Testimonials, also called “social proof,” speak to our herd instincts; we feel safer doing something that lots of other people do. For example, if one company has 40 reviews and another company has four reviews, we’re wired to think that the company with more reviews is the better choice.

According to online marketing personality Neil Patel, 92% of customers report they read online reviews before making a purchase decision. And, luckily, it’s easy to get customers to write reviews. 72% of those that were asked to write a review went on to do so.

For B2B, LinkedIn is the best place for a testimonial. It has authority, and gives some background context on your reviewer. For B2C, Google is the most visible review site. Yelp, TrustPilot, (and for local-only businesses, Trip Advisor and Thumbtack) can also be useful, and you certainly want at least a small presence on each relevant site.

Set a regular schedule to ask your clients for testimonials. For example, if your business has a high volume of clients, you could ask for testimonials on the second Thursday of every month. If you have lower volume, you might ask for testimonials on first day of each quarter or season. Put this in your calendar as a recurring item. This would be a good task to delegate, if you allow someone to send emails on your behalf. Keep track of which customers have been asked to review your company.

Here’s how to make it easy and successful:

1. Make an email template asking for testimonials. This will make it possible to do your testimonial asks in mere minutes each month or quarter.
2. Provide a link to your preferred review site. And write a heartfelt message about how much testimonials mean to you and your team.
3. Check back on the review sites to see if clients wrote reviews, and if so, say thank you with an email, call, or hand-written thank-you card. You can also thank the client publicly on the review site. This shows other readers that you are monitoring client feedback and care about your reputation.

Repurpose those testimonials on your website. You can use stylized pull quotes, graphics, or a side bar to draw emphasis. You could even ask permission to use your customers’ LinkedIn profile photos, which lends further context and trustworthiness. Once you have enough reviews, you can start a page on your website dedicated entirely to testimonials.

Repurpose these endorsements in your marketing. You can highlight just one quote in a graphic. Add your logo and brand colors to create an attractive graphic. Or, pull together three to six graphics to make a carousel. Carousels can be posted on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

The testimonial-gathering process also gives you an opportunity to better understand what people like best about you and your services. You can build on that momentum.

What if you get a bad review? Respond earnestly and publicly, and thank the reviewer for bringing it to your attention. Then offer to take the investigation offline so you can research the specifics of this client’s experience, and respond appropriately to earn that customer’s satisfaction. Knowing about a customer service issue could be immensely valuable. Furthermore, your prospects will read your company’s responses to bad reviews. This is an opportunity to show your ethics and responsiveness. 

Lastly: Don’t offer prizes for good reviews. It’s a violation of the Yelp and Google Terms of Service, and it looks dishonest.

With a little prompting, your customers can be your best sales tool. You’ve earned it with your hard work, so go ahead and ask for the testimonial, and let your customers speak for you!