When you’re debating where to eat for dinner and are looking for a fresh hotspot, where’s the first place you turn to for some top-notch recommendations? Chances are, it’s Yelp. User reviews and recommendations are the bread and butter of the popular platform, and they help bring in new customers for businesses all around the world.

And, according to an infographic by Vendasta, reviews produce an average of 18% uplift in sales. You hearing the famous Jerry Maguire line just yet?

So, it’s no wonder you’re feeling the pressure to gather feedback from your current customers and clients. You’re seeing firsthand how testimonials can propel your business, helping win over the trust of your prospects and blow your sales through the roof.

But, maybe you’re riding the struggle bus when it comes to figuring out how to get testimonials from clients, and the thought of begging for them more than likely leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Or, you may feel as if your customers are too busy to give you the time of day as they just throw together some random weak sauce line for you and check it off their to-do list (ex. Thanks for being a great copywriter!).

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. We don’t want to give your competition a head start to get a ton of positive reviews—it’s time for you to stand out from the crowd. Today, I’m going to break down the “ask” for testimonials into 4 non-annoying ways, helping you get some quality ones…and fast. It’s time to raise your street cred a few notches.

Even with this information in your back pocket, however, do you know how to successfully weave testimonials into copy that sells—video sales scripts, sales letters, email sequences, and more? If you’re shaking your head “no,” that’s okay. You’ve got a lot on your plate and writing attractive content is definitely not a piece of cake. Luckily, I’ve got just the tool you need to save some serious time, taking the chore of copywriting off your desk completely.

Sound too good to be true? I thought so, too, until I started using it. Keep your eyes open for more information below—you won’t want to miss getting in the loop on this tool.

4 Surefire Ways to Raise Your Street Cred: How to Get Testimonials from Clients

1. Post Satisfaction Survey

Looking for a way to ask for feedback, while still keeping your cool?

Go with a post-purchase satisfaction survey. These days, it’s super simple for you to create one and get it out to your people without being too blunt about your desire for something in return. And, you should be sending this out no matter what—ideally 24 hours after the sale.

Surveys allow you to ask questions that tune in to your customers and help you get to the root of: your service, staff, company, pricing, value—you name it. Therefore, allowing you the opportunity to hold dissatisfied customers back from running straight to social media or their friends to voice their frustrations.

In fact, research shows that 45% of customers turn to social media to share negative reviews. Feel the sweat dripping from your forehead yet at the thought of getting some negative feedback on a social media platform for the world to see?

Good news is, when you implement a survey, you’ll be able to mitigate the risk of that happening. It’ll be that much easier for you to address the situation immediately and lift up their spirits, boosting customer satisfaction.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to do this, all thanks to SurveyMonkey. Yes, there are other platforms out there, but we prefer this one. You can sign up for free, create a satisfaction survey using one of its ready-made templates, input customer email addresses, and send it off all at the click of a button. Easy peasy.

Just keep it short and sweet, and ask for a testimonial within an open-ended question at the end of the survey. Here’s an example of one I’ve seen before, and loved:

“Let us know one thing that WOWed you, and any additional comments you may have, regarding your experience with us.”

Oh, and be sure to subtly slide in the fact that by completing the survey, the customer is giving you permission to share their feedback in marketing materials for all eyes to see—in sales letters, on the website, and more.

2. Get Social.  

More often than not, your prospects and customers are present all across social media. So, take advantage of this often-missed opportunity and use Facebook to accumulate some powerful reviews.

Already have a Facebook page for your brand? Great! You can make use of your page’s Review tab. To ensure it’s up and running, simply follow these steps (as long as you’re an admin or editor):

1. Go to your page and click Settings.
2. Click Edit Page.

3. Scroll down to the section where it says Tabs and click on the Settings button for the Reviews Tab.

4. From here, you can see if the Tab is ON to show reviews and allow fans to leave one of their own. You can also reorder your tabs to put the Review Tab closer to the top.

5. Lastly, if you want to post to social media or send out an email encouraging people to submit reviews on your page, you can copy your review URL to share the tab directly with your fans and followers.

Own a storefront or service-area business? You should also focus on getting reviews on your Google My Business page (formerly Google Plus). It’s a free tool that helps you manage how your local business appears across Google products like Maps and Search. And, guess what? Reviews on your My Business page will help boost your placement in Google search results, while driving new business.

Take a look at these results that popped up when I searched for “gyms in Williamsburg VA” in Google Maps. Look at Iron-Bound Gym with 32 reviews and 4.9 stars. Think that encourages prospects to want to check the place out compared to its competitors? Absolutely.

So, how can you jump on the Google My Business review bandwagon? Well, in just a few simple steps you’ll be rockin’ and rollin’:

1. Go to Google Maps.
2. Search for your Company Name.
3. Tell your customers to scroll down and Write a Review.

I know what you might be thinking—I don’t want to tell my customers to do all of that. They won’t do it.

And you’re right. Instead, hit the Share button on your listing, and click the Short URL box to make that big, ugly URL a little bit easier on the eyes.

 

Then, you’ll be on your way to sharing the link on social media, emails, or wherever your heart desires.

