Using Testimonials in Your Inbound Marketing

You've studied all the current online marketing techniquesand you have SEO and social marketing down to a science. Now how do you closethe sale once the customer has landed on your website? Through online testimonials , of course. Testimonialsare not anything new in the marketing world. Using testimonials in your inbound marketing strategy can be a secret weapon. Word of mouth has long beenconsidered one of the most effective ways to build a customer base. However,online testimonials have taken marketing with testimonials to a whole newlevel. Why do OnlineTestimonials Work? Most customers know you wouldn't post anything negative onyour website, so what is the magnetic power of testimonials, exactly? The truthis that most shoppers want to be confident they are making a good decision whenthey choose a particular product or service. They find the words of others whohave "been there, done that" reassuring. Small business owners areperfectly primed to receive testimonials from their customers, due to theunique relationship that results from this connection. However, largerbusinesses 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 satisfiedwith the results. When opinions come from a third party instead of someonewithin the business, it promotes confidence in the company and the product theyare selling. When you are a smaller business, satisfied customers can be theedge you need to get on top of the competition. Online testimonials breakthrough skepticism and help prospective customers see your business with trust. The Basics ofMarketing with Testimonials Even if you have never posted online testimonials before,you may already have the material to get started. Look for customer feedbackthat uses words like "pleased", "satisfied" and "thankyou for your service". These words provide the beginnings of your onlinetestimonials. If you don't have enough feedback to create compelling customertestimonials, ask previous customers if they would be willing to providefeedback. You can get the information in the form of a survey or by simplyasking your customers to write a short blurb about the service or product theyreceived from you. The best testimonials provide specific details about yourbusiness. Instead of using vague terms like "about" and"some", the most effective testimonials offer information that givesprospective customers precise information about how they can benefit from yourbusiness. This information is more trustworthy and will be heeded moreeffectively by customer, and will probably be given a better ranking on thesearch engines. Another positive technique for testimonials is to provide real-time testimonials that offer currentinformation. Real-time testimonials provide prospective customers with newinformation all the time, so they can rest assured that even recent customersare pleased with your goods or services. Real-time testimonials also let newcustomers know that your business is still going strong, so they don't have toworry about receiving outdated information from a company that no longerexists. Proper use of online testimonials is a powerful way topromote your business. When others are happy with your business, new customerswill be more likely to give you a try as well.

Was this helpful? 0 0 Comments

You're reading Using Testimonials in Your Inbound Marketing.