SaaS TestimonialsTips & Tricks

A/B test all changes to see if they are not backfiring!

Warning

Why TestimonialsWork 1

Social ProofAll of us look to others to help us decide how to act, to guide our behavior, to determine whether something is right or wrong. The more people doing it, the more correct it seems.

Dean Rieck on social proof

Must be from people similar to the visitor● They work best if the testimonial giver has the same status, industry, and

struggles.● People follow the herd. But they need to see that it’s their herd first.

Describe a transformationIdeally, testimonials describe the path from problem to solution:

The most difficult part about getting great testimonials is finding people who are willing to talk about their challenges before they used your solution.

It’s important to have this information because it allows you to show the full transformation people go through. It makes their results seem more believable.

Pamela Wilson from bigbrandsystem.com

What to do If I have more than 1 ideal customer?Group them like Hubspot. They have a searchable case study section.

PlanTestimonials 1

Use the right contextTestimonials must be appropriate to the display location.

“The same testimonial might look believable on a well written professionally designed page but fake on a scammy looking long form sales page”

Bryn Hopewell from London Business Coaching

Ideally you want to get this:“I am a real estate broker in Denver. In our company of 6 the biggest problem was the administration of online offers. We had to copy-paste them to multiple sites, which cost us several hours each week.

With software X we found a solution and now only update it at one place”.

Similarity of people

Same problem

Solution

Even better: reverse themWe say things like: “You know that seedy-looking restaurant, and how you don’t really feel like going inside? They’ve actually got the most amazing food.”

Source Sean D'Souza

The six questions you need to ask to get a powerful testimonial are:

1. What was the obstacle that would have prevented you from buying this product?

2. What did you find as a result of buying this product?3. What specific feature did you like most about this product?4. What would be three other benefits about this product?5. Would you recommend this product? If so, why?6. Is there anything you’d like to add?

You don’t need testimonials for everythingTo increase trust you can also use things that do not involve customer approval:● Show pictures of people using your product or service. ● Mention how long you’ve been in business. ● Cite mentions in the media. ● (more on this list)

AvoidThis 2

Anonymous testimonialsAlex Turnbull, Groove

Is much better than

Alan S, Denver, CO

Simple praises“I love it, and use it every day”.

→ Believability is low. This phrase could have been given for any other product. Plus: the person is not caring enough to give a thorough testimonial

How to getTestimonials 2

Ask the “secret question”“what’s your experience with [our product] been like so far?”

1. Give customers an easy entry to answer the question2. Engage a conversation3. Ask for testimonial later

Source sixteenventures.com

SPURF Systems1. Schedule2. Phone3. Release4. File

Treat getting testimonials like any other systematic outreach.

Pre-write them“Sometimes, if we just want a quote (as opposed to enough information to write a mini case study), we write a sample testimonial for someone, and ask them to review and change it as they wish. This usually results in us getting exactly the quote we want, and the turn-around time is fast.”

Larry Levenson (@sensiblemktg) from sensiblemarketing.com

Where toPut them 3

General guidelines● A company logo makes a testimonial look more legitimate (see examples

on londonbusinesscoaching.com)● As does a photograph (the larger and more professional looking the better)● You might consider including a url to the company's website● Professionally shot video is always going to be believable (who's

realistically going to hire actors in order to fake a video testimonial?)

Thanks to Bryn Hopewell from London Business Coaching

On the home page

Getdrip.com uses a big testimonial right above the fold.

Landing pages● Place testimonials throughout your copy● Whenever it makes sense● The text still needs to be readable

In an own page● Name it “customers” or “case studies” and list testimonials there● Even more powerful: combine it with a few extended case studies /

testimonials.● Whenever state a testimonial on your page, link to this testimonial page.

● Try this if conversion is low on the form itself● We could not find any example of someone doing it, do you know a site

where this is practiced?

On the signup page

https://www.maerketing.com?utm_source=teardown&utm_medium=slides&utm_campaign=template

Interview testimonialsDon’t be afraid of long testimonials.

Long-form interviews can be a powerful format, and easy for the customer - they only need to contribute time.

What is your experience with testimonials?Leave a comment on the blog post!