How to Leverage Social Media Reviews and Testimonials for E-commerce

B. Why Do You Need Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials play a crucial role in building a business’s reputation and can significantly enhance its marketing efforts. 

Here’s a concise breakdown of why testimonials are indispensable:

• Gathering personalized feedback: Testimonials provide deep insights into individual customer experiences, offering a level of detail that can guide improvements and innovations.
• Showcasing the best customer experiences: By highlighting the most positive experiences, testimonials serve as powerful evidence of your company’s ability to satisfy customers.
• Building brand reputation across platforms: Testimonials can be shared across various platforms, including social media or your website, to create a cohesive and positive brand image.

How Can You Get More Reviews and Testimonials?

Let’s address the question that everyone wants answered–how do you get more reviews and how do you create more testimonials?

1. How to get more social media reviews
2. How to get more customer testimonials

1. How to Get More Social Media Reviews

Boosting your collection of positive social media reviews can significantly enhance your online presence and reputation.

Achieving this involves directly engaging with customers, offering incentives for their feedback, and simplifying the review process using methods like QR codes or embedded forms.

Here’s how you can collect social media reviews:

• Incorporate effective calls to action (CTAs): Encourage customers to leave a review after every interaction by using strong CTAs. Asking directly can significantly increase your chances of receiving reviews.
• Offer valuable incentives: Motivate customers by providing rewards for leaving reviews, such as discounts, small gifts, or store credits, to encourage positive feedback.
• Streamline the review process: Simplify the process for customers to leave reviews by minimizing the steps involved. Utilize QR codes and embed review forms in emails to make it as easy as possible.
• Utilize compelling content: Make your review requests more engaging with attractive visuals and persuasive writing. Effective content can motivate customers to share their experiences.
• Claim your business on review platforms: Ensure your business is present and your accounts are claimed on all relevant review sites and social media platforms, broadening the channels for receiving reviews.
• Leverage net promoter score (NPS) surveys: Use NPS surveys to identify highly satisfied customers and reach out to them specifically for reviews, as they are more likely to share positive experiences.
• Run targeted email campaigns: Send personalized emails to recent customers asking for reviews. Tailoring these messages can improve response rates.
• Respond to all reviews: Make it a point to engage with and thank customers for their reviews, regardless of the sentiment. This demonstrates that you value all feedback and are committed to customer satisfaction.
• Approach customers at the right time: Optimal timing can increase the likelihood of receiving a review. Ask for feedback when the positive experience is fresh in the customer’s mind.

2. How to Get Customer Testimonials

We talked about how a testimonial is more personal and detailed, so it deserves a different approach altogether.

Testimonials are not something you want to create en masse, instead, you want to take your time to get in touch with a select number of customers and take a personalized approach.

This is your opportunity to create some stunning and impactful content that you will be able to share across social media, embed on your website and in your emails, and much more.

With that in mind, here are the steps to get customer testimonials:

1. Find satisfied customers who have purchased several products from you and keep coming back.
2. Reach out to them via email that is personalized and has a clear message.
3. Tell them that you’d love to feature them in a testimonial and explain why this matters.
4. Take the time to talk to the customer about what kind of testimonial it should be, and what they’d like to talk about.
5. Engage your designers to turn the testimonial into different types of social media content–static posts, beautiful graphics, horizontal and vertical videos.

Here’s how ASOS shared a testimonial on their Instagram account:

This will be a dedicated project that will collect a smaller feedback sample, but this feedback will empower many of your future marketing and branding campaigns.

Types of Social Media Reviews and Testimonials

Lastly, what are some of the types of social media reviews and testimonials that you can use to boost your brand online and offline?

Know that you can gather direct feedback with an NPS survey, a customer satisfaction survey, and by making customer testimonials. At the same time, you can gather indirect feedback via online reviews, website feedback forms, social media posts and comments, and word-of-mouth listening.

To start, it’s important to understand that this is content like any other, and as such, it can work in any form across all your social media channels. 

Here’s how you can showcase reviews and testimonials on social media:

1. Quote graphics
2. Video testimonials
3. User-generated content (UGC)
4. Influencer partnerships
5. Before and after content
6. Story highlights
7. Carousel posts
8. Review recap videos
9. Highlighted comments

1. Quote Graphics

Transform positive reviews or testimonials into eye-catching graphics that align with your brand’s visual theme. These graphics are perfect for sharing across social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

Here’s an example of quote testimonial from Purito:

They catch the audience’s attention quickly and can be a straightforward way to highlight customer satisfaction.

2. Video Testimonials

Engage audiences with videos of customers sharing their product or service experiences.

Take a look at how Rainier Media shared a video testimonial on TikTok:

Source

These testimonials can range from detailed case studies to quick clips, suitable for platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, offering a personal touch that text alone cannot achieve.

3. User-Generated Content (UGC)

Encourage your customers to share their own experiences using your product, tagging your brand. 

Here’s how Cluse shared user-generated content on their Instagram account:

Reposting this content showcases real-life applications of your products, providing genuine social proof and building a community around your brand.

