I recently did an overhaul on my site. It’s about 95% completed, I just have a couple tweaks to make here and there but it dawned on me that I should add a ‘proof’ or testimonial page to the site. I’ve been working online since 2006 and never felt the need to have a testimonial page on my site but the more time you’re in business the more you learn that with everyone out there claiming that they are an expert at this or that and they can fulfill every customer’s dream, the more you see why a potential client would want to hear directly from your client regarding their experience with you more than they’d want to hear from you about how great you are.
You might be thinking: Why do I need a testimonial? I have a ton of clients, I have a strong copy on my site, my business is doing well, why should I even bother? Well, here are 4 solid reasons:
1) Increased credibility. Testimonials give your company, product, or service credibility. The marketplace is hot and heavy nowadays. Prospects are inundated with tons of marketing and promotional messages on a daily basis from the many providers competing for their dollars. If you can show your prospects there are people who can attest to your skills, experiences and abilities, you stand a greater chance of earning their trust and dollars.
2) Testimonials act like the glowing reference to your resume. The people who provide you with a testimonial are essentially vouching to your skills and abilities. A prospect hearing from a current or former client is more likely to want to work with you because your clients rate you well.
3) The ability to identify. Your prospects will probably be able to identify with the clients who have provided testimonials. Many will have similar needs, problems they need solving and hopes for their business. Oftentimes as marketers we make the mistake of believing that our prospects must identify with us. They don’t necessarily need to. It’s great that they are considering us and really nice if they like our online presence, but they don’t necessarily need to identify with us. Identifying with the experience of past and current clients I believe is much more valuable.
4) The proof is in the pudding. The power of proof, alone, is reason enough to encourage your current and past clients submit testimonials. Testimonials solidify your marketing initiatives and make it so much easier to close a sale with a prospect. The prospects not only knows what you said you can do, but through the proof of a testimonial, they also know that you can.
I hope I’ve provided a few solid reasons why you should be using testimonials if you’re not already doing so. Every business provider in this economy should be incorporating testimonials as part of their marketing arsenal. If you have prospects that are still on the fence and hesitant to enlist your services, a testimonial may just be what you need to covert them from prospect to client.
Over the weekend something interesting happened, thanks to a a potential client who flooded my inbox on the premise of needing my support. As entrepreneurs, we often walk the fine line of sharing and giving away our stuff. I’m actually slightly ashamed to share this but if it helps another entrepreneur, then something good has happened. I was hoodwinked. And it has happened before. Because of this, I stepped up on my smarts and had a system that has helped my decipher those generally interested in partnering with me or those wanting a freebie. Unfortunately, I slipped up over the weekend and got sucked in by a prospect that said she found me on one of the social media channels and knew that she ‘just had to work me with’ because she felt that I was ‘a perfect fit’.
Here are some simple, tired and true ways of generating traffic to your website. If you have found tips that work for you, I’d love to hear about them!
