One effective (and very affordable might I add) marketing tool you can offer is a heartfelt testimonial from a pleased customer. Why? Think of it this way. If you go ahead and tell the world how amazing you are, your business is, etc. few people will believe it. But, if someone else raves about you or your business, it’s a whole different ball game. Here are a few suggestions that will help you get testimonials from your customers.
1. ASK FOR ONE
Understand that even the happiest of customers will rarely send unsolicited praise directly to you. So if you want a testimonial – you’ll have to ask for one. Personally call or email your best clients to request a testimonial. If your client pool is larger, conduct an open-ended survey or hold a “biggest fan” contest to collect testimonials.
2. CAPTURE “OFF-THE-CUFF” REMARKS
Usually, the most positive feedback from customers happens on the fly. The next time one of your customers tells you something great about your product or service, ask this golden question, “Can I quote you on that?” Next, write up their quote, email it over for their review and approval and viola! You’ve got a great and instant testimonial to showcase.
3. THE POWER OF PICTURES
Whenever possible, ask your customers for a picture that can accompany their testimonal. Even better yet, ask for a video testimonial. you can share these videos on your website, YouTube station page and in emails or e-newsletters. Whether professionally produced or taken with a Flip camera, video testimonials go a long way in establishing trust with prospects.
4. SEEK NEUTRAL GROUND
Your website visitors will take everything on your company’s site with a grain of salt, but a testimonial posted on a 3rd-party site can be incredibly powerful. Encourage your customers to send praises via Twitter, Facebook, blog entries or forum comments. In order to feature such comments on your company’s site, add a live Twitter feed to your homepage or link ot blogs and other places where customers have left favorable comments.