There is only so much you can do to convince people you are as great as you say you are. This is true both in and out of business. This is true both online and offline. You can write articles and show off your expertise and participate in forums and have special deals. That sounds like a lot but it only goes so far. If you really want a successful business, you need reviews or testimonials. You need the people who have done business with you to tell others what kind of experience they had. Here is how to improve the quality and the number of testimonials you can get for your business.
Perhaps the best form of content you can have on your business website is the client testimonial. People see this as a form of ‘social proof’ and it carries more weight than any of the rest of your content or copy. One of the best ways to get these testimonials is to ask if you can share the feedback that you are given as a testimonial on your site. You can also set up a comment form on which people can leave opinions that they type in themselves. However you go about doing it, make sure that you have at least a few on your website.
Make sure that you know about the testimonial rules that the Federal Trade Commission has set up. A few years ago the Federal Trade Commission rewrote their rules for client testimonials and publishing them on your own site. They did the same thing for what you can do when you report on the results your product or service has had for your buyers. For more information, visit the Federal Trade Commission website to make sure that you are following the rules to the letter. You don’t want to have to yank down the testimonials once you have them!
If you can get it from the reviewer or person offering the testimonial, get the person’s picture. A picture, preferably a snapshot that the person has taken himself (or herself), carries a lot of weight with a testimonial. It shows what the review was offered by a real person and not just typed up by you and published under a fake name. Pictures show that real people are talking to you and buying what you have to offer. If the person declines, accept that gracefully, but always at least ask for a photo to go alongside the words they have written for you.
Testimonials are the bread and butter of doing business. This is true on the web and off the web. A testimonial carries quite a lot more weight than your copy or content. It even carries more weight than a media-authored review. Testimonials represent what real people think of you and what you have to offer. This is why you need them. Use the tips and techniques we’ve shared with you in this article to improve the quality as well as the quantity of testimonials that you receive.
Omar is and avid warrior forum blogger who also own’s several SEO blogs but currently he is focusing on growing his Niche Marketing blog.