Giving Your Testimonials More Credibility
In the past, I’ve talked about how including testimonials on your website is an easy way to build your authority. While this is true, there is a caveat. See, there’s a dirty little tactic that many shady companies employ. They fake their testimonials. How do I know this? I’ve seen job postings from companies looking for freelance writers to write fake testimonials for them.
Rest assured, I’m not the only one who knows that many online testimonials are forged. Consumers are more skeptical than ever before, so they’re sure to view any testimonials on your website with an unconvinced eye.
What does this mean for you? It means you need to give your testimonials (the real ones) more credibility. Here’s how.
- Include photos—Whenever a customer submits a testimonial, ask them if they could send along a photo as well. A photo gives the testimonial a physical face that other customers can see and connect with.
- Use video and audio testimonials—Audio and video help take the credibility of your testimonials up a notch. This is especially true with videos. When new website visitors see a video of an actual person talking about how great your products or services are, they’re more inclined to believe the testimonial is legit.
- Scan handwritten testimonials—Occasionally, a customer will send along a handwritten letter or postcard singing your company’s praises. Instead of typing up the content of the letter, scan it and upload the image to your website. This adds an extra layer of realism and credibility to the testimonial.
- Showcase testimonials from recognized sources—One reason many testimonials appear phony is because they’re from names like “B. Miller, Texas.” No one knows who “B. Miller” is, so the endorsement carries little weight. If your company provides services to well known businesses or people, solicit testimonials from these sources. That’s why you see Shaquille O’Neal on Icy Hot commercials. People trust names they recognize.
- Include website links in testimonials—Including a link to the website of the company or person who submitted the testimonial lets others see that this is a real customer who wrote this testimonial. If they want, they can even contact the individual to further inquire about their experience with your company.
Do you trust testimonials? Why or why not?
September 10th, 2009 at 7:11 am
[...] the past, I’ve talked quite a bit about how important testimonials are for building your credibility and establishing you as an expert in your industry. But today I want to talk about the other [...]
October 10th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Eric,
I like all these ideas but I’m concerned about putting a link in such a manner that people can contact my customers. It’s not that I don’t think customers will say great things about me because they will but there are some people that may abuse this. i.e. my competitors.
Also in the spirit of professionalism I don’t want my customers to receive a bunch of inquiries about me as this could get annoying for the customer.
Maybe I’m just being over paranoid.
October 10th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Gerald,
I see your point, and I would never add a link to the testimonial without the customer’s permission. While I understand your concerns, at the same time, it could be beneficial to have the link there. For instance, on my new website, I have a few testimonials from my clients (including you), and I link to their site. Now, let’s say someone comes to my website looking for website copywriting services. At the same time, they could need internet marketing or web design services, and they could go to one of the links in my testimonials.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Meh, I actually like the way your testimonials are on your page and agree that putting an actual link does make the testimonial look very solid. I guess personally I just don’t want to put an easily accessible list of my clients along w/ their contact info on my site. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.;-)
November 9th, 2009 at 7:24 am
[...] Testimonials—This is another page you don’t always see on websites. Look, new visitors to your website aren’t going to trust you right away. Of course, you’re going to claim your products and services are great; ever company does. Testimonials give skeptical visitors an unbiased recommendation of your company from people just like them. Read my post on giving your testimonials more credibility. [...]
February 1st, 2010 at 11:35 am
[...] It uses testimonials to back the story up—The hypnotic copywriter doesn’t just force you to take their word for it, they use testimonials to back their story up. And they have a spectacular knack for placing these testimonials in the copy right when you’re about to say “Wait a minute. This sounds too good to be true.” Check out these tips for giving your testimonials more credibility. [...]