23 Companies That Are Using Customer Testimonials The Right Way

Testimonials give prospective customers trust and confidence in your product. Testimonial statistics show using reviews and testimonials on product pages can improve clicks, conversion rates, and purchases. We’ve updated this blog post to include 23 customer testimonial examples to show how popular brands with dedicated followings use testimonials most strategically. These brands use testimonials to not only inspire clicks and purchases, but also to strengthen relationships with existing customers, show your company culture and values, and encourage customer evangelism.

These 23 Companies Showcase the Best Customer Testimonial Examples

1. Zendesk

Why This Works

Zendesk’s Customer page is one of the best customer testimonial examples for a number of reasons. First, the layout is easy to read right from the start. With plenty of whitespace between the customer features and eye-catching graphics highlighting them, this page is a easy on the eyes. Zendesk also prioritizes their better-known customers, including Vimeo and Airbnb, to lend social proof to their product. On this page, prospective customers can scroll and scan a number of testimonials from big name businesses. This shows that Zendesk is a trusted product used by successful businesses.

When a visitor clicks on a story, a longer page opens up, describing the business, their problem and how Zendesk helps. This page is detailed and informative, providing in-depth information without overwhelming the visitor on the first page. This strategic decision is another reason Zendesk has one of the best customer testimonial examples.

• Attractive design
• Eye-catching graphics
• Skimmable at first, detailed with a click
• Featuring well-known brands

2. Hubspot

Why This Works

Hubspot’s Case Studies page combines powerful aspects of case studies and testimonials. The page is customer-focused as well as results-focused, showing not only the many businesses that use Hubspot, but also the results they had. Using specific numbers like 81% audience growth and 48% increase in contacts, visitors to the page get hard evidence that Hubspot works. Hubspot also highlights big name brands on the page, like the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Wistia, Airstream, even the US government, giving site visitors confidence that Hubspot really works.

Further down the page they include calls-to-action to spur customers to sign-up. They also provide direct quotes from customers, and a list of icons to show more of their long list of customers. All of these elements together make this page one of the best customer testimonial examples.

• Uses statistics to lend hard proof
• Features big-name customers
• Includes calls-to-action to increase conversion rates
• Combines quotes with numbers to maximize social proof

3. Patagonia: Worn to Wear

Why This Works

Patagonia’s Worn to Wear Stories page highlights customer’s adventures using Patagonia gear, and includes a snapshot of their lives as well. This is one of the best examples of customer testimonials from a big brand because it accomplishes a number of unique marketing strategies. This page not only shows how much customers love Patagonia and shows how well Patagonia gear can hold up to extreme adventures, but it also reinforces the company’s culture, mission and overall brand.

Patagonia is environmentally-minded and supports conservation efforts. The brand also leverages quality customer service and connections with their customers as a competitive advantage against cheaper alternatives. Customer profiles and stories displayed in this way shows the unique Patagonia brand and culture. The stories are also emotional and genuine, confirming to visitors that they are authentic, and also making them more memorable. Finally, the microsite’s overall mission—to repair garments instead of replacing them—drives home Patagonia’s commitment to conservation.

• Emotional and memorable stories
• Reinforces Patagonia’s mission and brand
• Shows the quality of the product
• Shows the type of customer Patagonia targets

Featured Resource: Testimonial Request Email Templates

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4. The Honest Company

Why This Works

Specializing in products without harsh chemicals, dyes, additives or other questionable substances, The Honest Company appeals to health- and environment-conscious consumers, especially mothers. Their customer testimonials page showcases not only enthusiastic customer love from brand evangelists, but also highlights the difference that products can make. This is one of the best customer testimonials examples because it fits perfectly into the target customer’s buyer journey.

Many curious customers visiting The Honest Company’s website are likely concerned about the environmental impact of the products they buy, as well as the product’s effects on their family. The testimonials page addresses those concerns, highlighting stories from customers who were likewise concerned about their family’s well-being, who struggled with allergy problems, or who prioritized sustainability.

• Taps into target buyer’s concerns
• Showcases testimonials most similar to the target buyer
• Shows enthusiastic praise and support
• Highlights multiple benefits of the product

5. Salesforce Desk

Why This Works

Testimonials are especially important to software businesses. Since they usually require a learning curve, a sizable investment, and buy-in from multiple decision-makers within a business, prospective customers need to know that the product really works.

