Why Aren't You Marketing With Testimonials?


by Paul Nicholls - Date: 2006-12-28 - Word Count: 885 Share This!

You mean you really aren't? Lots of experts have noticed that there are too few e-commerce sites using testimonials. In the brick-and-mortar world, testimonials have been used for decades. They provide a very low-cost and effective tool for adding credibility to your promotional message.

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 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.


Related Tags: marketing, online, web, ecommerce, e-commerce, e-business, testimonials, ebusiness

Dr. Paul Nicholls is a regular fixture at eBizTutors.com where you can find many more e-commerce resources for the new or seasoned online entrepreneur - blogs, tutorials, programs, and support. We also keep an intermittent eye on Asian e-commerce in Paul's Zanshin blog. Visit us at eBizTutors.com

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