4. Influencer Partnerships

Collaborate with influencers who share your target audience to provide honest reviews of your products. 

Here’s an example of influencer review:

This strategy leverages the influencers’ trust with their followers, extending your reach and enhancing credibility.

5. Before and After Content

Particularly effective in the beauty, fitness, and home improvement sectors, before and after photos or videos showcase the tangible results of using your products. 

Here’s an example of before and after content from The Curative Beauty:

This visual proof can be incredibly persuasive, illustrating the real value you offer.

6. Story Highlights

Make use of Instagram and Facebook Stories for temporary content sharing, and save testimonials as Story Highlights for permanent visibility. 

For example, Supply House has collected their reviews in an Instagram highlight:

This ensures that positive feedback is always accessible to profile visitors.

7. Carousel Posts

Leverage the carousel post feature on Instagram and Facebook to present a series of reviews or a comprehensive testimonial across multiple images or videos. 

Here’s such an example of carousel testimonial from Brows by Milly:

This approach allows followers to engage with in-depth feedback in an interactive format.

8. Review Recap Videos

Create engaging videos compiling customer reviews and testimonials from a specific period. 

Tesla has nicely curated multiple customer review videos in a YouTube playlist:

Source

These recap videos serve as dynamic showcases of customer satisfaction, ideal for sharing on your social media platforms and website.

9. Highlighted Comments

On platforms like Instagram, highlight positive comments at the top of your posts. 

You can only pin comments from your mobile device by swiping left on the comments, as shown below:

You also have the option to share a comment on your Story afterwards.

This simple technique directly showcases favorable feedback, ensuring that it’s the first thing new visitors see when engaging with your content.

How to Tackle Negative Reviews on Social Media Platforms

Tackling negative reviews on social media platforms requires a thoughtful and strategic approach to not only address the concerns raised but also to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction. 

Here’s how to manage your business’ negative reviews:

1. Monitor social media reviews regularly: Keep a close watch on what customers are saying about your business on social media platforms with the help of monitoring tools. This proactive approach allows you to respond promptly to any negative feedback.
2. Acknowledge and apologize: When you encounter a negative review, the first step is to acknowledge the customer’s experience and offer a sincere apology. This shows that you’re listening and that you care about their concerns.
3. Provide a thoughtful response: Craft review responses that are personalized and address the specific issues raised by the customer. Avoid generic replies, as they can make customers feel unheard.
4. Move the conversation to a private channel: If possible, invite the customer to continue the conversation through direct messages or other private channels. This allows for a more detailed discussion of their concerns and demonstrates a commitment to resolving the issue.
5. Offer a solution: Where applicable, offer a solution to the problem the customer faced. This could be a refund, replacement, discount on future purchases, or another gesture that shows you’re willing to make things right.
6. Learn from the feedback: Use negative reviews as an opportunity to improve your business operations and customer service. Analyzing patterns in feedback can help you identify areas for improvement.
7. Follow up: After addressing the customer’s concerns, follow up with them to ensure they’re satisfied with the resolution. This follow-up can turn a negative experience into a positive one and may even prompt the customer to update or remove their negative review.
8. Encourage positive reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences by posting customer reviews. A higher volume of positive reviews can help mitigate the impact of negative ones.
9. Train your team: Ensure your team is trained on how to handle negative reviews and customer complaints effectively. Having a consistent approach across your organization is key to maintaining a positive customer experience.
10. Maintain a positive tone: Always keep your responses professional and positive, even in the face of criticism. How you handle negative feedback can influence public perception of your brand.

Take a look at how Kovo is replying to their negative feedback on Trustpilot:

By adopting these strategies, you can effectively manage negative reviews on social media platforms, turning potential challenges into opportunities for demonstrating excellent customer service and commitment to customer satisfaction.

Social Proof, Internal Efficiency, and Positive Reviews

Social proof means that people feel incentivized to follow in the footsteps of others. In other words, you know you have good social proof when new customers are buying because other people have bought from you as well–and they’re happy with their purchase.

To build social proof, you need to showcase positive reviews and compelling testimonials across your social media accounts, and of course, across your website.

Think of all the different things that matter to your customers when they’re considering buying from you: 

• Are the products of good quality?
• Have others bought from you and are satisfied?
• Do you fulfill orders quickly?
• Do you offer secure payment?
• Do you provide shipment tracking?
• What’s your return policy?
• How’s your customer support?

You need to answer all of these questions in order to allay their concerns, and you do it with smart review dissemination. 

Getting great reviews starts with slick internal processes. Efficient accounts payable helps keep customers and suppliers happy, boosting your social proof. Remember, happy experiences lead to positive reviews, building trust in your brand.

It’s a loop: solid operations mean good feedback, which we show off everywhere. Smooth money handling, like quick purchases and refunds, matters too. That’s where ACH payments come in, making transactions easier and ditching old-school methods.

In short, making everything run smoothly is crucial, especially with lots of orders and customers. It keeps the good vibes rolling.

Frequently Asked Questions