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Hey everyone! We’re considering adding customer quotes and stats throughout our website.
How do you all feel about using anonymized data from our sales team or quotes from customer calls that haven’t been explicitly approved by the customer?
So I'm pretty against using anonymous quotes, purely because I feel like any organisation could just make up a quote and slap "title, industry" after it. From a credibility perspective, it just doesn't sit well with me. I might be alone in this thinking though!
I think this really depends on your industry! Security tech for example is much more familiar with anonymous data over named social proof.
Ultimately, anonymous proof is better than no proof. If you have to start anonymous, at least get the proof on your site. I would create a workflow/plan that helps you replace anonymous data with approved data eventually though. Buyers do want to see real names, but progress over perfection!
Unless verified by a third party: GartnerPI, PeerSpot, G2, TrustRadius, I avoid anonymity. But @Alexie Glover is correct 'progress over perfection', although content captured without consent should never be utilized IMO.
@Kelsey Dannels personally, I would seek approval from customers before putting quotes on your website.
The challenge with anonymous quotes (unless it is in highly regulated or privacy-minded markets) is that it creates more questions in the buyer's head (are they just making these up? why won't customers put their names behind this product?) than it answers.
Happy to share more insights from the customer marketers we serve, if that's of interest.
Just to clarify my response above re: anonymous social proof—this is always with permission.
If you are stuck without permission and without named proof, I would look to aggregate use data across a few customers for something like "Our top 5 users unlock XX" - keeping the data accurate but completely unidentifiable to a single user.
But again, this is the absolute bare minimum, bar on the floor, option.
As for not currently having approval—this is a golden opportunity to start the conversation and build the relationship. "Hey I'm Kelsey from Company. I heard you say 'XXX' on a recent call and we'd love to feature your unreal results with our technology. Want to chat about the various ways we could collaborate to spotlight your success?"