giving thanks by TheAlieness

Using testimonials in your marketing creates “buzz” in your promotion.

Unsolicited testimonials are usually the best… because they’re “off the cuff” and the language is natural and carries a tone of excitement. Very often you can quote a client’s email or phone conversation and you’ll have exactly what you need.

On the other hand, solicited testimonials – the ones you have asked for – are very often stiff and unnatural. Doesn’t it seem, no matter how hard you try, you can’t get a client to write a great testimonial suitable for use in your marketing materials? It seems people think too hard about it and they try to write something impressive… but it just comes out too formal – too dull.

So, what do you do if you’re stuck with a few testimonials that just don’t carry the “buzz” factor? Do you throw them away? No! Here’s two great tips to help you beef them up for your next marketing promotion…

TIP 1. Add a little quote from you at the top that goes a bit like this: “These are real stories from our happy clients. Some of the comments came from our last customer survey… and some arrived as a nice surprise in the mail. I’d love to add your comments here too! Call today.” See how this adds a personal touch, qualifies your testimonials as genuine and allows you to add another “call me”?

TIP 2. Add small headers above each testimonial… for example: “A comment from a happy first-time client” or “a letter we received last Thursday” or (if for example you were a window cleaner) you could write: “This guy has a 2-Storey Home”. Try to add a testimonial that can relate to your different types of customers… business, 2-story mansion, etc.

You can also bold certain words in a testimonial to make them stand out – or use ellipses (three dots like this … ) – to remove unnecessary, wordy sentences.

Testimonials and client comments are one of the most powerful components of your marketing… make the most of them!