Prove It! The Power of Testimonials

Welcome back !

Go ahead - toot your own horn! But, do it via someone
else's words. While it's great to say you're wonderful and
offer so much of value to your visitors, your claims holds
much more credence when it comes from a source outside
yourself. Testimonials are powerful tools that pull your
visitors closer to you and persuade them into purchasing
what you have to offer.

Would you rather hear a salesperson say, "I'm fantastic!" or
would you rather hear a testimonial that reads, "The service
from this business was so wonderful that I wouldn't hesitate
to return!"? This type of testimonial adds credibility to
the business just like references on a resume. Some
marketing experts feel that a "C" should be included in the
AIDA formula to stand for credibility. The best way to
start build credibility is with testimonials.

Testimonials add that special punch to a website and nudge
the visitor to transition from a sightseer into a valuable
customer. Many websites mistakenly overlook adding
testimonials to their site and miss out on the power that
these statements have on revenue. To overcome obstacles
toward obtaining quality testimonials, below are some tips:

1. Ask for a testimonial in writing. The saying "if you
build it, they will come" transfers to building
testimonials. In other words, if you ask, many times
customers are more than happy to provide a testimonial.

2. The best testimonials are positive. If a client mails
you a positive comment, ask that customer to elaborate on
the comment along with permission to use it as a
testimonial. Lots of customers consider this a compliment.
Always get the customer's permission on a "release letter"
form before you use any testimonial. A sample release
letter can be found at
www.marketingtoday.com/marcom/testi2.com.

3. Offer a deal or reward in exchange for a freely given
testimonial. Notify customers of this testimonial campaign,
along with plans for monetary or donated rewards or future
discounts. Find out state laws on gift donation limits
before doing the campaign.

Many testimonial campaigns can be done directly from your
website, direct e-mails, or in the mail.

Use these testimonials generously throughout your website.
Don't limit the testimonials to one page! Testimonials have
the best effect when interspersed throughout the website and
strategically placed on pages that directly pertain to that
testimonial. Many testimonials work well in the left or
right margins, along side articles or product descriptions.
Also, inserting testimonials into content such as course
material is very effective.

Know your visitors, in particular their job positions, well
before inserting loads of testimonials. The more likely
that your visitors are pioneers or high-level executives the
less likely they will be persuaded by testimonials.
However, visitors who are "emulators" want to see plenty of
testimonials that represent an opinion they respect.

The most believable testimonials come from a real person and
uses real conversion language. A long testimonial is more
believable than a short testimonial. Below are tips for
selecting believable testimonials:

- Put the testimonial in quotation marks. End the
testimonial with the person's entire name and title. For
instance, "A.K. from Alaska" isn't as believable as "Andrew
Karver, Vice President of Sales, XYZ Company, Anchorage,
Alaska".

- General statements don't grab interest as well as a
testimonial full of details.

- Pick positive and real testimonials that make you stop
and say, "I want that to happen for me too".

The biggest mistake in using testimonials is to rely on the
testimonial to sell your product or service. Testimonials
are most powerful when it's used to propel your product or
service in a way that further supports the reader's decision
to purchase what you have to offer.