Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Are testimonials an effective sales tool?
While testimonials have been used to sell products and services for hundreds of years, the Internet has made them more popular than ever. The question is, do customers really respond to them?
Testimonials Work!
Whatever you’re selling online, you’ll have to make some kind of claim about its properties to encourage potential sellers. However, as web usability research conducted by Dr Jakob Nielson shows, Internet users are reluctant to believe hype. This means that it’s essential to back up any claims you make and testimonials are the perfect way to do this.
Testimonials appeal to the emotions, not the brain. After all, an Internet user is more likely to believe the words of a fellow customer than a company spokesperson. By allowing potential customers to explore a range of customer experiences, you’ll succeed in lending credibility to your product or service.
Research shows that adding customer testimonials to your sales copy can boost sales by around 30%.
Getting an Effective Testimonial
The best testimonials specifically mention your product by name and are quite detailed, which reinforces the fact your testimonial is genuine. Including the full name, location and a picture of the customer who gave you the testimonial will also reinforce its authenticity. Like web copy, your testimonial should also be well written with no clichés or slang.
Other Testimonials to Consider
While research shows that customer testimonials are the most successful, there are other types of testimonial to consider too. These include celebrity testimonials, which will succeed in raising awareness of your product on a more general basis. However, this type of testimonial is not as effective as one from a genuine customer because the public are aware that the celebrity is being paid for endorsing you. Getting a testimonial from an expert could also help increase sales. The public trust these people and believe they are more genuine than a regular celebrity. Obtaining a testimonial from a specialist trade association offers many of the same advantages as an expert testimonial and will successfully build public confidence in your product or service.
Never Use a Fake Testimonial
Never make a testimonial up. Genuine testimonials are relatively easy to get hold of but if you’re having problems obtaining one, leave them out of your copy altogether. Using a false testimonial could lead to terrible consequences, including accusations of false advertising. It could also damage the long-term reputation of your company and cause customers to lose confidence in your business.
A Simple Selling Tool
Testimonials can be effortlessly inserted into your copy and when used correctly, they are an incredibly powerful sales technique. Free to obtain and simple to use, there’s no excuse for you to write sales copy without them.
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