Customer Testimonial Mistakes to Avoid

The most engaged with section on a B2B landing page: Testimonials. Not surprising. Trust is a huge factor in B2B purchases. Making sure social proof is on there isn't enough. Like every other section, it needs to be strategic. That's where many B2B companies fail. Here are the common mistakes I see: 1. Overloading with too much proof More is better, right? Wrong. You’ll see landing pages sprinkle testimonials every few blocks on a landing page. This is a disruptive experience, especially if it doesn’t fit the flow of information. If your prospect doesn't even know what your product does yet, use the real estate to establish that clarity before plastering with proof. 2. Wild claims and too little proof I’ve seen companies claim to work with 1,000+ companies globally yet will have a single testimonial on a landing page. This makes your initial claim less believable. 3. Using irrelevant social proof If you’re targeting Enterprise but all your logos and testimonials are from smaller companies, then it will hurt credibility before helping it. 4. Not using different *kinds* of social proof Companies can be monotone in their social proof - only using long form or only using logos. There are different ways to add credibility without it being redundant. I call these "lite" proof vs "heavy proof". Lite = logos, one-line testimonials  Heavy = more robust long-form testimonials Use lite earlier on pages.  Heavy to drive your points home further down. 

93% of consumers say online reviews influence their purchase decisions. But the way most use social proof actually hurts conversion instead of helping. It's one of digital marketing's greatest ironies. I've analyzed thousands of websites over the past decade and found a consistent pattern: companies add testimonials and reviews to their sites, yet they often sabotage their effectiveness through poor implementation. The psychology is clear: humans are social creatures who look to others when making decisions. But simply sprinkling testimonials throughout your site isn't enough. Here are the common social proof mistakes that kill conversion: ↳ Placing social proof at the wrong stage of the journey Don't show testimonials before establishing what your product actually solves. ↳ Using reviews that sound suspiciously perfect Real reviews have nuance... 4.7 stars is more believable than 5.0. ↳ Showcasing anonymous quotes instead of identifiable people Our brains dismiss "J.S. from California" as potentially fake 🤷🏻♂️ Social proof is most effective when strategically deployed based on where customers are in their decision-making process: ↳ Discovery Use expert endorsements and certification badges to establish credibility ↳ Information Gathering Customer reviews highlighting specific benefits address practical concerns ↳ Decision-making Testimonials addressing potential objections remove final barriers One enterprise client at The Good increased conversions 42% (!!) by simply moving testimonials from their homepage to their decision stage pages. Is your social proof convincing potential customers, or just convincing *you* that you've checked a marketing box?

Most social proof is neutral. It’s just filler. But I highlight some testimonials below that land and build trust. Let’s start, though, with poor testimonials. They do the following… 1) They lack data, specificity, or context 2) They contain generic data like “we drive 256% ROI” or generic claims like “we save you time” Good testimonials on the other hand… 1) They tell a relatable story. “We were doing X, now we are doing Y, and here is what is working”. When done authentically, buyers will relate to the pain and solution. You take the prospect through a journey. 2) They contain data and specifics that a prospect can connect with. 3) They are believable. Wild ROI numbers and thousands of hours saved can strain credulity. 4) They have affinity. If I am a 5-person startup and see a quote from Wells Fargo, I likely can’t relate to it. But if I see a quote from a 10-person startup, just a bit ahead of me and crushing it with the tool, that is ideal. What makes a good or bad testimonial to you? Can you share examples?