In the end, when you spy a glowing testimonial on either one of these social media platforms, don’t just let it sit and rot—transfer it over to your website, too, and include the source (Facebook, Google, etc).

But, hold up before you get too excited and hit copy and paste. Be sure to ask the reviewer for permission to use it. If they took the time to write it, odds are they’ll be more than happy to have it shared in other places. 

3. On-Site Invitation.  

The previous two options for gathering testimonials are great and all, but remember—your leads and customers are going to be directed to your website in most of the content you share, from social media posts to emails, blog posts, and more. For that reason, you need to make it easy for your current customers to submit feedback online.

That’s where a testimonials page comes in handy. Not only can it host all this good praise so potential customers can read success stories in one place, but it can also offer up a button for current customers to submit their feedback for your review. Boast, an app for collecting testimonials, shows how it’s done with their praise page mock-up.

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The button asking customers to submit their experience can simply guide them to a short and sweet form, asking for their name, email address, and a detailed review. That way, if you happen to come across a Negative Nancy, you have their contact information to easily respond right away.

Ultimately, this link lends your testimonials some added credibility as your readers will see there’s nothing fake about the applause you’re receiving from happy customers.

4. Incentivize.

If you still find yourself pulling your hair out over the task of gathering testimonials, you can always consider incentivizing your customers to take action.

You’ve most likely left a restaurant or store before with an incentive at the bottom of your receipt to take a survey and get $$$ off your next visit or be entered into a raffle to win some cash. Take this receipt from Panda Express as an example.

(source)

Would you complete the survey? I know I’ve done it multiple times. So, take a page from their book by offering up a similar incentive to your reviewers—a discount on a future product or service, brand swag, you name it.

We’ve done this in our private AdLab Live Mastermind with HUGE success. We’re giving away $100 and swag, and the testimonials are rolling in every day! Here’s our exact post if you want to swipe it…

We don’t mind giving away $100 for a closed deal. After all, it does take a bit of effort to create a worthy testimonial that isn’t weak sauce. Thus, incorporating incentives will make your reviewers feel super appreciated and motivate them to give you what you want—it’s a give and take relationship.

Just make sure the gift, so to speak, is scalable. That way, if you happen to get a flood of reviews coming your way, you aren’t tossing more hard-earned money out the door than anticipated. If $100 is too much, do what works for your business.

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Remember, no matter what method you choose to go with for collecting reviews, if not all of them, it’s essential you take the time to respond. Reason being, according to research conducted by Rant & Rave, 43% of customers surveyed stated they don’t complain or leave feedback because they don’t think the business cares. Prove them wrong, and showcase you’re thankful for their valued input.

Contemplating how you’ll incorporate some winning testimonials into copy that sells?

You’re ready to get a move on and accumulate some mighty testimonials for your business. But, what you do with them after the fact is even more important. Toss them into your sales copy for prospects and you’ll be revving up the conversion engine in no time. The biggest question is—how exactly can you successfully do that to serve up content that sells without taking precious time out of your already hectic schedule?  

With ScriptDoll, of course. It’s a one-of-a-kind piece of software that helps entrepreneurs like you craft sales copy for any product or service offering. Plus, it takes all the guesswork out of the writing process so you can keep your head out of the weeds and focus on the success and growth of your business.

Here’s why ScriptDoll is so beneficial to entrepreneurs like you:

• Frees up your time to put focus towards more productive tasks—simply complete your product portfolio, answer a handful of painless questions regarding your product details, testimonials, and more, and ScriptDoll turns your answers into engaging copy in a matter of minutes.
• Keeps your content fresh with an ever-growing, extensive library of templates—new templates are added on a monthly basis, from sales letters to email sequences, video sales scripts, native ads, and much more. You’ll avoid putting your audience into a zombie state-of-mind, steering clear of sharing the same thing over and over again.
• Saves you some serious moola by keeping your copywriting in-house—there’s no need to drop loads of money on outsourcing your writing tasks to copywriters. And, you can also avoid investing hours of your time trying to improve your skills in a copywriting course. That’s because ScriptDoll crafts its effective templates thanks to its connections with champion copywriters around the world!
• Decreases your workload to almost nothing with pre-made product profiles—are you a puppy trainer, dentist, plastic surgeon or graphic designer? If so, you’re in luck because your product profile has already been completed for you. There are many more waiting to be used within the software engine, making it that much easier to push out content that converts.  

Grab Hold of These Conversion-Worthy Benefits Now—Join ScriptDoll!

Don’t let your business get passed over all because a competitor actually has some substantial proof that they can help solve your prospect’s biggest headaches. Start using these methods to collect genuine feedback and you’ll considerably boost your conversions. And, fortunately, you’re finally in the loop on a tool to add to your marketing toolbox, which will successfully weave your testimonials into sales copy that’s crafted for you, and actually sells.

Entrepreneurs like you are raving about ScriptDoll—relieving them from the struggles of writer’s block while kicking their conversions up a few notches with little to no effort. We hope you’ll join them and look forward to you getting the results you’ve been searching for. They’re ready and waiting for you.

Is there another way you’ve tried to gather testimonials to add to the list shared here today? If so, let us know in the comments section below. We’d love to hear about your experience.