There are many different ways a business can display customer testimonials.
When determining the best approach for your business, it's essential to remember that different formats and mediums can have varying effects on your target audience.
You'll want to use a visual format for your potential leads and align closely with their values.
Below are the different testimonial types you can use to show off your customers' stories.
1. Quote Testimonials
Quote testimonials are ads or artwork that display positive statements about your company from a brand evangelist or a delighted customer.
An image of the person usually accompanies the quote to make the message more relatable to the target audience.
Quote testimonials demonstrate support for your product from a user with experience. This review style can be significantly more effective than traditional advertising methods, as most consumers will trust a peer over a paid actor.
In addition, you can build strong credibility with potential leads by using your loyal customers' voices to advocate for your brand's behalf.
Using quote testimonials can also be a great way to target new audience profiles.
If your company wants to attract customers of a different demographic, finding testimonials with the same profile as your new audience can help make the connection.
2. Video Testimonials
Everyone carries around a small computer in their pocket, so it's no surprise that video has become one of the most popular ways to consume content.
Wyzowl's research suggests that 87% of marketers believe video offers a positive ROI. The main reason for the positive view is because video uses visual images and audio to tell a captivating brand story that motivates viewers.
Videos are also rapidly shared and have the potential to go viral if the content is compelling enough.
Brands like Dollar Shave Club have achieved tremendous success by releasing light-hearted videos that became internet sensations overnight.
While you may not strike gold every time, one good piece of content can quickly make all the failed ones worthwhile.
3. Audio Testimonials
Audio is similar to video in how it can influence and motivate your audience.
The great benefit of audio is that it's a cost-effective way for your brand to create compelling content. You don't need an entire production crew and tons of expensive equipment to make audio testimonials.
You only need a microphone, recording software, and a quiet room to record in. With those tools, you can tell an inspiring customer story by threading different customer quotes together in one track.
Another benefit of audio content is that it can be easily shared and consumed by your customers. Unlike video, audio clips can be listened to in almost any setting and take less data to upload and share.
If executed correctly, audio testimonials can be just as effective as video but produced at a fraction of the cost.
4. Case Study Testimonials
A case study is an in-depth analysis of a customer's experience with your company. These pieces use a more scientific approach to prove how your business played a role in the customer's success.
For example, case studies often use facts and observations to demonstrate how certain products or services benefit actual customers of your business.
One of the best benefits of case study testimonials is that it provides a potential lead with a complete customer story. This is great for B2B companies trying to convince an entire business to buy their product or service.
Leads can read the example customer story and compare it to their situation to see if your company can fulfill their needs.
5. Social Media Testimonials
Whether you like it or not, your social media channels will naturally capture customer testimonials. Social media offers instant relief for customers with strong opinions about a product or service.
A happy customer can simply take out their phone, write an emotional review, and post it for the world to see. Depending on your customer's social following, that review could potentially influence millions of people.
When you do see customers promoting your brand over social media, make sure to engage with them. Like their post and even share it if it's a compelling piece of content.
These testimonials are easy for a company to find and are easily shared with your online audience.
Learn more: Why are client testimonial videos important?
6. Customer Interviews Testimonials
One of the simplest ways to obtain customer feedback is to ask willing customers to provide it in an interview.
Customer interviews can be an excellent way for your business to ask customers about specific aspects of your business and how they played a role in their success.
This format lets you show off your different products and features and lets potential leads see their real-world application.
Customer interviews are a more flexible approach to testimonials because they can be portrayed over various mediums.
For example, they can be recorded and posted as a video or audio piece or transcribed to a written interview posted on your company's website and blog.
Companies often will choose one or a few of these methods to optimize the testimonial's reach.
7. Authority Testimonials
Also known as "influencer testimonials," authority testimonials are pieces of content that include a celebrity or spokesperson supporting your company.
Often this person is a significant influencer of your target audience and helps build your business's credibility.
The most effective spokespeople are the ones that share the core values of the business as well as deeply connect with the target audience.
Authority testimonials tend to be expensive, and finding the right influencer can be challenging. Still, when they succeed, these campaigns can pay dividends for your company over time.
8. Peer Review Testimonials
Peer review testimonials take advantage of customer feedback from review sites like Yelp and Angi (formerly Angie's List). These reviews can influence customers as many consumers look at these review sites during decision-making.
Peer reviews are particularly helpful for customers interacting with your business for the first time. Studies show that 52% of consumers will only buy from a business if they have four or more stars on a review site.
This is because the feedback left on these sites is from unbiased strangers who leave their honest opinions.
These reviews should be used as customer testimonials for your business because they can be quickly uploaded and shared to your company's website. They can be screenshot and posted on the home page for customers to see.
They can also be quoted and reformatted on your site. Instead of making the customer search for your good reviews, bring the reviews to them and prevent navigation away from your site.
9. Blog Post Testimonials
A blog post can be an informative way of displaying customer testimonials. You can write about a customer's story in-depth and break down subtle details within the customer's journey.
It's similar to case studies, but this format allows the company to tell the customer's story from their own perspective.
The post can be written by someone who works for your company, or you can hire a guest writer to compose the post. The benefit of hiring an external writer is that the piece will appear less biased to the readers.
Once completed, the post can be shared either on your blog or on another blog that's popular in your industry.
10. Press Review Testimonials
For growing companies, getting your business featured in the news (for the right reasons) is a big accomplishment.
Nowadays, being on the news means that millions of people can potentially see your product or service, which can significantly improve brand awareness.
While getting featured by news outlets can be difficult for your business to achieve, the payoff can result in thousands of new leads flocking to your website.
If your company is lucky enough to obtain this type of publicity, feed its success by sharing related content on your website, blog, and social media pages.
Are you feeling inspired yet? Good, but before you start crafting your customer testimonials, it's important to understand some of the best design practices.
The next section covers key design fundamentals you'll want to focus on when creating customer testimonials.
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