Showcasing customer testimonials in your advertising, marketing materials, and on your website is a highly effective way to build trust and credibility for your cannabis brand. However, not all testimonials are equal. In fact, some can do more harm to your brand than good.
Fake and paid testimonials and reviews are everywhere today, so it’s not surprising that potential customers will question the authenticity of the testimonials you publish for your business. By taking some extra steps when you reach out, collect, and share testimonials from your customers, you’ll get better results.
To make your testimonials stand out and resonate for the right reasons, consider the 12 tips discussed below.
1. Make Customer Testimonials Credible
One of the biggest challenges with testimonials is their credibility. Prospective customers must believe that the testimonials are real, so use actual customer photos and customers’ real names to prove the testimonials you publish are authentic. This transparency will help build trust with your audience and give them the peace-of-mind they need when deciding to buy your brand or a competitors’ product (or nothing at all).
2. Include Real Data
Ask your customers to include specific data and results in the testimonials they provide for your cannabis brand. If a customer mentions that a particular strain helped them sleep better or relieved their pain, include exact details and numbers.
For instance, a testimonial stating, “After using this strain, I fell asleep in less than 30 minutes rather than tossing and turning for hours,” is far more compelling than a testimonial that says, “It helped me sleep.” Specifics make the benefits more tangible and believable as long as they’re not hyping pie-in-the-sky claims. People need to feel like the results are actually attainable for them too.
3. Be Detailed
Vague testimonials don’t offer much value. Statements like, “It was great,” are not very informative and do little to motivate new customers to try your brand. Instead, encourage customers to share specific details about their positive experiences. Testimonials should clearly articulate the benefits they received, making it easy for potential customers to see how they could benefit as well.
4. Stay Targeted
Don’t share the same testimonial again and again. People will notice. A better strategy is to collect testimonials from a wide range of customers. Try to gather testimonials that mention different aspects of your business and products as well as a variety of customer experiences. This diversity makes your testimonials more relatable and believable, which makes your brand more trustworthy in consumers’ minds.
5. Get Permission
Always get written permission to use a customer’s testimonial, name, and photo on your website, in your advertising and marketing, or anywhere else. This step is crucial not just because it’s the right thing to do but also because you never want someone to publicly state in the future that they never gave permission for you to use their testimonial (or deny giving it).
6. Be Relevant
Use testimonials in the right context to make them more relatable. For example, if a customer uses your product for pain relief, show their testimonial in a section of your website dedicated to pain management. This makes it easier for potential customers with similar needs to relate to the testimonial, and it’s a highly effective way to boost sales for relevant products.
7. Tell Stories
Transform all testimonials into compelling stories. Instead of just providing a few sentences, encourage customers to share their journey — what problem they faced, how they discovered your product, and the impact it had on their lives. Storytelling can create an emotional connection with prospective customers that leads directly to sales.
8. Use Videos
Video testimonials can be incredibly powerful for cannabis brands. Seeing and hearing real customers talk about their experiences adds a layer of credibility that written testimonials can’t always convey. Video testimonials can be shared on your website, social media, and even in some advertising campaigns.
9. Be Careful with Influencer Endorsements
You don’t have to avoid gathering testimonials from influencers in the cannabis community. They often have a large following and can add credibility to your brand. However, you need to be cautious and ensure their testimonials share their genuine experiences with your products.
10. Educate
Pair testimonials with educational content to get better results. For instance, if a customer testimonial highlights the benefits of an edible product, include information about how edibles work, their potential benefits, and special considerations to use edibles safely. This adds value and educates your audience while building trust in your brand.
11. Provide Social Proof
Highlight testimonials on social media platforms where potential customers spend their time. Create visually appealing posts featuring customer quotes, and encourage customers to share their experiences and reviews on their own social media profiles as well as on your brand’s social pages and accounts.
12. Engage
Don’t forget to actively engage with customers who provide testimonials! Thank them for their feedback and address any questions or concerns they might have. This not only shows that you appreciate them but also builds a sense of community and loyalty among your current and prospective customers.
Key Takeaways
Customer testimonials are a powerful tool for cannabis brands to build credibility and attract new customers, but you need to take the right steps to gather and share testimonials that can actually help your business and brand.
By ensuring your testimonials are genuine, specific, and varied, and by incorporating them into a broader marketing strategy, you can create a compelling and believable narrative that highlights the real benefits of your products, improves your brand reputation, boosts word-of-mouth marketing, and leads to increased sales.
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