Testimonials On Websites

Date: December 13, 2007 | Author: Edward Clarke | Category: Marketing

testimonials.jpgA client of mine popped in to the office today and made quite a profound statement. He declared “no more traffic, no more conversions, twice the average spend; testimonials“. Now we all know that word of mouth is the best form of marketing and testimonials on websites are an attempt at conveying the value of word of mouth online but twice the average spend is a huge leap forward in anybodys online venture.

Just to set the scene, my client dominates quite a niche product in the pet market and does very well. The site had been made over some time ago to be more usable, accessible, informative and shopper friendly. Sales had stabilised, growth and seasonal trends were factored in but the results were truly stunning. The only calculable change was the use of testimonials on the website because the results were profound and sustained.

But…

There’s a particular way of doing it and that’s what we’ll explore next.

Concise

It’s easy to let your heart rule your head and allow yourself to run reams of information down your web page but it’s important to see where testimonials sit in the flow of information. You’re selling products and you need to convey trust and confidence in the consumer. Instead of giving them chapter and verse, keep testimonials concise and specific.

Labelling Products

As the consumer is looking to purchase products on your website, look to label the product with a concise testimonial. Don’t let it become a detriment to the features, benefits and core actions but clearly associate the testimonial with a specific product or service.

Keep It Real

People say the strangest things and this will shine through in your testimonials, if they’re genuine. If they’re not, the insincerity will look blazingly obvious and this can damage the reputation of your goods and services. The key here is to ask your customers what they think and keep it real. If you’re business to consumer then the name and location of the author of the testimonial is the very least. If you’re business to business then people will expect to see a point of reference such as the business name, email or website address.

So in summary, testimonials can provide effective results when done correctly and are a highly recommended part of your online marketing strategy.

Thanks for reading.