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Suggest You - Why Aren't You Marketing With Testimonials?
People who do not have capital to start an online business can still earn money by simply answering online surveys. Because of the relatively easy process that goes with them, online surveys are slowly gaining popularity. Even online jobsites post online survey respondents as an available job opening.There are online survey companies that provide access to the databases of research companies. They charge people a certain fee, usually $20 to $60, for the access that can later on be used to answer paid surveys. However, users should be wary of falling preys to such companies. The charge they implement is not really worth it. The access they provide is very limited and as such, there is really no guarantee that they could earn back their investment completely.
- A real person talking
- It's not too long
- Expresses an emotion
- Mentions a specific benefit.
Automatically ask for feedback from your members and visitors. A follow-up email asking for feedback is one way to do this. The visitor's book is another way. When you get a good testimonial ask for permission to use it - they will almost always say yes. Keep an eye on the Web in case somebody says something good about you. If they do, see if you can reprint it on your own site.
Scatter your testimonials all over the website. Many webmasters make the mistake of creating a testimonial page and putting all the testimonials there. Instead, scatter them throughout.
If you have testimonials pertaining to a specific product, place them under that product. Another great area to place testimonials on your website is on the right and left borders. They will serve as a constant reminder of your credibility. [Frey 2002]
Done correct
I count myself among the many desperate housewives who echo the daily question...What's for dinner? This all-encompassing question won't go away despite my desire that with a snap of my fingers a fully prepared nutritious meal is ready for consumption and on the table. Yet, thanks to the packaging industry and its proliferation of new product ideas, I'm less frenzied about this question than I used to be. Yes, believe me things have changed from my mother’s day when cooking healthful meals was a time consuming chore. Food marketers finally understand that good food need not equate to long hours in the kitchen.I love to cook; however, it seems there are not enough hours in the day to make the home cooked meals I grew up on. Real food prep used to b
And credibility is what you need in order to convert prospects to sales. The majority of consumers say that knowing and trusting the sender is the key factor in determining whether they would open an email. With email open rates declining, trust becomes more and important in getting your message across effectively:
"Hey, don't just take our word for it—listen to what our customers are saying! You don't trust us? Then trust our customers. Folks like you." Here's the mystery. Creating trust online is a big, big thing. So why don't we see more sites using testimonials? [Usborne 1999]
Testimonials Work
As marketing experts have shown time and again, testimonials work: "I'm a big advocate of testimonials on websites, even though some people call them hokey. Why? Because Web visitors read them and are influenced by them.
In some tests, Web users spend 85% more time on Web pages with testimonials, and transactions have increased by as much as 300%." [White 2006]
Your visitors naturally don't want to lose money and, just as important, they don't want to feel foolish. Eliminating their natural fear and skepticism is exactly the job that testimonials do best.
You can blow your own horn, and should, but when it comes from someone else then people start to truly believe it.
Testimonials may have a long history, but they are essentially the basis of the hottest and most recent strategies for doing business on the Web: word-of-mouth, social networking, viral marketing. [Nicholls 2006b]
You Can't Fake It
Testimonials work but if you don't handle them properly they can, and will, work against you. A botched testimonial can easily backfire and do you more harm than good. Faking it will not work; authenticity is certainly the most important factor:
"Resist the urge to turn your testimonials into marketing-speak. It is important that you retain the voice and style of real people. Don't make up your testimonials, because unless you are very clever, the effort will be transparent. And put full attribution on your testimonials." [White 2006]
Generic, questionable or obviously phony testimonials will do you no good, and may actually harm your reputation. On the other hand, succinct, believable, benefit-specific testimonials from real people, properly placed on your Web pages, can enhance your website's credibility and boost your conversion rate.
A Web page of endorsements by itself is not enough. The effectiveness of endorsements and user feedback depends on leveraging some specific strategies. The basic steps are:
- Specify your goals and objectives
- Gather the testimonials
- Choose the best ones
- Use the testimony verbatim
- Identify the source completely
- Position your testimonials effectively
- Let the viral process do its stuff.