With so many software companies using similar testimonial pages, the best customer testimonial examples are ones that stand out. Salesforce Desk makes their testimonial page stand out with a bold color palette and large, attractive images.  With a single, powerful quote and a clear, but not distracting, “learn more” button, webpage visitors are free to skim the testimonials or dive deeper into a particular case study that resonates with them.

• Bright, bold colors and layout stand out from similar companies
• Easy to skim or dive deeper for more information
• Direct quotes show customer’s support and enthusiasm immediately
• Scrolling buttons encourage visitors to view multiple testimonials

Featured Resource: Testimonial Request Email Templates

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6. Slack

Why This Works

B2B messaging service Slack competes in a tough space. To win customers, they carved out a niche amongst tech-savvy, future-minded, trendy companies. They became known as a customer-minded business that would fix problems fast and provide solutions that customers really asked for. Slack’s testimonials page highlights this effort, featuring customer quotes that are all about moving fast and communicating clearly.

Below a clear and nearly laid out feature at the top of the page, Slack shows a number of new and fast-rising tech companies, including Fandango, Zen Desk, Deliveroo and more. With testimonials from many different types of companies, Slack shows that they can fit perfectly into any business.

• Reinforced social proof with a rows of scannable businesses and benefits
• Highlighting tech-savvy businesses supports Slack’s brand image as a fast-moving communication partner
• Quick, scannable headlines highlight benefits for each business
• Attractive images and a clean layout pulls visitors down the page

7. Elegant Themes

Why This Works

With a name like Elegant Themes, any page with poor design will bring down the brand. But Elegant Theme’s testimonial page supports the promise and the motif with a clean, attractive layout and a range fo testimonials that are easy to scan. Why prioritizing customers’ information and role, Elegant Themes shows the many different types of people who rely on their business. With invitations to learn more about each person, a web visitor can take a deep dive to see just what Elegant Themes has to offer, or they can scan the testimonials for quantitative proof instead.

• Simple and thoughtful layout is easy to scan and enjoyable to read
• Prioritizing customers’ information shows the brand’s versatility
• Offers a list of testimonials for quantitative information, as well as more information for qualitative information

8. GoPro

Why This Works

In an age where everyone has a camera built into their smartphone, many camera companies suffered. GoPro found a niche, and became a household name. Knowing that phone cameras weren’t going to cut it for fast-moving shots, and that the internet was the perfect place to feature action and adventure videos, GoPro focused on cameras that were built for stunts and speed in the digital age.

GoPro’s News and Community Pages not only help dedicated GoPro users stay in-the-know, but also reinforce a strong connection. For many GoPro users, the best thrill—beyond whatever activity the user is filming—is having others join in, watch the video, and enjoy it. By featuring these spectacular stunts, like a user “crazy enough to catapult their body off a bridge,” GoPro not only shows off the tremendous toughness and abilities of their product, but also strengthens relationships with customers.

• Uses exciting and memorable user-generated video
• Showcases the abilities and features of the product
• Strengthens relationships with users
• Stories showcase celebrities and influencers as well as regular users

Featured Resource: Testimonial Request Email Templates

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9. InVision

Why This Works

InVision grabs web visitor’s attention right from the start with a particularly bold headline about the “world’s smartest companies” using InVision. Though this is obviously a difficult claim to prove, it inspires confidence nonetheless.

It’s not just the heading  that makes this one of the best customer testimonial examples. While the heading is great for capturing visitors’ attention and putting them in the right mindset, InVision also makes other important strategic decisions. By using two images for each testimonial, including a company logo and an individual’s image, they simultaneously show that real people benefit from using the product, but there are also big business names behind them. This lends authenticity as well as power to the brand.

• A striking heading captures web visitors’ attention right away
• Company logos lend powerful social proof
• Individual photos provide authenticity
• Direct quotes show exactly what the product does and benefits it provides

10. SoulCycle

Why This Works

SoulCycle is known for their devout following in the fitness world, as well as their strong connections with their instructors and students. The SoulCycle Community Inspiration page fits perfectly with their brand, reinforcing both community and life-changing impacts. These are customer stories as well as testimonials, describing the effects of SoulCycle in a memorable and emotion-driven narrative.

