I subscribe to a wonderful newsletter, which is written by a chap called Tom Ranseen from No Spin Marketing in Nashville, USA. In the latest edition (“NoSpin Debunker” October 2007), he highlights a few helpful hints in getting a leg up on the competition with better testimonials usage online (and offline). It ends with the statement;
The objection that some companies have in not putting testimonials (or client lists online) is that competitors will swoop in. Hogwash! If you’re confident of your products and services that is an incredibly small risk compared to the benefits.
I couldn’t agree more.In this day and age of spiralling choices, mounting overload, low attention spans, bought loyalty; where customers demand perfection and the world is full of brands and their noise, what better effort can a marketeer make then build a roster of testimonials? I can think of only 1. Build a remarkable product or service in the first place! But when you’ve done that (or can I say failing that?) showcase some happy customers just like Tom says you should.Here are Tom’s tips which I have abbreviated – but fully represent his work and not mine. His website is here. Go there to subscribe to his newsletter and read his tips about testimonials in full.Keep an ongoing handy (digital) log of all comments (pro and con)Don’t be bashful but be patient. Ask customers for testimonials, directly.Encourage customers to write them in their own words, and short is fine.Or write it for them. If a customer tells you to ahead and write a testimonial for them, do it.Ask them to talk about concrete benefits vs. just “they are great folks.”Try to get a range of responses talking about different benefits, features, service…Include as much personal information as you can: minimally first and last name, and ideally, title and organization (if applicable), and city/state.Get as many as you possibly can. There is no magic number, but more testimonials is better than fewer.Toss any that might be dated (from wayward, past clients, etc) and keep adding and deleting.Use them (or part of them) as “teasers” for longer “customer stories” and meaty case studies.Advanced hints:Use testimonials throughout your site; you may have various pages devoted but sprinkle them across several pages.Don’t ask clients for testimonials until they’ve had a reasonable chance to use your product/service.Encourage some customers to compare and contrast your products/services to a prior, lousy experience with another business (without naming products or companies in the testimonial).If you can handle the logistics, try for video testimonials e.g. at your customer meetings etc.In a world with a myriad of marketing techniques, there is no excuse in forgetting to do the basics.
Filed under: Advertising, Business, Customer service, Planning, ideas, marketing, trust, word of mouth , benefits, customers, marketing, Nashville, No Spin Marketing, testimonials
