What makes a ‘good’, credible or useable customer testimonial?
Like it or not, other people’s thoughts and opinions about your business hold more value than your own in the minds of your prospective customers. So, what makes a “good” testimonial…
1. Length.
Don’t be afraid to use long testimonials, they’re more believable than short ones. Too often businesses like to use one word testimonials in quotations because they’re easy to “sprinkle” all over their marketing collateral. For example, “…amazing!…”, “…couldn’t believe it…can’t wait to see the next one!”, or “hilarious…wonderful!”.
When a testimonial is super short, your readers will suspect that they’ve been edited to sound positive, and that the “…” are masking neutral or negative comments. Be sure to give at least a full sentence, if not two or three, to really let the testimonial illustrate the message.
“I was truly impressed by the quality of products I was offered at such a low price. The products I saw were exactly what I was looking for, and delivered the promised results. Plus, the customer service was outstanding. I’m going to be spending a lot more time here!”
It’s longer and won’t squeeze in as easily in a brochure or small ad, but it will have a much stronger impact on the target audience.
2. Detail.
Get specific, detailed testimonials whenever you can. Ask your customers to provide as much color and description about their experience, and speak to any minuscule aspect they may have been impressed by.
Specific testimonials are better than vague or typical-sounding testimonials. Too often when you receive a testimonial, you skim through it looking for the summary line that paints your business in the best light, like “We were thrilled with our experience.” This leaves questions in the readers’ mind, like “why?”, “when?”, “what was your experience all about?” and “what thrilled you?” If it only says, “Best service in town,” how will the reader’s know what makes it the best service in town?
The strongest testimonials share specific information and paint descriptive pictures or tell stories that engage the reader. They mention points about the product or service that matter to other prospective customers, as well as describe the problems they were having before they found the product or service. Detail will help the reader relate to or identify with the satisfied customer’s struggles and frustrations that have been solved with their purchase.
Details get remembered so DON’T overlook these little gems that will stick in people’s minds.
3. Honesty.
Don’t try to edit or “polish” the testimonials you receive from customers. Punctuation and grammar errors contribute to the believability of the statements.
Also, be cautious when editing the testimonials for brevity or when cropping statements from a letter or long email. Remember that the customer signed off on you using their words verbatim, so make sure you do. Small edits could change the meaning of the sentences, which could upset customers when they see their names in print.
4. Attribution.
Back up each testimonial with a clear, specific description of who said it, and where they’re from. Attributing statements to vague names like “T.M in Dublin” or “Jim F, Small Business Owner” will dramatically reduce the believability of your testimonial. People are naturally skeptical, and will be more likely to believe testimonials that don’t attempt to conceal the identity of the author and include more than the first name.
Attribute each quote to a person’s full name, city, county, and (if relevant) their business name and job title. For example, “Christopher Ford, Dublin” or “Tim Wilson, Naas, Kildare – Owner of Fancy Meat & Deli Ltd.” The more detail, the more chance of a prospective customer recognizing the name or business and trusting the statement.
Location can be important depending on the market reach of your business. If you have a local business, prospects may look to see that others in the community have been pleased with your service. If you serve a national or international market, you can use testimonials to show your client reach.
If you have a testimonial from an expert (like a doctor or politician), be sure to include their credentials to make the most of their endorsement of your business.
It may also be helpful to include the company’s website address, especially if your business markets to other businesses. This is also a nice gesture of thanks to the person who gave their testimonial, since it may encourage your customers to visit their site.
5. Picture proof.
An image of the customer who wrote the testimonial will enhance the impact and believability of the words. The statement is enlivened by the image, and thus carries twice as much validity and impact.
Audio testimonials are also highly effective. Consider asking customers if they would contribute their testimonial on video or audio recording, and then use that clip on your website or in store.
Ask customers if you can take a picture of them to accompany their words, and take a few simple shots yourself so you have a few to choose from.
Thanks for reading
To Your Success.