Turn testimonials into selling tools

Testimonials carry clout with customers. Here’s how to use them effectively.

By Bonnie Kreitler

Businesses know that one good referral can be worth a thousand cold calls. Using testimonials from satisfied clients in advertisements and other marketing materials increases the value of a good referral many times over. "Testimonials can be very powerful marketing tools," says Michael Dunn, vice president of interactive at Mason & Madison, an advertising agency in Bethany.

Why they work

The four basic elements of any promotional message are features, benefits, proof and a proposed action, says marketing consultant Gordon Landwirth, of the Growth Strategies Group (GSG) in Orange. Testimonials can be a convincing proof that the benefits claimed for your product or service are real.

Landwirth feels testimonials have the greatest value when there is a significant risk associated with a purchase, due to either the high cost of choosing the wrong thing or uncertainty about the claimed benefits.

"This situation often applies to the consulting business," says Landwirth, "so GSG uses a combination of testimonials and references. Any consulting firm can claim it will help grow a company’s profits, but the prospective client faces uncertainty about this promised outcome. Seeing testimonials goes a long way toward reassuring them."

Just about any kind of business can put the power of testimonials to work for them. Dunn feels testimonials are particularly useful for unknown companies, new products or services, or products or services that may radically change the way an industry works. Testimonials from well-known clients willing to vouch for you can provide an enormous marketing edge.

The best testimonials, says Dunn, come from sources familiar to your target audience. The target audience needs to feel some level of connection to the testimonial givers. That may be because they are a recognizable large firm known for quality itself. The connection may be that the testimonial givers work in the same geographic area or within the same industry. "It’s always better to have testimonials from a company with a well-known name and established credibility," Dunn says. Otherwise, you first have to establish the credibility of the testimonial giver before the testimonial can go to work establishing your business’s credibility.

Chris Eseppi, director of project development at PDS Engineering & Construction in Bloomfield, agrees. "Our target audience is small to medium private businesses, and if they see someone they recognize, there’s an identify factor," he says. They are more likely to call that recognized colleague for a reference. "It’s really a small world. People know one another."

How to get testimonials

Testimonials from satisfied customers are not only one of the most powerful marketing tools a small business can use, but they are also free. While the occasional unsolicited letter filled with glowing praise and expressions of satisfaction just lands on your desk, more often than not you need to prompt satisfied customers to write them.

Many small-business owners feel awkward asking for recommendations, but those that do it say it gets easier the more times you ask. Will clients resent being put on the spot by your request? To mitigate that possibility, ask for a testimonial immediately after a job is finished, while the client’s enthusiasm for your product or service is strong. That makes taking the time to sit down and write the testimonial less of an ordeal. If a client asks what they should say, offer a few leading questions to get their thoughts flowing.

Eseppi believes testimonials can be a win-win situation for both businesses. PDS Engineering’s testimonial ads feature photos of business owners standing in front of their PDS-built projects. That, notes Eseppi, gives their customers a little free advertising.

To make providing the testimonial as painless as possible, PDS sends a professional advertising copywriter to ask the customer a few simple questions:

What did PDS do for you? Why did you select them? What positive experiences did you have?

The writer edits their answers into a testimonial statement and faxes it back to them for their approval. The customer invests about 10 minutes of time and gains the benefit of professional writing that makes them look good.

Landwirth points out that an effective testimonial should vouch for the key benefits claimed in your other marketing materials. Keep that in mind if you prompt your customers with questions to help them write testimonials. The best testimonials directly address the risks that prospective clients perceive and their uncertainties about making a choice.

What about those unsolicited letters? Call to thank your customers, say the experts, and ask permission to use their letters or a portion of each one for marketing. Get that permission if you want to maintain customer good will, experts warn. A satisfied client may quickly become dissatisfied if they start getting calls for recommendations based on your unauthorized use of their correspondence. Verbal permission is OK, but a written permission is better.

When they stop working

How long do testimonials remain effective? That’s a judgment call, says Landwirth. First, you need to ask if the person and their company are still well-respected in their industry. Next, consider that prospective clients may call the testimonial giver to check your references. They will ask when you worked for that person, as well as what you did for them.

The real question, says Dunn, should be whether or not the advertising or marketing campaign is still effective. "Especially in business-to-business advertising, business owners need to regularly test the effectiveness of their campaign and its progress," Dunn says. What is happening in the minds of your target audience? Have you used the testimonials so often, in so many media, that they are no longer generating sales or leads? As long as ads and marketing media featuring testimonials are still working to achieve the marketing goals you set, he says, there is no reason to switch tactics.

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