As an business owner, you probably already know that social proof is an important factor in generating leads and sales. However, the vast majority of businesses I speak to, aren’t using enough reviews and testimonials as part of their marketing efforts.
Your clients love you and the value that you provide, but often, you’re afraid to ask them for a testimonial because you’re afraid it will seem unprofessional and don’t want to hassle them.
The truth is, most of your clients are more than happy to sing your praises if you give them the opportunity.
When you learn how to leverage social proof properly, it can have a significant impact on your sales funnel and help you to close those high value clients that you really want.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can use reviews and testimonials to drive sales for your business.
Website Testimonials
It’s important to include plenty of testimonials on your website. It’s a good idea to have a dedicated testimonial page, but you should also include them in the sidebar and in other strategic locations throughout the site to maximise their effectiveness.
When adding client testimonials to your website, make sure that:
- They are featured prominently
- Concise and easy to understand – new leads don’t want to read an entire novel
- Include specific details about how you solved the client’s problem
- Feature the client’s full name, business name and a photograph
Social Media Testimonials
Your social media accounts are a great place to showcase reviews and testimonials from happy clients.
It’s a good idea to create social media graphics that you can share across a variety of platforms. This is also a clever way around Twitter’s character limit!
Your graphics should all align with your brand, using your colours, fonts and style.
YouTube
Video testimonials are a great way to add social proof. They are more convincing than text testimonials and can be effective at building trust with a new lead. It’s easy to write a fake review, but video testimonials are hard to fabricate.
Just like social media graphics, you can use these videos across multiple platforms and also add them to your website.
Facebook Reviews
Using the Facebook reviews feature, you can encourage clients to leave a review on your business profile that will then show up in search results when someone is looking for an accountant or bookkeeper in your area. This helps build trust and encourages new leads to get in touch.
When someone leaves a review on your Facebook page, make sure to respond and thank them. This also helps to show that you’re engaged with your clients and care about their experience.
Case Studies
Client case studies are a more in-depth look at how you solved a specific problem for a client. They can be very helpful in convincing someone to become a client, as they show that you have the experience and expertise to help them too.
Case studies should be well written, easy to understand and visually appealing. You can include images, infographics and videos to make them more engaging.
A typical case study format would include:
- What was the client’s problem?
- How did you solve it for them?
- What were the results and outcomes?
Google Reviews
Google Reviews are crucial in building trust with your audience. They are one of the first things that people look at when they’re considering working with a new business and can be the deciding factor for some.
As discussed, it’s fairly easy to fake a testimonial on your website, but Google requires users to have a verified account in order to leave a review. This makes them much more trustworthy.
Make sure you ask your clients for a Google Review after they’ve had a positive experience working with you and make it easy for them to do so.
The more reviews your business has, the more trustworthy you will appear.
Awards and Affiliations
Showing that your practice is a member of a professional association or has been recognised for its achievements through awards can help to add credibility and build trust.
If you have any awards, consider creating badges that you can display on your website and social media accounts.
Press Features
If you’ve been featured in the press, make sure to include a screenshot on your website and share it on social media.
When you’ve been featured in a major publication, this not only signals to your audience that you are a trustworthy accountant or bookkeeper but also helps to establish you as an authority within your niche – and this is essential if you want to have high value clients queuing up to work with you.
Numbers
How many businesses have you worked with? How many decades of experience do you have? How many years have you been a member of the professional association?
Displaying numbers that show your experience, expertise and scale can help build trust with leads. If you’re new to business or just starting out, including testimonials from previous roles is a great way to show some social proof and gain credibility early on.
Influencer Endorsements
Influencer marketing is an incredibly powerful way to add credibility to your business. Collaborating with the right influencer can be extremely powerful in convincing leads to work with you, because they have an established audience who trusts their opinion.
Make sure you only work with influencers who have a similar target market to yours and are relevant to what you do. This will ensure that their audience is more likely to be interested in your services. It’s also important to choose a creator who shares your values and reflects the brand you want to portray.
Joint Venture Partnerships
Business owners often overlook joint venture partnerships when considering how to use social proof to drive sales. However, they can be incredibly powerful.
Working with a complementary business is an amazing way to reach new audiences and add credibility to your firm in the process.
A partnership with a trusted business is essentially a stamp of approval from them. Clearly, they believe in you, your business and what you do. If a lead is already familiar with the partner organisation, there’s a good chance they will trust them enough to at least find out more about your services.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to growing your business, social proof is incredibly important. It’s essential to use it to build trust with your audience and stand out from the crowd.
When done well, social proof can be a game changer for your business because it helps you to fill your sales funnel with more high quality leads and allows you to nurture them along the customer journey more easily.
