How to land more leads with customer testimonials

Customer testimonials are a lot like butter.

Yep, that magical, melty thing that makes even the best type of food better. So, if testimonials are butter, your construction company is bread. Yes, bread is good … correction, great. But nothing makes people flock to a basket of bread quite like magical, melty butter.

So, what makes this marketing tool so darn attractive? It’s all about human connection. We crave what others crave. We like what others like. We want what others have.

Yep, it’s as simple as that. If someone looking to build a house hears how a new homeowner got their dream home working with their dream contractor, that someone is going to want a piece of that dream for themselves. A positive statement from a homeowner may just be the cherry (or butter) on top that makes you stand out from competitors.

The glowing review doesn’t even have to be from a beloved friend or relative either. According to one study, 88% of consumers trust online testimonials as much as personal recommendations. Again, it’s all about that human connection – regardless of who that human is.

There are so many right ways to do this thing that’s right for your business, too. From short quotes displayed on flyers and video quips embedded in email marketing campaigns to lengthier case studies and success stories on your website, the clients giving you money now may just be your key to making more moolah in the future.

However, it’s not enough to just talk about the who, where and how of customer testimonials. Let’s get to the meat (anybody hungry yet?) of it all – the why.

Increased online and business performance

Metrics, shmetrics! Why measure construction customer testimonials if it’s all about the human connection, right?

Think again.

Attaching numbers behind something attaches its value. Like all good construction marketing tools, testimonials can be carefully assessed, analyzed and reviewed to see just how they’re benefitting your business.

Those benefits start with a stronger online presence. Yep, testimonials can boost SEO and your Google rankings. Think of your customers as your own personal content creators – that’s how Google sees them, after all. More testimonials mean more keywords on your site.

But that’s not all. Google also likes to show off those businesses that seem worthy of showing off. If you have more quality 5-star reviews throughout the web, search engines are more likely to rank your own website higher. Consider garnering a top spot on the results page as Google’s very own positive review of your business.

When used effectively, powerful customer testimonials can lead to more conversions, too. According to a study from Northwestern University, pairing testimonials with a product makes customers more likely to purchase. Like, a lot more likely.

But the magic number is five. Show at least five reviews and the likelihood of someone becoming a buyer increases 4x. So, don’t just stop at after your first testimonial. A ton is always better than one.

Testimonials = trust

Cashing in on something – especially something as important (and expensive) as a new build or remodel – is a lot like starting a relationship. And what are the best relationships built upon? Trust with a capital T.

That’s why Testimonials with a capital T are so important. It’s your way of showing that you value customers’ feedback and your focus remains on their experience above all else. At the end of any project, you want them to be your biggest fans.

The sad fact of marketing is there’s a lot of deception involved – or at least that’s how the general public perceives it. We’re all naturally distrustful of advertisements and marketing collateral with hyperbolic statements like “The World’s #1 Product” or “Best. Offer. EVER.”

Calling yourself “#1” or the “best” can come off as bragging. Customers don’t just want to take your word for it. They want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly straight from the source – other customers. It’s simple: We trust those who are just like us opposed to marketing machines.

After all, bigger companies can buy all the ads, clever slogans and campaigns they want. Happy customers can’t be bought. Displaying testimonials helps to level the playing field for even the smallest businesses.

More content

Content creation is heckuva thing. It’s time-consuming, tedious and too often gets put on the back burner for more tangible project-related to-dos.

Let your customers do the heavy lifting for you.

Their words can tell your company story. After all, nobody knows what you do right and where you win better than those who’ve already seen success from you. Customers’ statements serving as content links straight back to our first point. Think of the boost in SEO to come!

It’s more than metrics, though. Testimonials are story driven. They hit us in the heart, not just the head.

It’s one thing to display your company stats proudly – how many builds you complete annually, how much your customers save, how many days you regularly come in under deadline, etc. Those figures deserve to be shouted from the rooftop (and should be), but gathering content that’s deeper and has emotional resonance is harder.

Enter testimonials. They give your company a personality. A face. A reason for us to believe.

Don’t let a good review go wasted. If you’re colleting them, put them to good use. We’re talking your website, print collateral, emails and more.

Are you up to the test(imonal)?

Customers say the darndest things.

So how do you make sure those things are overwhelmingly positive to gain more construction and remodeling leads? Smart, simple-to-use construction project management software for contractors or remodelers that’s how.

Let Buildertrend be that how by trying us today.

There’s even a tool in our platform to help gather feedback from previous clients with surveys as well as tons of customer management features. It’s simply your way to butter … ‘er we mean, better.