Customer testimonials are one of the most effective ways to market your business. However, it may be more challenging to lasso those positive words than you might think. Some business owners find that when they reward customer testimonials, they reap a much better return for their efforts. However, rewarding customers for taking the time to complete testimonials and paying customers for their words is a fine line indeed. We’ve got some tips for encouraging customers to provide feedback about your business without taking anything away from the credibility of those testimonials.

Getting Effective Customer Testimonials
Sure, it would be nice if every satisfied customer sent in a testimonial without any prompting whatsoever, but that isn’t the norm for most business owners. Many have to encourage their customers to state what they liked about the product or service and why they liked it. There are a number of ways to encourage these testimonials, without providing an incentive that might look like you were purchasing the positive words. Ask the customer at the time of purchase to fill out a short survey on your business. Or send one in the mail or by email a week or two after the transaction is complete.

The key to ensuring a good return on your request is to make the process as simple and precise as possible. Use some questions that require a “yes” or “no” answer, but add one or two open-ended question that will require customers to jot down a quick sentence about what they liked best about your company. You can easily do this online, or by providing your customer with a questionnaire when they purchase your product. The information your receive from these informal polls will do much more than promote your business through customer testimonials; they will also provide you with valuable input that will help you serve your customers better in the future.

Appropriate Reward Techniques
To ensure your requests get answered promptly, provide a reward system for those customers that respond in a timely fashion. However, you have to structure this reward system very carefully so that it doesn’t look like you paid for the testimonial. One way to do this is through some sort of drawing, where customers’ names go into a kitty when they complete a testimonial and send it back to you. You can offer a single prize or a set of prizes for the customers whose names are drawn. When rewards are offered through this means, it allows you to positively state that you have not paid for the testimonials you have received. By the same token, it encourages customers to complete their questionnaires in the hope that they might receive one of the prizes advertised.

Collecting customer testimonials is an excellent way to market your business online. These online testimonials give prospective customers confidence to do business with your company, and gives them a sense of camaraderie with others who have worked with you in the past. When you find appropriate ways to reward customer testimonials, you greatly increase your chances of a plethora of positive testimonials to choose from.

You’ve studied all the current online marketing techniques and you have SEO and social marketing down to a science. Now how do you close the sale once the customer has landed on your website? Through online testimonials, of course. Testimonials are not anything new in the marketing world. Using testimonials in your inbound marketing

strategy can be a secret weapon. Word of mouth has long been considered one of the most effective ways to build a customer base. However, online testimonials have taken marketing with testimonials to a whole new level.

Why do Online Testimonials Work?

Most customers know you wouldn’t post anything negative on your website, so what is the magnetic power of testimonials, exactly? The truth is that most shoppers want to be confident they are making a good decision when they choose a particular product or service. They find the words of others who have “been there, done that” reassuring. Small business owners are perfectly primed to receive testimonials from their customers, due to the unique relationship that results from this connection. However, larger businesses can also benefit from online testimonials, if they use them wisely.

Customer testimonials provide credibility to a business. They show that other customers have followed a similar path and been satisfied with the results. When opinions come from a third party instead of someone within the business, it promotes confidence in the company and the product they are selling. When you are a smaller business, satisfied customers can be the edge you need to get on top of the competition. Online testimonials break through skepticism and help prospective customers see your business with trust.

The Basics of Marketing with Testimonials

Even if you have never posted online testimonials before, you may already have the material to get started. Look for customer feedback that uses words like “pleased”, “satisfied” and “thank you for your service”. These words provide the beginnings of your online testimonials. If you don’t have enough feedback to create compelling customer testimonials, ask previous customers if they would be willing to provide feedback. You can get the information in the form of a survey or by simply asking your customers to write a short blurb about the service or product they received from you.

The best testimonials provide specific details about your business. Instead of using vague terms like “about” and “some”, the most effective testimonials offer information that gives prospective customers precise information about how they can benefit from your business. This information is more trustworthy and will be heeded more effectively by customer, and will probably be given a better ranking on the search engines.

Another positive technique for testimonials is to provide real-time testimonials that offer current information. Real-time testimonials provide prospective customers with new information all the time, so they can rest assured that even recent customers are pleased with your goods or services. Real-time testimonials also let new customers know that your business is still going strong, so they don’t have to worry about receiving outdated information from a company that no longer exists.

Proper use of online testimonials is a powerful way to promote your business. When others are happy with your business, new customers will be more likely to give you a try as well.