Reputation Reviews vs. Testimonials

Reputation reviews and testimonials both perform the same function. They both essentially allow customers that do not know about your business to gain a deeper understanding. The differentiation between reputation reviews vs. testimonials lies in where the information is located.

Testimonials only appear on a company’s website and therefore can be much more difficult for potential customers to find. Reviews appear across the internet on a wide variety of sites. While reputation reviews are more easily seen and located, it is important to accentuate great client testimonials on your site for increased value.

Reputation Reviews vs. Testimonials: Understanding Value

Testimonials can be a very effective element to a website not only in terms of decoration but for helping create trust for the user. I think it’s an often overlooked element but as these examples show they can really enhance a sites design as well as improve the selling potential of a website. The use of photographs accompanying the text works really well and helps add a personal touch to the testimonials.

In promotion and advertising, a testimonial or show consists of a person’s written or spoken statement extolling the virtue of some product. The term “testimonial” most commonly applies to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary citizens, whereas the word “endorsement” usually applies to pitches by celebrities. Testimonials can be part of communal marketing.

Reputation Reviews vs. Testimonials: Tips to Optimize

A satisfied customer’s testimonial can reinforce trust and experience in a business’s service. When these testimonials are displayed on the website, it’s important they not obstructive but are well integrated into the complete web design. There are five great trends for arranging customer quotes effectively:

1. Speech Bubbles–Useful to present testimonials in a friendly and informal manner, they visually set apart text or images from the rest of the page contents.
2. Quotation Marks–Having a slightly more formal feeling than speech bubbles, quotation marks work well for corporate websites with traditional fonts. But when coupled with lighthearted fonts, testimonials can seem informal and fun.
3. Images/Icons/Graphics–Styled much like social networking posts, quotes are set next to the image of the person, a company logo, or an icon. These graphic elements help to separate the testimonial from surrounding text.
4. Minimalist– If your web design is minimalist, these types of quotes work best. They are subtle, but still independent from the main body of content, often just by using a smaller font and italics.
5. Video– Still relatively new, video testimonials can be the most persuasive. People believe what they can see and hear with their own eyes, and a video testimonial can go a long way to gain a potential customer’s trust.

In the discussion of reputation reviews vs. testimonials, most experts agree that they both have value. It is up to each company to make the most of the opportunities for each.