There is one potential downside to testimonials, too, that you must keep in mind along with the many benefits. And that is the danger of obtaining a great testimonial but later wishing you hadn't. This rather interesting topic is discussed further in Nicholls [2006a]
How to Do It
Collecting usable testimonials should be an organized ongoing process - never miss an opportunity to get one. Read your incoming mail carefully and keep a file of customer comments. Follow up on the ones with potential and put them in usable form.
Analyze your customer list and develop a sub-list of your top 10% of customers by sales volume and frequency of ordering. Carefully craft a letter to this select list "Asking for their help." Suggest to them what you are looking for in the way of comments and then let them provide you with the raw material.
The key here is that you can't sit back and hope for testimonials to come your way. You have to go and seek them out. Overall, the four essential qualities of every great testimonial are:
- A real person talking
- It's not too long
- Expresses an emotion
- Mentions a specific benefit.
Automatically ask for feedback from your members and visitors. A follow-up email asking for feedback is one way to do this. The visitor's book is another way. When you get a good testimonial ask for permission to use it - they will almost always say yes. Keep an eye on the Web in case somebody says something good about you. If they do, see if you can reprint it on your own site.
Scatter your testimonials all over the website. Many webmasters make the mistake of creating a testimonial page and putting all the testimonials there. Instead, scatter them throughout.
If you have testimonials pertaining to a specific product, place them under that product. Another great area to place testimonials on your website is on the right and left borders. They will serve as a constant reminder of your credibility. [Frey 2002]
Done correctl
Tall Tale Three "Get Your Name out There"Get your name out there. Plaster it everywhere. Slap it on the side of a bus. Paint it on a park bench. Print some matchbook covers. Cover your car in it. Shout it from the highest mountain top. Do what ever you have to, but get it out in front of as many people as possible.WRONG…WRONG…WRONG…WRONG…WRONG!Market yourself this way and you’ll be spending countless hours on your efforts. You’ll be wasting precious time and energy on avenues that never bear fruit and will be speaking to people who aren’t listening and probably even annoying the crap out of them.Ultimately, you will burn yourself out in an exhaustive effort that yields absolutely zero.Yep, I said it…Zero, Zi
In some tests, Web users spend 85% more time on Web pages with testimonials, and transactions have increased by as much as 300%." [White 2006]
Your visitors naturally don't want to lose money and, just as important, they don't want to feel foolish. Eliminating their natural fear and skepticism is exactly the job that testimonials do best.
You can blow your own horn, and should, but when it comes from someone else then people start to truly believe it.
Testimonials may have a long history, but they are essentially the basis of the hottest and most recent strategies for doing business on the Web: word-of-mouth, social networking, viral marketing. [Nicholls 2006b]
You Can't Fake It
Testimonials work but if you don't handle them properly they can, and will, work against you. A botched testimonial can easily backfire and do you more harm than good. Faking it will not work; authenticity is certainly the most important factor:
"Resist the urge to turn your testimonials into marketing-speak. It is important that you retain the voice and style of real people. Don't make up your testimonials, because unless you are very clever, the effort will be transparent. And put full attribution on your testimonials." [White 2006]
Generic, questionable or obviously phony testimonials will do you no good, and may actually harm your reputation. On the other hand, succinct, believable, benefit-specific testimonials from real people, properly placed on your Web pages, can enhance your website's credibility and boost your conversion rate.
A Web page of endorsements by itself is not enough. The effectiveness of endorsements and user feedback depends on leveraging some specific strategies. The basic steps are:
- Specify your goals and objectives
- Gather the testimonials
- Choose the best ones
- Use the testimony verbatim
- Identify the source completely
- Position your testimonials effectively
- Let the viral process do its stuff.
There is one potential downside to testimonials, too, that you must keep in mind along with the many benefits. And that is the danger of obtaining a great testimonial but later wishing you hadn't. This rather interesting topic is discussed further in Nicholls [2006a]
How to Do It
Collecting usable testimonials should be an organized ongoing process - never miss an opportunity to get one. Read your incoming mail carefully and keep a file of customer comments. Follow up on the ones with potential and put them in usable form.
