How to Get and Use Testimonials for your Marketing Materials and Websites from Satisfied Clients
Testimonials are an excellent way to get visitors comfortable with your website. They give you credibility. When people visit your site, often the first thing they want to know is if others have had a good experience dealing with a company. Testimonials are “social proof” that you’re a credible and trustworthy person/company in which to do business.
To listen to this article click on this link:
How to Use Testimonials on Your Website
Use these tesimonials on your website.They can be used on a separate testimonial or customer commment page or you can sprinkle them throughout your website. In fact, when a testimonial is placed right on the order form, statistics have shown that conversion rates go up at least 25%. Not bad for just asking “how am I doing?”
Just how do you elicit testimonials from satisfied customers and clients? Here’s what I do. Whenever someone says something nice about my company (or me) in print, on the phone or in person, I say “thank you” and then follow it with “may I quote you?” Some people don’t know that I am serious so I repeat what they said and ask if I may quote them and use their comments in my marketing materials such as in brochures, postcards and posting their testimonials to my website. A testimonial is an excellent and inexpensive way to get an endorsement from a satisfied client or customer.
In my 29+ years in business I have never had anyone say “NO” and quite often the person will expand on their quote. Oftentimes not only will they say yes, they will say either add to the testimonial or totally reword it so they too sound great! I also ask if I can use their full name and company or organization affiliation.
If they should not want me to use their company name or affiliation I don’t use the testimonial. The name and company give the quote more credibility. Most people who read testimonials believe that quotes with only initials and perhaps even a geographic location are made up (and some of them are). When someone goes to my website and sees a testimonial from a happy client, they feel better about their decision to do business with me. And it is amazing how many clients will tell me that the testimonials on my website are the main reason they chose my company.
When you deal in an area where confidentiality is key to your success it is much more difficult (but not impossible) to get these types of testimonials simply because people may need or want to remain anonymous. In this case only you and the client can decide what is appropriate. If your clients are not offering you their words of gratitude, ask them how you are doing! If you are doing a great job, they will tell you and you can then ask them to use their testimonial. If their comments are not what you wanted or expected to hear, use their input to improve your products and services.
The important thing is when anyone says something good about your company and you hear it, ask if you may quote them. You will be surprised how many people will say yes.
Social proof, something everyone today is looking for when dealing with businesses (especially new and online businesses) is important to get the business and more important to keep the business. Testimonials are just one way to market and get more customers on the web. What to grow your business? Do a great job and ask how you are doing!
Be sure to visit Women in Ecommerce™ at www.WECAI.org for more great tips like this. WE invite you to try us out. Silver Membership is FREE!
