Marketing Strategy - Making Your Testimonials As Effective as Possible In Your Marketing Pieces

Testimonials are a a must in marketing or advertising you do. They are one of the best ways to put your prospects at ease to the credibility our company has and will boost the effectiveness of any marketing idea you use. You do need to keep a few things in mind to make your testimonials more believable and have a greater impact on your audience.

1.Use testimonials that are descriptive and and not just basic fluff

Which is more impressive to you?

“I just love the service that XYZ company gave me!”
or...
“My new widow coverings where just what I wanted. Company XYZ came out and asked just the right questions to make sure that they gave me exactly what I wanted. They even suggested a few things I had not thought of to make sure I made the right choice. They came back to install the new coverings and were fast, made sure that I was happy with how they looked and even had a checklist so I made sure that everything was done correctly the first time. They also made sure that everything was put back just like it was before they were there. The only reason you'd know they came to install everything is because of how much more beautiful my living room looks. Thank you so much for such a painless process!”

The second testimonial is much more descriptive and really shows the emotion that the customer had. You can almost see the smile on their face as you read it. This is what you want from your customers. This is what will really impress new prospects and gain their trust to do business with you.

2.Don't use generic names
I can't count the number of times I've seen a testimonial from “John D” in someone's advertising or on their website. Well... Who's “John D”? How do I know that this person actually exists? Don't try to hide your customers from new customers. If they are happy with your products and services, they won't mind if you use their real name. This isn't Witness Protection here. This is proof that you have excited, happy customers that are happy to rave about your wonderful service! Use their full name. Even show what city they are in. People aren't going to stalk them because of a testimonial they did for you. Using a real name makes your testimonial more believable People aren't going to trust a quote form someone that doesn't look real!

3.Use a photo if possible
The testimonial sample we did above is great. It's detailed, happy and shows the emotion and positive image the customer has towards the company. But... a picture is worth a thousand words. Right?! So take a picture of the customer with their new product and a great big smiling face. Not only do you have a great testimonial with a real name but now the prospect has a face to put with the name. Now... This is a REAL person. Just adding a photo of the customer next to the testimonial will increase the trust and believability ten fold!

See, by adding just a few little things in ind you can use your customer testimonials as a great tool in all your marketing and advertising plans. It doesn't take much but just by making a few small changes you can make a huge impact towards the effectiveness of any marketing you do.