Hey, we all know
that business owners think their product or services are the best
thing going, but it's what the customers think about it that really
matters to you and me. Yep, they're the ones who see things from our
point of view... what they have to say about the business has an
impact on us.
Testimonials play an
important part in advertising - especially for small businesses.
Yeah, big businesses with well-known names don't have to worry about
it, but small companies can use testimonials as marketing tools to
build credibility.
Think about it...how
else can we gain credibility than by creating a group of satisfied
customers and shouting what they have to say? Let's look at some ways
we can make testimonials an effective part of our marketing campaigns.
Collect Them
It would be nice if
customers just wrote out wonderful testimonials on their own, walked
into your business and slapped them on the counter. Yep, that would
be too easy...it just doesn't happen that way. So what you need to do
is pay attention to your everyday conversations with customers. Set
up a file of the positive comments you hear - both in person and on
the phone.
Why not fish for
compliments? Send your customers and email or postcard that asks them
what they think about your product or service. You'll be pleased at
the positive comments that are out there just waiting to be netted!
Mix it Up
Different things
appeal to different people. Yep, it's different strokes for different
folks. If you want to catch the attention of a varied audience, use a
variety of testimonials. You'll be showcasing a spectrum of benefits
that your business generates while putting different flavors out to
attract a wide range of customer tastes.
Get Specific.
I liked this product
a lot...is a nice thank you, but tells absolutely nothing to the
readers you're trying to capture. Yep, you want to be a little picky
about the testimonials you use. Choose testimonials that are
specific...I used your product for 2 weeks and now I'm acne free...or
I used your weight loss product for 30 days and I'm 14 pounds lighter
and feel sexy again...Yeah you want to pick testimonials that will
motivate the readers to pick up the phone or get in the car!
Identify Customers Giving the Testimonial
How do you feel when
you see your name blazened across a newspaper advertisement or across
a web page? Yeah, most of us puff up a little bit...you know, the ego
thing. Your customers will be happy to let you use their name and
comments as part of your advertising campaign and will be only too
happy to show it off to friends and family.
Don't forget that
when you are gathering permission that the city, state, and occupation
of the customer adds interest.
Hey, businesses like
to find themselves in print just as much as an individual...a bit of
free advertisement, right? If you sell to a business don't be afraid
to include their testimonial in your advertisements along with the
type of industry and location or anything else that might be of
interest to your readers.
Testimonials Should Stand Out
Once you've gone
through all of the effort to gather up interesting testimonials, you
might as well make them shine. Yeah, highlight, use bold text or
italics, quotation marks ...whatever it takes to make them
outstanding.
Web pages are great
for highlighting testimonials. It's easy put them in attention
getting colored boxes, or accent with clip art. You might want to
even spread them out in groups to add interest to your page.
Think about
this...testimonials are like pure gold for marketers. Yeah, the time
you spend digging them up definitely pays off. Marketing research has
shown that testimonials can increase sales by as much as 250%!
Yep...testimonials really are worth their weight in gold!
Who is Allyn Cutts, and why should you care?
Allyn has spent over
24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase
sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic,
providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for
small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally with
clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing
strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn
more about Allyn Cutts at
www.AllynCutts.com and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and
4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays.
