Testimonials are an important part of building your business.
They help establish your credibility, authority, and experience. Testimonials play a part in helping people to know, like, and trust you so they'll do business with you.
In this article, we’ll answer:
To start, let’s define the word testimonial.
What is a Testimonial?
For the purpose of helping you build your business, “testimonial” means positive feedback from a client or buyer about your product or service. It can be in a written, audio, or video format.
Why Are Testimonials Important for Your Business?
When it comes to website copy, sales pages, and pretty much any type of digital marketing, testimonials are E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L. (Find out how to use testimonials to grow your business and how to use them on an About page.)
Testimonials do a few important things:
They showcase your expertise and authority through someone else’s experience—which means you don’t have to “sell” yourself because their testimonial does it for you!
They can be used to support your claims.
They can help the visitor to see themselves in the testimonial and relate.
They can be used on landing pages, your website, and other marketing material to help leads overcome any friction they might have in taking the next step.
What Does a Great Testimonial Look Like?
Great testimonials can look many ways. But essentially you want the testimonial to answer these three questions:
1. What challenge did the person have before they started using your product/service?
2. How did the product/service help them overcome the challenge?
3. What does their life look like now after using your product/service?
Here’s an example of a great testimonial for an eyelash product:
Before using Laser Lash, my eyelashes were so short it looked like I didn’t have any! I heard about Laser Lash from a friend and decided to try it. Wow! What a difference! Within two weeks I saw a noticeable difference in my lash length. Now my lashes are so long they touch my eyebrows!
It’s even better if you can get some stats behind the claim, like this testimonial for a human resources coach:
Marsh did an unbelievable job turning our organization around. We used to get about 17 complaints a day and at least one person resigning every week. With Marsh’s help, we’re down to one complaint a day and a resignation about every three months—all within 6 months of working with her. I wouldn’t have believed the positive changes unless I saw them for myself!
There are six things a great testimonial can include:
1. Reinforces a brand’s unique value proposition, like this example for a deodorant:
Every deodorant I’ve tried before did a poor job of hiding the smell that comes from perspiring. If I was lucky, it was effective for a couple of hours. With Stick, it hides the odour for the entire day.
2. Include stats—like this:
Within 3 months of implementing, our sales went up 23%.
3. Overcome a sales objection, like in this example:
I was hesitant to buy it because I was afraid it wasn’t going to work. But I’m so glad I did because I’ve never looked this good in my entire life! Now friends and family are buying it, too!
4. They’re believable, like this testimonial:
It took a while to see the results, but the key is to be consistent, every day. I’ve been applying it for 6 months now, without missing a day, and now you can hardly see the bald spot.
5. The testimony is accompanied by a first name, title, and image of the person.
6. Include a video testimonial if possible because they have more impact.
How to Ask for a Testimonial
Whenever possible, get a testimonial from a client in their own words because it will sound authentic and real, which is what you’re going for.
If you want to be strategic with your testimonials, be tapped into reasons why most of your leads choose not to move forward. (What are common objections?) Then ask for testimonials geared toward specific objections.
For example, let’s say most people have an objection to the price. Ask for testimonials from clients who also had the same concern, like this:
Zach, you expressed concern over the price of the program, but because you moved forward you achieved incredible success. What might you say to someone who felt the same way as you did?
Consider creating a templated email to send to clients. Include asking for testimonials as part of your process. Ask questions like:
Before we started working together/you started using X product, what problem were you experiencing?
How do you feel now that your problem is solved?
What kind of results have you achieved?
Remind clients that their testimonial can be written, voice recording, or video. Some find it easier to write, others to record. Remove the friction by making it as easy as possible for them to provide a testimonial in a format that they’re most comfortable with.
How Do You Write a Great Testimonial on Behalf of Your Client?
Sometimes people are strapped for time and writing a testimonial, understandably, isn’t a high priority for them. In that case, offer to write it and send it to them for approval.
Apply these tips so you’re prepared whenever you must write your own testimonial on behalf of a client:
Record all positive feedback:
Keep a folder called “Testimonials”. Anytime someone emails you positive feedback, put it in your testimonial folder. Include positive feedback from social media, too—take a screenshot and tuck it away in the folder.
Record your meetings and webinars. That way, if you receive rave reviews, you can transcribe what they said word for word or capture it from the messages they type into the chat.
Love surveys? Be sure to include an open text where they can record their feedback. Keep the positive feedback in its own folder.
Interview them: Book 15 minutes on their calendar. Be prepared to ask a maximum of 3 questions (like the three mentioned above) so you can respect their time. Record their answers and use them to craft a testimonial.
Get feedback as part of your process: Take their answers from the templated email (referred to above) and craft it into a testimonial that sounds like they wrote it.
Once you’ve written the testimonial, send it to them for approval:
Review and edit: Ask them to review and edit if needed and return to you.
Get a photo: If needed, ask them for a photo of themselves (preferably professional).
Be transparent: Let them know all the places you could be using their testimonial.
You Need Testimonials to Grow Your Business
Just as you have a process for sending an invoice, implement asking for testimonials as part of your process. It’s no longer an afterthought. Remember—testimonials are critical to influencing people to do business with you.
Psst... If you need help getting your website to convert web visitors into leads, let's find out how I can help you by booking time on my calendar.
About the Author
As a published children's author, StoryBrand Certified Guide, copywriter and marketing strategist, Sandra Beatty helps service-based, trade and non-trade businesses convert web visitors into leads by clarifying their message and implementing a website and marketing strategy.
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