Making client testimonials available to prospective customers might seem like a common practice. I mean if your customers are saying wonderful things about your business, why not publicize them for the world to see? Although all feedback should be welcomed bad or good, not all feedback should be published. When it comes to online customer reviews there are two main problems with it, illegitimacy and misuse.
Prospective customers are apprehensive about believing all that certain businesses publish because of the way some testimonials are actually created. If a business owner wants to create content that is actually enjoyable and that customers believe there are a few things they have to know. In order for customer testimonials to be effective and meaningful, they must be authentic, specific, diverse and approved.
The authenticity of a testimonial is the most important aspect of it, it is one of the main problems with testimonials today. Some business owners have had the right intentions in mind and seen the potential of testimonial advertising, but have approached the wrong way. Hiring someone to “write” a testimony out of thin air is not only unethical, but is easily spotted and rejected by customers. There needs to be actual customer involvement, use their names, prove to potential customers that these testimonials are real and gives them no room for doubt.
Testimonials need to be Specific, they will mean nothing to a prospective customer if they learn nothing or are not given a reason as to why they should trust you & give you their business. Prospective customers should pull away a picture of what to expect when doing business with you and should be able to relate to your customer testimonials, they should say “This happens to me as well, I could go for such a solution”. Specification of all information is crucial when attempting to sway someone, specially a customer.
A diverse array of customers is always key, interviewing multiple customers creates credibility and gives prospective customers more faith in your business that there is more than just one satisfied customer. If you only use one client as a testimonial provider, he/she will stop being another satisfied customer and more of a spokesperson in the eyes of prospective customers. Permission should always be obtained from the client in order for a testimony to be published. An interview can be conducted to obtain feedback regarding a business, but that does not mean it can automatically be published.
If your testimonials are honest and informative, prospects will have a good response to them, in turn showing you great bottom line results.
For more information on where to look for more tips and how to properly interview, write and publish reviews, articles, and website content that is properly linked in order to be quickly found and offer you higher conversion rates visit The Pen Crew.
Bridging the way between you and your customers, your Business Blog.
