Testimonials are one of the simplest and easiest marketing tools available to a business owner. Most of the work is done by the customer, and you, as the business owner, get to reap the benefits. But how do you use testimonials effectively and make them work for you? In this article, we will address three questions about testimonials and try to clear up some of the foggier areas.

1. What can testimonials do for me?

Testimonials are a great way to spread the word about your business. The content comes from consumers, rather than the business itself, so there isn’t an implied bias. Potential customers can read the testimonials and see how like-minded consumers felt about the service or product you provided. Testimonials are a way to promote yourself without having to promote yourself.

2. How do I get testimonials?

There are a number of ways to get testimonials from customers. The simplest way is to just ask them. Many happy customers are more than willing to put down their satisfaction in writing. If you don’t want to come right out and ask for a glowing review, you can ask customers to complete satisfaction surveys. These are a little less invasive, as you aren’t specifically asking them to write a paragraph about your company, only to rate their satisfaction and write something only if they care to. You can also check online review sites, like Google reviews or Yelp. You may find that people have already written a testimonial without you even having to ask them.

On a side note, don’t offer incentives for customers to give good reviews. They will feel forced and insincere. Instead, if a customer gives you a good review, send them a coupon or another promotional item as a thank you after the fact.

3. What do I do with the testimonial now that I have it?

Display it! If you have a website, put it on the homepage. If you have the means, have an entire page on your website dedicated to testimonials. They are an invaluable resource to you and your company. You can also post them on your Facebook page, put them on print advertising. Use them in any way you see fit.  For an example of how to present testimonials, check out Systemtek’s testimonial page here.

At this point, it’s necessary to talk about some of the unwritten rules of testimonials. As we said before, you don’t want your testimonials to sound insincere. So make sure you pick just the right examples to display. You want them to be positive, but if they are too over the top, they won’t be believable and potential customers will think you wrote them yourself.

Also, don’t edit testimonials too much. You can run into the problem of a prior customer reading what they wrote and getting upset because you cut out some possibly negative things. If you aren’t sure if you’ve edited it too much, don’t use it. And don’t ever write a fake testimonial yourself. They will come across as fake and that’s not good for you. Finally, give credit to the customer, with their permission of course. If you don’t have written permission, maintain their anonymity by only using their initials and not giving their location or business. You don’t want to get in trouble because you used someone’s words without their consent.

Testimonials can do a lot of work for you if you use them right. Follow the tips we’ve outlined above to maximize the usefulness of them and grow your business. Just remember to be ethical.

Share on Facebook