Analyze your customer list and develop a sub-list of your top 10% of customers by sales volume and frequency of ordering. Carefully craft a letter to this select list "Asking for their help." Suggest to them what you are looking for in the way of comments and then let them provide you with the raw material.
The key here is that you can't sit back and hope for testimonials to come your way. You have to go and seek them out. Overall, the four essential qualities of every great testimonial are:
- A real person talking
- It's not too long
- Expresses an emotion
- Mentions a specific benefit.
Automatically ask for feedback from your members and visitors. A follow-up email asking for feedback is one way to do this. The visitor's book is another way. When you get a good testimonial ask for permission to use it - they will almost always say yes. Keep an eye on the Web in case somebody says something good about you. If they do, see if you can reprint it on your own site.
Scatter your testimonials all over the website. Many webmasters make the mistake of creating a testimonial page and putting all the testimonials there. Instead, scatter them throughout.
If you have testimonials pertaining to a specific product, place them under that product. Another great area to place testimonials on your website is on the right and left borders. They will serve as a constant reminder of your credibility. [Frey 2002]
Done correct
Working from home is a dream many of us will never achieve. The advantages are many and varied. No commute to and from the office. No dealing with the annoying cubicle dweller that makes your life miserable. Never worry about the supervisor that lives for the power to crush those within his power. You can go shopping during normal business hours, while lines are small and you can get what you want quickly. Need a dental appointment during office hours? No problem. It isn’t all roses though. There isn’t somebody the next cubicle over to chat with at odd times during the day. There isn’t an IT department you can call when you need help, or a janitor to do the minor clean ups. When you need help, there isn’t a supervisor or experienced worker who can provide co
"Resist the urge to turn your testimonials into marketing-speak. It is important that you retain the voice and style of real people. Don't make up your testimonials, because unless you are very clever, the effort will be transparent. And put full attribution on your testimonials." [White 2006]
Generic, questionable or obviously phony testimonials will do you no good, and may actually harm your reputation. On the other hand, succinct, believable, benefit-specific testimonials from real people, properly placed on your Web pages, can enhance your website's credibility and boost your conversion rate.
A Web page of endorsements by itself is not enough. The effectiveness of endorsements and user feedback depends on leveraging some specific strategies. The basic steps are:
- Specify your goals and objectives
- Gather the testimonials
- Choose the best ones
- Use the testimony verbatim
- Identify the source completely
- Position your testimonials effectively
- Let the viral process do its stuff.
There is one potential downside to testimonials, too, that you must keep in mind along with the many benefits. And that is the danger of obtaining a great testimonial but later wishing you hadn't. This rather interesting topic is discussed further in Nicholls [2006a]
How to Do It
Collecting usable testimonials should be an organized ongoing process - never miss an opportunity to get one. Read your incoming mail carefully and keep a file of customer comments. Follow up on the ones with potential and put them in usable form.
Analyze your customer list and develop a sub-list of your top 10% of customers by sales volume and frequency of ordering. Carefully craft a letter to this select list "Asking for their help." Suggest to them what you are looking for in the way of comments and then let them provide you with the raw material.
The key here is that you can't sit back and hope for testimonials to come your way. You have to go and seek them out. Overall, the four essential qualities of every great testimonial are:
- A real person talking
- It's not too long
- Expresses an emotion
- Mentions a specific benefit.
Automatically ask for feedback from your members and visitors. A follow-up email asking for feedback is one way to do this. The visitor's book is another way. When you get a good testimonial ask for permission to use it - they will almost always say yes. Keep an eye on the Web in case somebody says something good about you. If they do, see if you can reprint it on your own site.
Scatter your testimonials all over the website. Many webmasters make the mistake of creating a testimonial page and putting all the testimonials there. Instead, scatter them throughout.
