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Published by: Judy Cobb 07-16-2013  |  POSTED IN: Traffic Tuesdays

Words Blog 30: Using Testimonials on Your Website

 
A testimonial briefly describes someone's successful experience with your product or service. Testimonials are valuable assets on your website or blog because most people shopping for a product or service want to know that others have had a good experience doing business with you.  
 
It is often difficult for potential customers who have found you on the Internet to get "word of mouth" endorsements from satisfied customers. Online directories like Yelp fill this void to some extent with their reviews. 
 
When used well, testimonials also provide potential customers with proof that your business has a successful track record, with satisfied customers. Testimonials are particularly effective when combined with project descriptions, case studies and other specific information about your successes with a range of customers or clients. 
 
Here are some tips for writing testimonials that will get results.
 
Ask satisfied customers for testimonials. When a customer lets you know that they are happy with your product or service, ask them to write a testimonial. If you talk to customers some time after the purchase, find out if they would be willing to write a testimonial about a specific aspect of your business, like follow up after purchase.
 
Keep the testimonial short. As a rule, a testimonial should have at least one or two short sentences and no more than three short paragraphs (approximately 50 words). A person looking at testimonials wants to be able to quickly get a clear idea about how your customers view your business. They want short, pithy statements. 
 
To some extent, the complexity of your product or service will determine how long a testimonial should be. For example, testimonials for WordPress tend to be several paragraphs long, because some satisfied customers have had a specific need or problem that WordPress has solved. 
 
Those testimonials explain both the need and how WordPress satisfied it. Mixed with the longer testimonials are short testimonials. This combination of long and short testimonials allows someone reading them to quickly get an idea about WordPress's successes.
 
Stick with what the customer says. Genuine testimonials written by a customer sound right when you read them. You may need to edit a testimonial a little bit because of length or because it wanders off-topic. Keep edits to a minimum. Maintain the customer's "voice."  to maintain credibility. 
 
Review the edits with the customer before you post them. You can be sure that the writer will read his or her testimonial when it is posted. People are sensitive about being edited and can be offended if you have taken too many liberties editing what they said. 
 
Include a range of testimonials. Include testimonials that describe customers' general experience with your business as well as their experience with specific aspects of your business. 
 
Focus on your strengths. For example, if your salespeople are experts in a specific aspect of your business, one or two testimonials should describe how their expertise allowed the customer to make a smart buying decision.
 
Link testimonials to your brand identity and marketing plan. Include testimonials that highlight the features of your brand. If your business features excellent long-term customer support, be sure to include testimonials that address this.
 
Make them specific. "Bob's Automotive did a great job for me. I'm very satisfied." Five or six statements like this are so general they are meaningless. In fact, they may be worse than useless because they sound like someone made them up.
 
Having one or two testimonials that are general and short are fine. However, to be credible, testimonials need to include some specific information or examples. In the WordPress testimonials, for example, even the short testimonials reference specific operating systems or products the person has previously used.
 
A Warning. Fake testimonials are common on the Internet. By maintaining the customer's wording, even if it is not grammatically perfect, you build credibility. Specifics also let the reader know that a testimonial is legitimate.
 
Word-of-mouth advertising has a new face on the Internet, with reviews in directories like Yelp. Featuring testimonials on your website is another way to provide a view of your customers' experience. Testimonials can reflect what a happy customer might have said in an earlier time when most people made their buying decisions based on recommendations of friends and acquaintances.
 
 
Please share your ideas, comments, questions and suggestions about this blog with us. Feel free to leave comments below or to email Judy at [email protected].
 
Judy Cobb is an independent writer and business writing coach whose clients have included Parsons Engineering, Mattel Toys, The Los Angeles Times and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She has specialized in developing training materials for instructor-led courses as well as interactive online courses and websites. She holds advanced degrees from Columbia University and Stanford as well as an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management.
Thanks for reading. Jason.
P.S. Don't forget to subscribe below to this blog.
 
About Jason Ciment
Formerly an attorney and CPA, Jason has been working online since 1997. His columns on affiliate marketing can still be found on www.Clickz.com and his book on search engine optimization can be found at www.seotimetable.com.

This blog is published 4x per week and covers website design and SEO tips as well as a wide range of tips and advice for working and living online more efficiently and enjoyably.
 

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