What Are Customer Testimonials & Why Are They Valuable to Business Owners?

Customer testimonials are talked about across the web. They’re one of the top types of video content produced by brand owners, they’re the focus for marketers, and they’re what consumers are looking for. But what are customer testimonials, exactly and what is it that makes customer testimonials so important to business owners, consumers, and marketers alike?

At Beverly Boy Productions, we work with clients on a daily basis creating customer testimonial videos that can be used to generate revenue, increase brand recognition, and drive trust among consumers resulting in significant brand growth. These short, powerful videos are one of the key forms of content that we work with business owners on pretty regularly. If you have questions about customer testimonials, or you’re interested in creating customer testimonial videos, give our team a call!

What Are Customer Testimonials?

Customer testimonials are real-world accounts from satisfied or potentially unsatisfied customers about your business. They’re reviews, that allow regular customers to advocate for your business or brand in a way that almost always results in increased trust, credibility, and following for your brand. The recommendation that comes from a prior customer that is satisfied with your product, service or business provides a unique means of sharing value with your prospective customers. 

Because customer testimonials are real life accounts from past customers which demonstrate how your business was able to solve a particular problem or set of challenges for your customer, they are incredibly useful to your prospects. The customer testimonial builds a level of trust and social proof that no other form of content can so powerfully do.

Why are Customer Testimonials Valuable to Business Owners?

Customer testimonials are incredible valuable to business owners because they persuade prospective customers to follow along with past customers and purchase from your brand. Testimonials build trust, and in marketing trust is a huge factor in the success of your campaigns. Anytime you can build trust for a business without having to be salezy or otherwise pushy, the result is generally incredibly valuable for the business owner. 

Customers love testimonials because they are transparent. Allowing a past customer to focus on sharing his or her story, and unique satisfaction about your product or service, with other prospects is an excellent way of drawing in the support of new customers and convincing them to purchase your products or services. In fact, customer testimonials have been found to increase purchase decisions, drive consumer interest, and generate greater acceptance for brands. 

Statistics Proving the Value of Customer Testimonials

There are endless statistics that prove marketers, brand owners, and consumers all find customer testimonials to be valuable. When you ask, “What are customer testimonials,” you’re likely to get an answer that includes some level of support for testimonials stating that they are important to marketing, they are powerful for brands or businesses, or that they are one of the key points of research a consumer makes before they purchase from a business or brand.

Consider the following statistics that prove the importance of customer testimonials:

• 63% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a site that has customer testimonials than those that don’t.
• 89% of marketers state that customer testimonials and case studies are the most influential forms of content.
• 92% of people trust a peer recommendation and 70% of consumers trust a customer testimonial from someone that they don’t even know.
• 90% of consumers state they trust a customer testimonial over a business testimonial.
• 88% of people trust customer testimonials by consumers just as much as they trust recommendations from personal contacts.

Testimonials are the most preferred method of researching a product for many consumers. In fact, some will not even consider making a purchase from a business if it doesn’t have customer reviews available for them to review first. 

Types of Customer Testimonials 

So, “What are customer testimonials,” and what are the different types of customer testimonials that a brand can try to get from it’s customers? Essentially, customer testimonials are just short reviews from a customer that highlight the satisfaction that the customer has as a result of his or her purchase from the brand. A testimonial might be something like a social media interaction or post by a customer stating that they love the product or it could be a video that shares their exact feelings and highlights. 

Industry insider style customer testimonials are those that come from an authority subject or thought leader from the industry that mentions a business or brand. You might get these types of testimonials if you’re a B2B company that leverages the power of industry professionals to generate social proof for your brand.

Another type of customer testimonial is the satisfied customer testimonial which is really just a quote, video, or some other post from a customer that represents your brand. These are incredibly important and are often shared on your GMB pages, website, and in your marketing.

As you can see, when you ask, “What are customer testimonials,” the response is likely to cover the fact that customer testimonials are simply reviews or mentions of your business from a past customer that is happy with your brand. They can be incredibly valuable and are one of the key elements of marketing and business growth. Ready to produce customer testimonial videos that will represent your brand and help you achieve success? Give Beverly Boy Productions a call!