Posted by People buy for a number of reasons. We buy because we like the personality behind a product or company. We buy because the product or service taps into an emotional need and we buy because experts tell us to – credibility and authority. Customer testimonials can help tap into all of these buying behaviors and they’re much more effective than sales copy because they’re coming from an outside, presumably unbiased, source. Testimonials are worth their weight in gold! Here’s how and where to use them to their fullest.
Website real estate. One of the popular locations to place your most powerful testimonials is right on your home page. Many website owners situate them in a sidebar so they stand out from the rest of the content on the page or they place them in the midst of the content in a call out box. Your most powerful testimonials will be the ones:
* Provided from notable personalities or names in your industry. For example, if you’re a commercial real estate agent then a testimonial from Donald Trump would certainly warrant prime website real estate. Anyone who is highly thought of in your industry would definitely capture the attention of prospects and customers.
* Glowing endorsements. Let’s face it, while all testimonials are good some testimonials are better than others. Place the extra powerful, glowing endorsements right where your prospects can see them, on your home page.
Sales Copy. Any good sales letter will include testimonials from happy and enthusiastic customers. It’s often the extra umph that people need to make a purchase. In fact, quite often people skip reading the body of a sales letter and read the offer, the postscript and the testimonials.
Autoresponders and enewsletters. Email is a positive way to stay connected with your clients and prospects. It makes good business sense to include testimonials in these communications. It’s not bragging, it’s sharing your good fortune with others and encouraging them to become part of your community. Of course, it’s still important to stick to the 80/20 rule, 80% information, 20% promotion.
A separate website testimonial page. When you collect enough testimonials, you may want to create a separate page on your website to share them. You can call it your “Testimonials” page or “Success Stories,” whatever feels relevant for your website and your industry.
Testimonials are a strong motivator. They help prospects see the power and benefit of doing business with you. Because they’re provided by an outside source, they’re perceived as unbiased and therefore carry more weight than sales copy. Encourage testimonials from your customers, reward them for their success stories, and share them with the world.