Your target audience is already interested in what you offer. They’ve read the informational sections of your site and they know they need your product or service to solve a problem. However, they may still feel uncertain about whether to part with their hard-earned money. After all, they don’t know you or whether you’re trustworthy.
Your job is to convince them you not only have the solution to their needs, but you follow through for your clients. According to BrightLocal’s Consumer Review Survey 2020, 87% of local consumers read online reviews before making a decision to buy.
You can hit every element perfectly on your landing page and still fall flat if you don’t add at least a few customer testimonials. Put yourself in the shoes of the average consumer. No reviews either mean you’re new and untested or you’ve deleted any negative comments and aren’t being transparent.
One of the best ways to learn how to include testimonial sections on your landing pages is by studying how other companies handle them. Here are our favorite examples and why they work so well to convince buyers to give the company a chance.
1. Update Often
Over time, your testimonials can become dated and stale. If the person visits your site more than once while deciding whether to enter the sales funnel, they may find the selection of reviews limited.
Instead, rotate reviews and add new ones as you receive them. If you aren’t getting reviews, reach out to your customers who are repeat buyers. Ask them if they’d be willing to share a few words about their experience with you. Seek out honest feedback and ask if you can share it on your landing pages.
Blue Apron swaps out their testimonials and rotates through what different people say about their service. The example above targets busies working moms, which make up a big portion of their audience. However, you might also see testimonials from people trying to eat healthier, families looking for ways to have fun together inexpensively, and numerous other people.
Note how they place the testimonial under the meal plans. The user has likely read over what’s available and see the pricing already. They are in the decision stage but may wonder if the service is really worth it. By placing the testimonial under the pricing, they capture those on the fence about ordering and give them an extra nudge.
2. Animate the Section
Want to draw attention to your testimonials? Add some animation to it by placing each quote on a slide and rotating them through. You can highlight with animated arrows, underlines or box them in with color.
Your goal is to engage your user and grab their attention. You want them to see the testimonials without being distracted from the overall goal of the page.
Advantage Outfitters places their testimonials near the bottom of their landing page on a slider. The slides rotate to the left automatically. As each comment pops up, a red comment box highlights the words.
The moving elements grab user attention without distracting from the purpose of the page. Users who need a little more information before deciding to use Advantage Outfitters can see what others have to say.
3. Capture the Power of Video
You can say a lot more with images than words alone. Video is a great way to showcase customer testimonials. The format is easy to digest and users tend to remember better what they saw and heard.
Ancestry encourages people to sign up by sharing the stories of what others have discovered from their family trees. They highlight their UVP and how easy it is to connect with the past.
In the video above, a woman named Heidi shares how she always was a bit out of step with the rest of her family. She loved adventure and they didn’t. Then, she found out about her great-grandfather and decided to step out of her comfort zone and try something totally unique.
The video highlights how the service changed her life in both subtle and big ways. It creates a sense of nostalgia that makes others want to uncover unique elements on their family trees.
4. Embed Reviews
Some of the best testimonials are reviews. People know they aren’t necessarily solicited by you. They tend to trust star ratings. Even if you have a poor review here and there, if you show you sought to solve the issue, it can help enhance your image.
Think about the best place to include reviews on your landing page. Typically, under the pricing information works best. However, you can also place them beside each benefit of your product.
Holded adds an embed from Trustpilot to show how others rank them. If the user wants more detail than 4.5 out of 5 stars, they can click on the icon and read specific compliments and complaints.
The reviews are given and held on a third-party website, so people are much more likely to trust their authenticity.
5. Link Out to Reviews
If your landing page is simple and you don’t want to clutter it, you can still add some trust by linking out to reviews on Google, Facebook, or another third-party site.
Pay attention to the feedback you receive, so you can fix any issues and ensure your reviews are positive ones.
Ollie’s Canine Campus has a pretty basic website focused solely on their services and quickly introducing their brand. Rather than list a bunch of photos and reviews on their website, they encourage people to visit their Facebook page to see reviews, photos, and news.
The added benefit is people will likely follow them on social media. They can then market to their fans and let them know about specials and events.
Answer Concerns
Take note of the questions you receive when talking to new leads. How can you answer their concerns through testimonials? If someone asks what your refund policy is, highlight a customer review where you did refund their money and show how happy they are with the steps you took to rectify the issue.
Think through the pain points customers go through as they make the buyer’s journey. Answer the problems and you’ll alleviate much of their concern. You’ll also want to include a few glowing reviews to show how skilled you are in specific areas. With a little practice, you’ll achieve a balance of excellent reviews showcasing your strengths as a brand.
Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the director at a marketing agency before becoming a freelance web designer. Eleanor lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.