What's the value of a word...in B2B customer testimonials?
In the case of testimonials from your satisfied customers, a word may be worth its weight in gold.
Of course, it's no secret that B2B customer testimonials influence buying decisions and, in turn, your bottom line.
If your B2B business is not taking advantage of the power of testimonials, then it's time to consider how to implement them into your marketing plan.
But, getting the most out of testimonials means choosing positive reviews that are relevant to your incoming sales prospects. Then placing them strategically throughout your sales funnel.
In this article, we'll give you the essential elements of a great testimonial and where to use them. As well as actionable ways to highlight your customers' success.
Let's get started.
What Is A Testimonial?
Testimonials are generally a written statement given by your friends, colleagues, employer, or peers.
People give testimonials in appreciation of your work or to endorse a service that was valuable to them in their personal or professional life.
But your business is a slightly different matter.
Your B2B customer testimonials need to resonate with your potential customers in order to be effective.
And whatever claims you make in your marketing should always be backed up by supporting evidence.
Customer testimonials are the perfect means to show your reliability, trustworthiness, and brand advantages to another business.
The Elements of a Good Customer Testimonial
A good testimonial is:
- Short: Keep written testimonials short, otherwise readers will skim and the point of their message will be lost. If you have a longer testimonial, then use bold type for the key messages. Keep the offer relevant to your target audience.
- Specific: Anything that measures results, shows numbers, or attests to "ease of use" will strengthen your B2B reviews. Especially think about your prospect's pain points and provide the best examples of how you solve these problems.
- Authentic: There are several ways to demonstrate authenticity and to elevate your credibility. For example, the addition of a headshot along with your customer's name and title. Or adding a company name and logo for further reliability.
- In video format: Video provides your prospective customers with the face, voice, enthusiasm and personality of your existing customers. All of which improves social proof and builds trust.
For instance, here's a great video example from Payara:
10 Customer Testimonial Examples You Can Copy
In this section, you'll find ten great testimonial examples as well as creative ways to incorporate the strategies showcased within these examples into your marketing strategy.
Customer testimonial example #1: Airtable
Sitting in plain view on their blog page, this customer testimonial from Airtable is a brilliant and innovative way to use testimonials to generate leads.
What we like about this customer testimonial example:
- The testimonial is from a brand that Airtable's readers (marketing professionals) will recognize. Above all, this increases the trust they have in the person giving the testimonial.
- The position is unusual. We've seen many testimonial formats, but it's rare to see one featured on a blog page.
- It's also doing double duty as a testimonial and a signup form.
- The bold border and text color differentiate it from other images and text used on the adjacent blog posts.
- The customer cites two clear benefits that they gained by subscribing to Airtable.
Top Tip: Put your B2B customer testimonials in unexpected places and with high-contrast design elements to grab the eye.
Customer testimonial example #2: Canva
Our testimonial example from Canva demonstrates the potential of social media as a tool for business growth.
Look at this tweet from a brand new Canva fan (and retweet from Canva themselves):
What we like about this customer testimonial example:
- It's timely: Canva was exhibiting at an industry show in the education sector. They retweeted this message the same day and certainly took advantage of its relevance to the exhibition.
- Canva expressed sincere gratitude to their visitor, which of course increases how genuine the exchange feels.
- The testimonial is in the voice of their audience. Your favorite content writer would find it difficult to emulate the frank, colloquial language from this new Canva fan.
- The visitor's testimonial sums up two key benefits in less than 20 words. And Canva uses that chance to reinforce one of those benefits further.
Top Tip: Monitor your social media channels for opportunities to engage with new or existing customers.
Customer testimonial example #3: Robin
A video testimonial may be the single most effective customer testimonial in your arsenal.
Why?
Videos take B2B customer testimonials to the next level.
Moving images allow a reviewer to connect with their audience in a multifaceted way.
Similarly, video brings facial expressions, hand gestures, voice, tone, and many other important characteristics of communication to the table. All elements that are lacking in a written testimonial.
In only 3 short years, the use of video as a marketing tool has jumped from 63% in 2017 to 85% in 2020.
Due to the increased demand for video content, the importance of introducing video testimonials to grab your buyer's attention has never been more apparent.
Just like any written or quote testimonial, you can use a testimonial video on any page of your company's website.
For example, this video customer testimonial from booking system Robin:
What we like about this customer testimonial example:
- It's short: This is a 30 second clip taken from a longer video testimonial on their site. It's possible to convey more detailed information via video in that time (i.e. more than you could read in 30 seconds).
- It has pace: The customer is a senior manager at OneEleven who conveys the benefits of Robin software with energy and enthusiasm.
- It immediately states Robin's value proposition ("a reliable booking system").
- The customer describes at least six specific benefits that OneEleven receives by using the software.
Top Tip: Video is an affordable and effective tool for every business. As a result, use it to reveal the reasons your customers choose to support your brand.
To learn more and get help creating your testimonial videos, check out Testimonial Hero.
Customer testimonial example #4: Zapier
Zapier has a distinct theme running through its customer social media testimonials. While they frequently use different colors and text, these testimonials all appear in a similar format.
