource some of their work to a service-provider. A web designer could have the most beautiful website for their business but if they lack testimonials or a portfolio showing their past work a potential client will quickly move on to someone else.
The Paradox of Getting Reviews For Your New Business
You have to remember, there are so many web designers (or photographers, or virtual assistants, or social media managers, etc.) out there, so what is going to make you stand out from the rest? How can you give a potential client that social proof if you are just starting out?
I never recommend working for free or for reviews only. We all know someone who has been burned this way (myself included). Instead, start your pricing lower than what you’d ideally like to make and market yourself to clients honestly.
The first website I designed was my own and the second was for a client that knew I was just starting out. I wouldn’t say they’re expectations were low, but they knew my experience level and were flexible enough to allow me to take a stab at it. I charged $1000 and I was ecstatic!
Each web design project I’ve worked on since then has taught me so much and forced me to step outside of my comfort zone to learn new skills, code, and design techniques. Do I wish I would have made more than $1000 for a time-consuming project? Of course! But it got my foot in the door, got me a fabulous review, and gave me the experience and confidence to market myself as a real-life web designer.
These testimonials are so important when you are starting out so my advice: be open to new opportunities and be honest with yourself and with your customers. Honesty and open communication go a long way in business.
Creating a Detailed and Easy-to-Use Testimonial Page
If you use Squarespace for your website, I highly recommend you create a non-linked testimonials page. I learned this when taking the Paige Brunton Square Secrets course and it has been a game-changer.
Here’s a glimpse at what mine looks like:
I give the option for clients to leave an anonymous review but at the end of my questionnaire I ask if it is okay for me to post their testimonial to my website and social pages. Not only is it right to get consent for this, but it also encourages clients to leave their name with their review for a bit of free marketing.
The most important thing: ask open-ended questions.
Think about the process, the transformation you brought to their business, and the improvement you made to their quality of life.
-Did they feel comfortable and informed throughout the entire process of working with you?
-Did they increase their sales by 150%?
-Did they get 2 hours of time back in their day that they can spend with their family?
These are key selling points.
Think about the client’s emotions.
-Were they stressed and overwhelmed before you joined their team?
-How are they feeling now?
Ask them to do some marketing for you. You can see that one of my questions asks, “For someone on the fence about working with Hilltop Help, what would you say to them?”
One response I got to this question was:
“Maggie at Hilltop Help has allowed me to breathe for the first time in 1.5 years. With her help I can focus on growing the core business knowing all of our administrative tasks are being taken care of with great detail.”
Amazing!
Ask how you can improve. You want your reviewers to feel comfortable being honest with you AND you want to learn from every client you work with. You can take their feedback with a grain of salt if you feel it is unwarranted.
More than likely they will give you advice on how you can improve your process or product and it will be what others in your target audience are hoping can improve, too!
So here’s how you make a Testimonials page in Squarespace
Start by making a New Page in the Not Linked Section. I always opt for adding a blank section using Fluid Engine but if you have another design in mind, feel free!
Add a Text Block to title the page. My title is called “Review and Feedback.” You can call yours “Testimonials” or something more creative!
3. Add a Form Block using this button.
4. Your form block automatically comes with the fields: Name, Subject, Email, and Message. To edit these, click “Edit Form Fields” and you can click into each of the labels to change the name or click “Add Field” to select from a ton of different options. I recommend using the “Text Area” field for your open-ended questions but if you choose to have multiple choice questions, you have the option to add the “Select” or “Radio” fields.
5. Once you’ve added all the fields and questions to your form, be sure to change the storage option that best suits your needs. Click “Storage” and you have the option to enter an email where form responses will be sent or connect your Mailchimp, Zapier, or Google Drive accounts.
6. And that’s it! Simply update the url to the title of your page and you can send this link to all of your clients for an easy, one-stop review experience. No log-in necessary!
How to Actually Ask for the Review
Now to what most people find to be the hardest part. Actually asking for the review. Here’s my advice on three different methods.
In-Person:
If you work in a client-facing role where you actually face your clients (mind-blowing) don’t be shy! It’s harder for people to say no or ignore you when you ask face to face and if you’ve done a good job for the client they will likely respond with enthusiasm.
The downside? They may need a reminder. No biggie! Send them an email or bring it up again at your next meeting. Don’t feel like you need to pressure them into it but also don’t be surprised if you need to ask more than once.
On the Phone or on Zoom:
Similar to asking for a review in-person, you get to see your client’s reaction to your request and they may need a gentle reminder. Try to ask at the beginning or end of the meeting so that you’re not taking time away from the work they wish to accomplish.
Start the conversation by saying, “I’ve really enjoyed working you on this project and I hope you feel the same way. Would you be willing to write a quick review for me?” and send that link right into their DMs.
Via Email:
My favorite because it is a very low-pressure method and you can have a script ready. I ask for reviews essentially the same way to every client but customize my introduction to the email by saying what I have enjoyed the most about working together and what we have accomplished for their business.
With email you can also provide the link with more detailed instructions about how to complete the form and what the review will be used for.
What I don’t recommend:
I would steer clear of asking for testimonials on social media. Sliding into their DMs on Instagram or Facebook isn’t the most professional method and can get lost if they have a large following. It’s also bad for their engagement if you are sending them a link that takes them off of the platform.
In Conclusion
Whether you’ve been a business owner for years or you’re just starting out, reviews provide that social proof that can push a potential client from skeptical to certain about deciding to purchase your product or service.
It’s super common for service providers to ask for reviews so don’t be shy about it! Be specific, inviting, and straightforward knowing that you have an easy to navigate review process to get testimonials that you can use for your website and social media platforms.
Feel confident in the work and experience you have provided for your clients and use that review to showcase how truly great you are to work with!