Focusing on empowerment and positive life changes from “Soul icons” of all walks of life, SoulCycle shows what customers can achieve, and also shows that anyone can do it. This is one of the best examples of customer testimonials because it reinforces the powerful idea that customers not just buying a product or a class, but that they are buying into a community and a lifestyle.

• Leverages emotional narratives
• Strongly shows the effects the business can have on a customer’s life
• Extends beyond a product and showcases a community and lifestyle

11. Prezi

Why This Works

Prezi is known for making presentations easy and eye-catching. Their testimonials page is no different. With bold colors, a powerful direct quote, and companies logos from well-known businesses, Prezi’s testimonials page makes an immediate impact. By choosing direct quotes with measurable benefits, Prezi demonstrates the potential impact on businesses, not just the impact on an individual.

• Highlights well-known businesses for social proof
• Uses measurable benefits to reinforce advantages to businesses
• A clear and attractive design reinforces Prezi’s simplicity and ease of use

12. Marie Forleo B-School

Why This Works

By including a map at the top of her testimonials page, Marie Forleo immediately boosts her brand. Working with customers around the globe shows web visitors that the business is well-known and internationally-minded. When looking for an expert to help you start your business, this is an important attribute to have.

Marie Forleo’s page also stands out by nature of a unique design. Where most businesses stick to a relatively simple, and generally forgettable, color scheme, Forleo’s page stands out with an array of complimentary colors.  With an array of testimonials for different business and personal goals, including financial success, clarity, entrepreneurship and more, Forleo addresses a number of different potential customers.

• Showcases a global brand and mindset
• Stands out with a unique and colorful design
• Highlighting a number of different testimonials appeals to many different customers

13. Marketo

Why This Works

Marketo sacrifices a personal element in their testimonial page in order to demonstrate just how many businesses use their product. The headline says it all—”Thousands of Customers of All Sizes”—and the case studies below go on to prove it. By listing a large number and wide variety of different businesses, they increase the chances that a customer will relate to the testimonials they see. Marketo works with customers in all different industries, and their testimonials page reflects it.

• Showing social proof with a large number of case studies
• Featuring a variety of businesses increases the chances of resonating with different customers
• Visitors can scan the page or click on any profile for details

14. Basecamp

Why This Works

Basecamp, a SaaS tool helping businesses manage teams and tasks, takes a unique approach with their testimonials page. While it’s unlikely that you’ll read literally a thousand testimonials, that long list of customer approval that scrolls for days certainly makes an impression. Keep in mind that they could’ve organized these over several pages you could click through, but make the conscious choice to make one endlessly scrolling list. If customers had any doubt about users’ feelings towards Basecamp, they won’t after reading, say, fifty or a hundred of these.

15. Eventbrite

Why This Works

No event can be successful without the right people, including both attendees and organizers. Understanding this concept well, event booking site Eventbrite spotlights some of their best organizers and most well-known events booked on their platform. Putting their most famous clients at the top of the list, like Wholefoods and the Tribeca Film Festival, Eventbrite gets clout in a tough industry. Eventbrite uses artful media combination, including a short, scannable page design, quick quotes for the reader, and videos for the watchers. With all media bases covered, they can convert the most visitors into leads.

16. Dollar Shave Club

Why This Works

A disposable product like shaving razors wouldn’t usually have reviews, since these products are cheap and people don’t invest much thought before buying them. However, Dollar Shave Club sells a subscription service, and loyalty is a huge part of their customer base. Viral online ad campaigns and positive customer sentiment are two factors turning what might have been a fad into an aggressively growing business. Dollar Shave Club’s lead-generating testimonials page showcases quantity—over 32,000 reviews—as well as quality, by keeping the reviews honest. They aren’t all five-stars, and that’s OK. Showing all reviews shows that the company is confident in the job that they do, and they accept criticism.

17. Airbnb

Why This Works

Airbnb has always known that their platform is all about experiences, including those of both guests and hosts. Besides their remarkable user-generated content, Airbnb showcases the truly exceptional guest stories on their website. These stories, including a host that opened her home for free during Hurricane Sandy and a young student who was inspired to change his career, not only builds a heart-warming feeling towards the platform, but accomplishes Airbnb’s biggest branding goal; making travel an experience.

