Writing Testimonials - Maximum Effect

Anyone who's been in marketing or in business understands the value of customer testimonials. Better than any other form of proof (logical argument, data, endorsements), they can prove particular claims that the web site makes about a service or product.

But, like any marketing tool, the strength of a testimonial is greatly related to the effectiveness of its presentation. If you give your customers typical testimonials in a typical way, they will have very little effect, because they will neither attract attention nor deliver an emotional message. But if you can find a way to make the testimonial new - either with the language itself or with the presentation - the effect can be powerful.

When I am working with a web site customer and developing a testimonials page I try and emphasize the power of proving their claims, I stress the importance of not using testimonials that "sound like" testimonials. When a customer tells you that your product is "far and away the leader in its field" or "the best thing since sliced bread," you may be thrilled because it sounds like something you might have written yourself. But that's precisely why you shouldn't use it.

The best testimonials are those worded in a way that catches your attention, conveys a positive message, and does so with credibility. "Damn good eatin' fish!" is a testimonial I'd much rather use than "Succulent and tasty." The "damn" arrests my attention, the choice of words is believable, and the effect of making "eating" an adjective conveys an immediate benefit. It almost makes the mouth water.

So that is one thing - selecting, finding, or creating language that meets these criteria:

* attracts attention
* conveys a benefit
* achieves credibility

But that's not all. To make your testimonials do their job, they need to be presented in a format that supports those three objectives. In a sales letter, for example, testimonials are typically presented as one- or two-sentence quotations that are placed either in the text itself or at the margins. If you have a bunch of one- or two-sentence testimonials, it doesn't hurt to use them that way.

But if you have a really good testimonial, one that's distinctive and believable and strongly conveys the chief benefit of your product, you should find a more creative way to present it. You can, for example, turn it into a big bold headline and bolster it with an eye-catching photo of the customer enjoying the benefit.

Perhaps the best way to achieve both powerful, unique language and a captivating presentation is to show actual customers in their natural environment speaking their own words. A good approach would be to have these people walking around their homes or businesses, interacting with other people and talking candidly and in an unrehearsed way.

Real People - Their Words - Actual Pictures
Works Better Than Anything