Customer Testimonials:

The MOST Valuable Marketing Tool

Why?

Because what others say about you is hugely more
powerful than what you could EVER say about yourself

Americans have become incredibly cynical about the ~4000 advertising messages they're exposed to every day -- so they often don't trust what they read, see and hear.

But, if a friend or colleague says something positive about a product/service, they trust the information. That's why customer referrals and word-of-mouth advertising is so effective.

It doesn't matter if these positive comments come from users, celebrities or industry experts, they ALWAYS increase the credibility of a company's marketing messages.

This isn't some NEW marketing concept. Check out what direct-marketing pro, Robert Collier, said about testimonials in his 1937 book:

"Every advertisement must have argument or proof of some kind, but all of the argument in the world is not equal to proof such as this: 'You know Jim Jones, here is what he says...' We are a credulous people, but we have become so accustomed to hearing everyone claim that his product is the best in the world, or the cheapest, that we take all such statements with a grain of salt. Let someone give a testimonial, however, and we prick up our ears.

True, testimonials are in rather bad odor of late, due to the way advertisers have run after celebrities and bought their endorsement of everything from chewing gum to pajamas. But, there will never be a time when a testimonial, which has the ring of truth to it, will not be a potent factor in dispelling doubt in the mind of a hesitant customer."

Robert Collier, The Robert Collier Letter Book, 1937

Collier wrote this statement over 70 years ago! -- and it is as true today as it was then.

However, some testimonials are more effective than others. For example, a written comment listing just a first name, is much less useful in dispelling doubt than a testimonial with the person's last name, location, and photo -- or, better yet, an audio or video testimonial.

So, once you conclude that testimonials should be used in your marketing, you should focus on trying to make the testimonials you get as credible as possible.

Here are some ideas on how to do this:

• Include complete information about the testimonial giver (full name, location, employer, photo, etc.)
• Ask for comments that are specific rather than general
  
• Use audio and video testimonials as much as possible