Millions of tech buyers visit websites like TrustRadius each year. They’re looking for confirmation that they’re evaluating the right products. They’re looking for advice from fellow software users. And they’re looking for validation that the purchase their company is about to make will be worth it (and drive a high ROI). 

That’s why third-party validation—whether it comes from reviews, ratings, badges, or scores—is essential for B2B success. Over 50% of buyers rely on social proof to help them make informed purchasing decisions. As the market continues to saturate, this percentage will only increase.

We know that unbiased third-party validation is incredibly important to software buyers. Here’s why it should matter even more to you. 

6 Reasons You Should Care About Third-Party Validation

1. 49% of buyers won’t ever interact with a vendor representative. 

2. 52% of B2B buyers use reviews when purchasing technology. 65% see reviews as “very important” when evaluating a shortlist of products. And 90% see reviews influencing other stakeholders at their organization.

3. Among B2B tech buyers, review trustworthiness and influence has increased since last year. 76% of buyers look at how recently a review was published as a way to judge review quality.

4. Reviews lead to higher confidence and a greater propensity to take action during the purchase process. 

5. Products with at least 5 reviews see conversion rates increase by 270%. This increases to 380% for more expensive B2B purchases (like enterprise business technology).

6. Almost 2 out of 3 vendors already use reviews to educate and engage prospects.

Source: https://spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu/online-reviews/

Buyers crave third-party validation. When they find it, research shows that they’re more likely to be highly engaged with you and inspire increased conversions and sales. 

Making third-party customer testimonials readily available on your website and in your marketing collateral signals to buyers that you are committed to providing them with the unvarnished truth. Given that close to half of all B2B tech buyers don’t engage with sales representatives, this may be your only chance to make sure buyers consider you on their shortlist.

Ensuring a strong presence on trusted third-party websites also protects your brand from seeming behind the curve. If you’re one of the 33% of vendors not currently utilizing reviews, buyers will notice.

Social Proof is Proven to Increase Conversion Rates

Plenty of tech companies have already integrated social proof on their own websites to provide buyers with the third-party validation they seek. For many TrustRadius customers, the result has been increased conversion rates and pipeline growth. 

• TrendKite implemented our dynamic widget on a high-value conversion page and saw a 26% lift in demo requests and a 25% increase in time spent on page. 

• AT&T Cybersecurity implemented our widget on two different landing pages for AlienVault Unified Security Management and saw a 43% lift in free trial downloads and a 35% increase in conversion rate on their ‘request a quote’ pricing page. 

• Agorapulse used TrustRadius review content in their AMB campaigns and generated 150K in pipeline for only 1K of ad spend. 

Buyers don’t trust vendor marketing—but tech leaders have found that adding third-party validation to their websites can help bridge that trust gap and increase engagement and sales.

Harnessing Customer Voice and Third-Party Validation 

Third-party validation from trusted external sources is critical. But not all forms of social proof are created equal. 

When it comes to catching buyers’ attention and winning their trust, authenticity and recency matter. Of the 500+ software buyers we surveyed, most agreed that a review must be within one year (or even newer) to be relevant. 

Buyers are hungry for real-time feedback from authentic users. They want to see the pros as well as the cons, and they want to know if your product is recommended by their peers. By providing them with updated and unbiased end-user feedback from a site like TrustRadius, you meet their needs in a way that increases the credibility and trustworthiness of your brand.

If you’re looking for an easy way to tap into social proof, TrustRadius provides a free ratings badge that you can use directly on your website, marketing collateral, and email signatures. 

We also offer paid solutions for more advanced content syndication, including third-party customer success stories, dynamic syndication of review quotes, and TrustMap visuals. These assets help our customers harness the power of customer voice and experience all the benefits of third-party validation.  

For more information on how leading vendors provide third-party validation in the form of reviews and ratings, email pr@trustradius.com.