If you have testimonials pertaining to a specific product, place them under that product. Another great area to place testimonials on your website is on the right and left borders. They will serve as a constant reminder of your credibility. [Frey 2002]
Done correct
In every instance, the audience itself will have an impact on your presentation. Consider the way you communicate with your friends, your children (or nieces/nephews), and your parents. Whether you mean to or not, you probably select different approaches when communicating with each group. While you may approach your parents with deference to their age and experience, you'd probably expect a young child to have less knowledge of the world and to respect your own wisdom. Thus, when presenting an argument to these groups, you're likely to differentiate your argument based on audience characteristics.The same rules should apply to all presentations. Although you could chose to present the exact same message to all audiences, your presentation will be more meaningfu
There is one potential downside to testimonials, too, that you must keep in mind along with the many benefits. And that is the danger of obtaining a great testimonial but later wishing you hadn't. This rather interesting topic is discussed further in Nicholls [2006a]
How to Do It
Collecting usable testimonials should be an organized ongoing process - never miss an opportunity to get one. Read your incoming mail carefully and keep a file of customer comments. Follow up on the ones with potential and put them in usable form.
Analyze your customer list and develop a sub-list of your top 10% of customers by sales volume and frequency of ordering. Carefully craft a letter to this select list "Asking for their help." Suggest to them what you are looking for in the way of comments and then let them provide you with the raw material.
The key here is that you can't sit back and hope for testimonials to come your way. You have to go and seek them out. Overall, the four essential qualities of every great testimonial are:
- A real person talking
- It's not too long
- Expresses an emotion
- Mentions a specific benefit.
Automatically ask for feedback from your members and visitors. A follow-up email asking for feedback is one way to do this. The visitor's book is another way. When you get a good testimonial ask for permission to use it - they will almost always say yes. Keep an eye on the Web in case somebody says something good about you. If they do, see if you can reprint it on your own site.
Scatter your testimonials all over the website. Many webmasters make the mistake of creating a testimonial page and putting all the testimonials there. Instead, scatter them throughout.
If you have testimonials pertaining to a specific product, place them under that product. Another great area to place testimonials on your website is on the right and left borders. They will serve as a constant reminder of your credibility. [Frey 2002]
Done correct
I once had a boss who informed me there was no such thing as company politics. At the time, I decided that depended on whether you were the person wielding power or influenced by it. In my career experience, I’d categorize self-serving antics, sabotaging behaviors, information hoarding and artful manipulation under the heading of company politics. I’d throw in veiled threats, perpetuated mistruths, finger-pointing and coercion. There’s a long list of behaviors I’ve personally experienced or witnessed in the workplace under the politics label. And I’m sure you can add your own.These negative work cultures are fraught with fear. Fear you’ll step on a career grenade, lose your job, be labeled a trouble-maker or relegated to the non-promotable category. Fear you’ll
- A real person talking
- It's not too long
- Expresses an emotion
- Mentions a specific benefit.
Automatically ask for feedback from your members and visitors. A follow-up email asking for feedback is one way to do this. The visitor's book is another way. When you get a good testimonial ask for permission to use it - they will almost always say yes. Keep an eye on the Web in case somebody says something good about you. If they do, see if you can reprint it on your own site.
Scatter your testimonials all over the website. Many webmasters make the mistake of creating a testimonial page and putting all the testimonials there. Instead, scatter them throughout.
If you have testimonials pertaining to a specific product, place them under that product. Another great area to place testimonials on your website is on the right and left borders. They will serve as a constant reminder of your credibility. [Frey 2002]
Done correctly, testimonials work, increase conversions, and are cost-effective to collect and use. So, if you are not already using this proven effective tool to market your e-business - why not?
References
David Frey. "What to Do with What You've Got: Using Testimonials Effectively," 09/24/02. MarketingProfs. http://www.marketingprofs.com/2/frey5.asp.
Paul Nicholls. "The Down Side of Testimonials," eBizTutors Blog 09/16/06a. http://www.ebiztutors.com/index.php/?p=219
Paul Nicholls. "Using Testimonials: Going the Extra Mile," eBizTutors 11/20/06b. http://www.ebiztutors.com/tutorials/testimony.shtml
Nick Usborne. "Where Are All the Testimonials?" Small Business Advice 12/03/99. http://www.clickz.com/ebiz/small_biz/article.php/818921.
Steve White. "Using Testimonials," Internet Business Coach 2006. http://www.internetbusinesscoach.net/article.asp?PageID=337.
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