Do Customer Testimonials Work on Social Media?

Since the inception of social media in 2004, consumers, business owners, brands and marketers have been turning to various platforms as a means of sharing thoughts and recommendations with others, connecting with friends, family and business or brands, and communicating beyond the boundaries of any other platform type to date. One of the most popular forms of content to be posted to social media platforms are the customer testimonials, but do customer testimonials work on social media?

While social media has certainly changed the way we live, shop, communicate, and interact online and off, one cannot deny the value that social media has had for businesses, particularly in regards to recommendations, reviews &, of course, customer testimonials. Whether you’re just starting your business, or you’re trying to grow your business to the next level, if you’re not utilizing customer testimonials across the many social media platforms that are popular these days, you are almost definitely leaving money on the table!

At Beverly Boy Productions, we’ve spent more than two decades working with business owners to develop marketing content that helps them to achieve their brand goals and expectations. From short marketing video campaigns to case study videos that push the brand that extra mile, there are a variety of ways that we’ve actively worked with business owners over more than twenty years to achieve success, and now we actively work on the production of top quality testimonial videos that help our clients achieve their goals.

Nearly 3.8B people are active across social media, but do customer testimonials work on social media? Let’s take a look at the statistics.

Statistics Supporting the Inclusion of Customer Testimonials on Social Media 

While recommendations have always been popular in terms of generating trust among consumers and improving product or service sales, the way that recommendations worked has certainly evolved over time. Before the internet, and social media, family and friends would recommend products or services to those closest to them, but this meant that a brand recommendation would almost always come from a trusted friend or relative, and almost never from a stranger. Today, 88% of consumers trust online reviews from people that they’ve never met just as much as they trust personal recommendations. 

But do customer testimonials work on social media platforms? Consider the following:

• According to Social Fresh, customer testimonials have the highest effectiveness rating for content marketing at 89%.
• 87% of shoppers admit that they begin their purchase decision making with a search for online reviews, often on social media.
• Customer testimonials serve as social proof which shows how valued a company is in the eyes of those who support it.
• 88% of marketers admit consistently positive ROI when they use  social media.
• 84% of people state that a customer testimonial video on social media has convinced them to make a purchase.

Additionally, customer testimonials are short, easy to share, and provide unique value that people come specifically to social media for. 

Why Do Customer Testimonials Work on Social Media?

While the statistics provide a lot of insight into the fact that, YES, customer testimonials do work on social media, they don’t provide much insight as to WHY. Why do customer testimonials work on social media? For one, they’re short and easy to share, which is one of the key elements of social media, but this isn’t the only reason that customer testimonials work on social media platforms like Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok and other platforms.

Below are a few additional reasons why customer testimonials work on social media platforms:

• Customer testimonial videos are the short, easy to follow and fun to share style of content that people come to social media to get involved in. 
• Customer testimonials can be used on social media to boost engagement and increase brand visibility while also improving brand loyalty and authority.
• Consumers are looking for customer testimonials from the businesses, brands, products, and services that they are interested in and many come to social media to find them.
• Customer testimonials humanize the brands that they represent and are an excellent means of sharing the brand’s story.
• Customer testimonial videos can be shared on social media in conjunction with case study research or videos which provide consumers with detailed insight into the unique solutions provided by a business or brand.
• Customer testimonials focus on consumer pain points and accurately reflect the various reasons why customers purchase from a business or brand, which is generally what other consumers want to know before they make their own purchase decision.

So, when you ask a seemingly simple question like, “Do customer testimonials work on social media,” there’s certainly more involved than a yes or no answer. It’s all about how the testimonials are used, what social media platform they’re used on, and what consumers or audiences that testimonials reach as a result – these are the key factors that contribute to whether or not customer testimonials work on social media. 

Want to learn more about customer testimonial videos that you can use to increase consumer connections, purchases, and conversions for your brand? Give Beverly Boy Productions a call!