Testimonials: Let Your Clients Tell Your Story

Testimonials from satisfied clients lend an extra dimension of credibility to your business communications. Although most people use them only on their websites, there are a number of other creative ways to work testimonials into your marketing materials.

Before I go into details, however, I’m assuming that you have a consistent, effective system for gathering testimonials in place. If not, now is the time to establish one. Here are a few tips for making the process as easy as possible for your clients:

* Ask clients if they are willing to talk about their experiences with your business (of course, you’ll only do this for clients who are happy with your service).

* Schedule a short phone interview (5-10 minutes) to let the client talk about his/her experience. Try to get specific information by asking questions, such as, “Did I do anything that went beyond your expectations? Was there something about my service/business that surprised you?”

* Write a brief quote, based on your clients’ input and send it to them for review. Three to five sentences is the standard. If the client has a long story, consider using it as the basis for an article or blog post (see below). Make any requested changes and send it back for final approval.

Creative Uses for Testimonials:

* Instead of having a separate testimonials page on your web site, intersperse them on appropriate pages throughout the site

* Pull out short, strong phrases from testimonials and place them in your email signature with a hyperlink to the corresponding page on your site

* Include them in welcome letters when clients sign up for your services

* Feature testimonials that are relevant to articles in your newsletters

* Place a brief testimonial on your business card

* Don’t limit testimonials to the written word. Audio and video testimonials command attention (this is most
effective if your clients can speak confidently while being recorded)

* Use testimonials as a basis for an article or blog post

Do you have additional ideas about how to use testimonials? If so, I’d love to hear them; your ideas may inspire others as well.

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