1. Ask for testimonials: Don’t be shy about asking for a good testimonial to be used in your small business marketing. You never know unless you ask and if you’ve done your job as a company, odds are you know what the answer will be before you even ask.
2. Make sure the testimonials are real: There’s nothing worse than getting called out for having a fake testimonial either on your Web site, blog, printed marketing materials or online marketing information. This is a quick way to drop your credibility in the eyes of your customers.
3. Like-minded audience: People want to hear good things from other people they can relate to. If your target audience is of a certain demographic, make sure your testimonials are from people in the same demographic.
4. Constructive criticism: Understand the difference between constructive criticism and negative feedback. Constructive criticism, when done the right way, can rally people around your company and make you look real.
5. Get a photo: When possible have photos next to the people giving the testimonial.
6. Offer your own testimonial to a complimentary company: Sometimes the best way to receive is to give. Ask other complimentary small business owners if they’ll swap testimonials with you.
7. Have sales staff encourage testimonials for small business marketing: Your sales staff most likely has developed a close relationship with your customers. Teach them how to ask for a good testimonial and make sure they do it on a regular basis.
8. Have testimonials on lots of different pages: If you’re going to place testimonials on a Web site or blog (and we advise you do this), try to spread out testimonials on multiple pages so that the good vibes can be reinforced wherever visitors click.
9. Focus on success stories: Encourage your customers to use their testimonials as a way to showcase how your product, service, employees or cause helped make their life easier.
10. Be careful with competitors: This is one area you want to walk a fine line because it can easily backfire on you. Avoid saying bad things about your competitor in your marketing, but if a customer is going to call attention to a positive difference between the two companies you may benefit from it.
11. Strike when the customer is happiest: This one goes without saying. Don’t ask a customer for a glowing testimonial if you’ve just bungled their order.
12. Create a process for collecting testimonials: Employees work more efficiently when they work within a system of procedures. If others are in charge of collecting testimonials work out a system with them so that it’s automatically collected upon working with every happy customer.
13. Get information on the person leaving testimonial: Try to collect information like name, phone, address and email address from everyone offering a nice testimonial. You never know when you’ll want to reach out to them in the future either for a public relations story or email marketing initiative.
14. Use testimonials as a sales tool: Especially when you’re selling to a specific customer set, merchandise specific testimonials for other prospects that fall into the same category.
15. Use specific testimonials that speak to certain customers: For example, if someone wrote a nice testimonial about your windows, don’t use them to sell a customer looking for new plumbing.
16. Use video testimonials where possible in small business marketing: We now live in a YouTube
17. Offer constructive ideas on a good testimonial: Some people want to leave a nice testimonial but they just don’t know what to say. This is your chance to help them by making some suggestions of a good testimonial. Some tips include having the customer talk about the quality service they received; how easy it was to work with the company; getting product on time and how it saved them money in the long run. No doubt they’d love to work with you again in the future.
18. Create a testimonials page on your Web site or blog: It’s nice to have testimonials on many pages, but you also want to have one place where you can direct people when you really want them to see the power of great testimonials about your company.
19. If possible, consider SEO in your testimonials: What keywords do you use to promote your company in search engine rankings? If possible, encourage your customers to use those phrases in their testimonials.
20. Ask if your testimonials will also speak to the media on your behalf: A great way to achieve good small business public relations is to offer up some happy customers whenever you’re working with a reporter on a story. Keep a list of happy customers willing to speak with the media and always have it ready when reporters come calling. Your ability to respond in a timely manner may land you another story in the near future.
21. Use social media as a way to get testimonials and create interaction: Spread your testimonials around on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
22. Get written permission to use testimonials: Especially for video, always try to get written permission from the customer if you’re planning on using the testimonials in other marketing literature.
23. Offer up rewards or freebies on glowing testimonials: Customers give you testimonials because you did a good job taking care of them. Reward them and take care of them even more so that they rave about you. It’s not about buying them off, it’s about creating a relationship based on value.
What other tips or rules would you add to this list of testimonials for small business marketing? Please leave a comment here.
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