Here's an example:
What we like about this customer testimonial example:
- It's easy to read: Using bold black text on a white background ensures this testimonial is clear and uncluttered.
- Eye-catching border: Zapier uses vivid colors in the surrounding borders. Because the same color appears in the quote marks on this graphic, it attracts your eyes to the text.
- It's the perfect format for your social media pages.
Top Tip: Try including B2B customer testimonials in your top of funnel (TOFU) and social media content to increase brand awareness.
Customer testimonial example #5: Venngage
Venngage have managed to combine four brief yet powerful testimonials from industry-recognized customers onto their pricing page:
What we like about this customer testimonial example:
- Venngage added these high profile B2B customer testimonials to one of the most important pages on their website: the pricing page.
- The customers giving testimonials are recognizable by Venngage's target market.
- Where better to showcase the results your customers achieved than in the very place you're asking them to "choose a plan?"
Top Tip: Always use testimonials on any page designed to drive conversions.
Customer testimonial example #6: Typeform
Typeform has nailed it with the following testimonial on their product page.
What we like about this customer testimonial example:
- The photo is bold and professional. The design elements complement the colors in the image. Then the white text on a gray background is clear.
- Typeform secured a testimonial from a high profile figure. Certainly, many of their prospective customers will recognize Rand Fishkin and may even use Moz software.
- It's relevant to the product offer. Typeform now offers two products, so this testimonial is placed prominently on the page for their "people-friendly forms."
- Your customer list may not include recognized names. But if your product is better than your competitors', make sure to let people know by copying this example.
Top Tip: Display a mix of familiar faces and logos in your testimonials.
Customer testimonial example #7: Webflow
The Webflow homepage includes social proof and B2B customer testimonials directly below the fold.
What we like about these customer testimonial examples:
- They reinforce each stage of a process: Webflow incorporates customer testimonials into the "build," "launch," and "grow" steps on their homepage.
- The position: The left-hand side of a page is the ideal place to direct a visitor's eye.
- The background: Each testimonial example has a white background that contrasts with the colors used in each section of the page.
- They're easy to read: If visitors skim a page, then the white encapsulation will stand out and grab the eye.
Top Tip: Instead of confining your reviews to a testimonial page, try placing a customer testimonial video right on your homepage. It's a perfect way to impress new visitors to your site.
Customer testimonial example #8: Hootsuite
Hootsuite does an excellent job of showcasing their customers' successes with a variety of case studies, quotes:
What we like about these customer testimonial examples:
- Variety: Hootsuite uses a mix of design styles and layouts on a page dedicated to their customers. The page is a combination of links to their extended customer case studies. Together with short benefit statements and quotes from their customers.
- They are easy to scroll: You don't see large sections of content that all look the same, so visitors are more likely to view the entire page.
- They increase trust: Every quote includes a company logo, a headshot, and a title to enhance their credibility.
Top Tip: Combine different testimonial formats and designs on the pages dedicated to your customers.
Customer testimonial example #9: Kissmetrics
The Kissmetrics' Demo page is one example of how to use a customer testimonial with a call to action.
What we like about this customer testimonial example:
- The placement: The testimonial is situated right next to the call to action (CTA) button. Additionally, it sits directly under their pitch, i.e., how to find out more about the Kissmetrics product.
- The testimonial format: It concisely summarizes a benefit. It also includes a headshot, title, and company information for the customer.
- The contrast: Instead of continuing the blue background for this testimonial, Kissmetrics have drawn further attention to their social proof by fading the colored background into the white text box.
Top Tip: Position your B2B customer testimonials near any CTA.
Customer testimonial example #10: Cloudlock
Video is incredibly popular with all internet users, and it's now used widely for B2B customer testimonials.
The team at Cloudlock found a novel way to use the video testimonial format.
They made "the customer" themselves.
At first, this testimonial example appears to be simple self-promotion. But it's more than that.
Their career page includes this video, which features several Cloudlock employees who describe their experience working at Cloudlock:
What we like about this video testimonial example:
- Cloudlock discusses their product solution immediately so that viewers quickly understand what they do.
- It's a novel way to promote working at Cloudlock. They state the professional benefits of a career at the company, as well as highlighting the environment and team culture.
- It provides insights into the company culture and the way they work, so it doubles as a brand video.
- It portrays confidence in the company and the future in a fun, natural, and positive manner.
Top Tip: The next time you're hiring, get your team on video to outline your brand strengths, career opportunities, and your working environment.
Conclusion
You've just seen ten great customer testimonial examples to copy on your company's website, social media platforms, and marketing materials.
Every customer testimonial we listed has one thing in common—they are all carefully designed to create an impact and to resonate with potential customers.
Several of our testimonial examples are seldom seen. This means there's an opportunity for you to capitalize on those marketing gaps.
The demonstration page and pricing page options are prime examples of areas that are underutilized by business-to-business service providers.
Video reviews are strong contenders for top place in the list of testimonial examples to copy.
These authentic and concrete examples of your customer's results present you with an opportunity to persuade and connect like no other medium can.
That may just tip the balance when it comes to a decision between you and your competition.
