Testimonials

A testimonial is a written, audio recorded or video recorded recommendation from a celebrity or satisfied customer affirming the performance, quality, and/or value of your product or service.

Testimonials are one of the most potent tools of marketing.

Testimonials are often used to prove the value of a particular product in its advertising.

Testimonials provide credibility.

The term "testimonial" most commonly applies to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary citizens, whereas "endorsement" usually applies to pitches by celebrities.

Either way, a third-party spouting specific positive benefits, facts and great information about your products, services and ideas if far more elievable then that same info coming directly for your lips.

Use testimonials in many of your marketing messages. And it's Okay to edit a testimonial as long as you don't change the original meaning. In fact, you can take a 50 word testimonial and edit it down to a dozen words, keeping it clear, concise and on original message.

One of the easiest way to get testimonials is to ask your happy clients for one. Many times a client will be too busy and ask you to write it and send it to them for final editing and approval.

Another way to get great testimonials is to hold a testimonial contest. Mail your clients asking for testimonials, and tell them the best testimonial will win a valuable prize. It works.

And, if you can, get video taped testimonials because they have many more uses. For example, Get the audio portion of your video testimonials extracted to give you the audio you can use on your Website, blog or included in a podcast. You can then have the audio (or video) testimonial transcribed giving you a written testimonial for hundreds of uses.

How you use your testimonials is crucial. Here’s the basics on how to use your testimonials:

First, edit each testimonial for clarity. This is acceptable, so long as you make absolutely sure that you do not change its meaning in any way.
Second, if you’re featuring the testimonial in a sidebar, write a headline for each one that captures the most compelling portion of its message. If the headline is a direct quote from the testimonial, put quotation marks on it. If not, don’t.

If you’ve got a large page filled with testimonials, you don’t have to necessarily create a headline for each one.

Third, put a face on each testimonial – or at the very least, on your strongest ones. If the testimonial giver didn’t provide a useable photo, you can pick an appropriate one from a stock photo service.
Fourth, make sure that every spread has at least one of these one-testimonial sidebars. Or online, that every couple of subheads features at least one testimonial to the side.

How will you work collecting testimonials into your marketing and advertising plans?

Budget: $250 - $1,000 Yearly