How do you solicit customer testimonials and reviews without being intrusive or annoying?

In my experience, timing is everything in online lead generation. Asking for testimonials and reviews immediately after a positive interaction increases the likelihood of a response. It's when the customer's satisfaction is at its peak, and they're more inclined to share their positive experience with others. This not only helps in building social proof but also enhances your brand's credibility, which is crucial in B2B marketing.

Timing is everything. So many times, I get testimonial requests when I have not even received the product yet. Think about the process your customer is going through when purchasing and using your products. Provide them with enough time to have received or used the product prior to soliciting testimonials and reviews.

I find that the best time to ask for a review will vary on the product or service. If the product is used immediately say eyewear the best time will be in the first 1-2 days. For a software it might be before the first monthly renewal. For services it should be in the first couple of days after the service has been delivered. If initial opportunities are missed any time there is a customer interaction but be wary sometimes being too quick to ask can be annoying. Many major companies get this wrong asking literally seconds after the call has ended.

I have found the best method to ask for a testimonial is a simple very personal text message this could link to the review page of the site you would like the review putting on. I feel offering incentives works but you need to be wary that things like coupons, discounts etc should be given as a thank you for the review or it could appear the review has been brought and paid for rather than genuinely provided by a happy customer.

All communication should be personal it’s possible to still automate the process with careful wording. 2 way texting works well because it gives the provider of the testimonial a feeling of individual attention. Keeping requests so they feel on a human level is very important. If the list has been tagged and well segmented the request can have an even greater feeling of personalisation and customised to the recipient.

Totally agree whilst permission to use a review is implied it’s always better to request this formally to avoid it upsetting the provider of the review. Personally I believe a genuine “thank you for taking the time to give us a review” this can be rewarded with a coupon, voucher but also it my be better to reward with a related item rather than an incentive to spend again. Very important is a review is negative it is dealt with quickly in private not on the review platform. When the client is appeased then ask them for a revised review and also put your own comments as to how the issue was resolved. People are wary of all 5 star reviews especially if they are brief and show little specific feedback.

What I have found helpful is working with the Customer Success (CS) team to determine which customers are best to ask for testimonials at any given time. They know the customer best, and emails or phone calls directly from them have worked well for us in terms of customers agreeing to video testimonials, customer stories, reviews, etc. Marketing writes the message and the CS team tweaks and personalizes it. This process works well for us.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you are actually doing it (asking for reviews/testimonials). Yes, take a moment to identify some best practices, but don't get too caught up in whether you're being intrusive. You have too much at stake to sit around wondering whether your request will be well received. Just do it.

A website that displays reviews especially if there is a mechanism to display reviews with a call to action that elicits a call or other form of contact to the business can be a huge benefit. I have seen using this method conversion rates on a website to increase from 2-4% to as much as 20-40 % that’s a 200-400 percent uplift in potential sales.