Every business, whether it is based on the Internet or whether it's a traditional brick and mortar type of business knows the value of having other people testify to the value of the services or products that you provide.
These people provide a steady stream of referrals which results in additional revenues. However, a disturbing trend is emerging. It's the overuse of these testimonials on your brochures, advertisements, web pages, products, and services that is de-valuing the very nature of testimonials.
Keep Your Testimonials Relevant
This seems almost obvious, however, when you read testimonials, they seem to wander away from the product or service. The online testimonial is actually about the person and not the product or service. When you have testimonials that are relevant - meaning about the product or service, then that information becomes the deciding factor. What if the person is the product? Certainly, have testimonials that reflect this.
Keep The Number Of Testimonials Lower
Having a large number of testimonials robs the powerful effect that testimonials give to your product or service. Keep the testimonials in the rage of 7 to 10. Experiment using the number of testimonials as long as it doesn't go over 10. That way you maintain credibility and people actually believe what you're selling.
Rotate Your Testimonials
If you consistently use the same testimonials over and over again, your potential clients will begin to wonder if those are the only clients you've ever had. In fact, they'll begin to wonder about the true value of your product or service. By rotating your testimonials, it demonstrates that you have more than one client, you have had someone other than your brother, sister, cousin, wife, mother or father vouch for your product or service.
What Testimonials are For & What Not
The purpose of your testimonials isn't just there as proof that your product or service works. Your testimonials provide a platform to build trust and credibility. That's why the software manufacturers offer a 30-day trial. That's why we provide rock-solid guarantees. Your testimonials work along side a rock-solid guarantee and a free trial.
Don't Fake Your Testimonials
We all know the joke far too well. You see someone in a faded and distant photo saying that the product or service is great. Or my all-time favorite is the photo of the blurry check and how much the author made. This is the most blatant and misguided use of using testimonials.
This type of enticements only erodes the fact that you're trying to build relationships, not have a one time buyer who is disgusted with your products or services. Don't fake testimonials. It'll save your credibility.
Don't Rely On Your Testimonials To Sell
Whenever I read a book or think about purchasing a product or service and I read their testimonials, I'm often under the impression that the author is relying solely on these testimonials to sell their product or service. It seems that the product isn't worthwhile without these testimonials.
In fact, the way how testimonials were used actually decreases the value of the product or service to the point where I distrust anything that is made by that company. Use your testimonials to build credibility not diminish it.
Testimonials Make or Break Credibility
In our effort to get prospective clients to buy from us, we can go over-board with our testimonials. Your testimonials and the sheer number of them can erode and destroy your credibility even with a rock-solid guarantee. Why? People start to wonder about the truth of your so-called testimonials. They begin to doubt whether or not you're actually telling the truth.