18. Adobe

Why This Works

Adobe has produced exceptional software for decades and continues to be the go-to resource for creative works. Their dedicated customer base has also allowed them to expand into other business offerings for business solutions, marketing analytics and more. Regardless of industry, Adobe is heavily focused on customers and results. Their lead-generating testimonials page features a series of case studies divided by product type, so prospective customers can find more information on anything they’re looking for.

19. Nike

Why This Works

Recognizing that high quality was no longer enough in the competitive industry of athletic apparel, Nike took a closer look at their marketing approach early on in the race. They realized that their endorsements, following, and goal-oriented, determined image were key to really reaching athletes. They also realized that community was important to Nike fans and fitness fans in general. The Nike Run Club (NRC) and member spotlight combines all of these factors into an unconventional, but undeniable lead-generating website testimonial page. NRC members that break the mold, though who aren’t necessarily celebrities, share their stories, including what fitness, NRC, and Nike means in their lives.

20. CrossFit

Why This Works

The following behind CrossFit has become something between famous and infamous, but no doubt made of very loyal fans. To not only demonstrate what CrossFit can do, but also provide instruction for new users looking to take their fitness to the next level, CrossFit made The Journal, a testimonials page that reads more like a fitness/motivational blog. Motivating, teaching and including fans at all levels with text, pictures and videos, this is a customer testimonial examples page that works perfectly.

21. Home Partners of America

Why This Works

Owning a home is a big priority for most Americans, but the pathway to homeownership is far from easy or risk-free. Home Partners of America generates immense loyalty from its clients by providing a more stable path to a family’s biggest asset: their home. With several spotlighted video testimonials at the top of the page, several more below it, and a number of written reviews beneath those, Home Partners of America demonstrates its strong and growing customer loyalty and trust.

22. Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU)

Why This Works

Costs of tuition, and finding a college path that is rewarding as well as practical is a big challenge facing most students and families in America today. Saginaw Valley State University’s (SVSU) testimonials bring students together and demonstrate to incoming freshman how powerful their degree can be. With a video testimonials spotlighted at the top of the page and several other videos queued below, SVSU uses a YouTube-like design to make this a lead-generating testimonial web page for a younger audience.

23. RevenueWell

Why This Works

RevenueWell specifically helps dentists stay in touch with their clients and manage communications, and this focused approach has won them a lot of loyalty in their niche. Dentists, dental assistants, and office managers alike declare their support in a series of written and video testimonials laid out in a neat grid. This clean, professional layout, with pictures and videos, lends authenticity and authority to this lead-generating website testimonial page.

What Makes the Best Customers Testimonial Examples

Visually Appealing:

All of these customer testimonial examples are easy to look at, make you want to click around the site, and follow the company’s branding flawlessly. The best examples of customer testimonials should be enjoyable to look at and read.

Organization:

Many of these brands segment their testimonials by customer group or industry. They recognize the different buyer personas that are associated with their brand and make it easy to find content that each persona can relate to.

Include an Image, Logo, or Video:

There’s no better way to make your testimonials more personal that to include some sort of identification that allows the potential customer to “put a face to the name”. An image or video works flawlessly for individual customer testimonials, and a logo works well for recognizable brands. These companies do a great job of adding that personal touch to their testimonial pages, and this makes them a lot more powerful than simply showing text.

Powerful Taglines:

Many of these companies did a great job of figuring out what made them credible, and posting it on their testimonial pages to give them a immediate recognition. A concise tagline works wonders at keeping the visitors engaged.

Show Competitive Attributes:

Visitors are likely consider your competitors as well when they visit your testimonials page. By highlighting testimonials that show off your competitive advantages—like GoPro camera’s toughness, The Honest Company’s eco-friendly materials, or Slack’s tech-friendly approach—you reinforce why customers should choose your product or service.

Featured Resource: Testimonial Request Email Templates

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Main Takeaway:

Testimonials are a resource that all companies should be using, but it’s how you use them that makes the true impact on your business. Decide what you want your testimonials to say and the effect you want them to have on your customers. This will help you decide how best to collect and display your testimonials. Are you looking for a list of quotes from well-known customers to give your business authenticity? Do you want to relieve doubts about your business with customer stories and case studies? Or maybe you want to create a community and reinforce ties with your customers? Whatever you choose, these 13 customer testimonial examples from big brands can help you get started.

Posted in: Social Proof