Why Bother With Testimonials?

When building websites for clients I have often been asked “why bother with testimonials?” For me there are several reasons. I believe, whether it is for your business website, within your general advertising or on the wall of your premises, testimonials can help make a potential new client take the first step in contacting you.

Customer Reviews

Who doesn’t check the customer reviews when buying something from Amazon? Even if it is something you know you want it is still reassuring to have another opinion. This is even if you are only spending a few pounds. If someone is considering spending a few hundred pounds on your services then there is even more reason to want confirmation that what they are doing makes sense.

Good Testimonials Build Trust

It doesn’t matter whether your testimonials focus on you as an individual, your employees or the services you provide they are primarily highlighting a positive experience that one of your clients has had. With several testimonials you begin to build credibility and come over as an expert in your field. They show how your products or services have really made a difference for your clients and can be of help to the reader too.

Good Testimonials Highlight Benefits

You don’t want your testimonials to just say “this company is great – thank you very much for a job well done”. You want them to say what made you great and what you did that was well done. Are you great value for money or give valued advice beyond what was expected. Do you leave your clients’ houses clean after you have finished your job? Do you listen to what your clients want? Do you keep to the schedule you first planned? These are all questions that potential clients have in mind and if your testimonials can show them what you have provided for clients in the past they are more likely to contact you. It also helps if the testimonials back up what you have already said on your website or in your literature. Businesses can and do sometimes promise more than they can deliver. If however, your testimonials back up your claims then this brings us back to trust.

Good Testimonials Are Well Presented

If possible try to get a good image of the person giving the testimonial. Not everyone will want to do this but it does make the testimonial more real and more personal. A name and town, if not full address, again helps show that it is a real person who has commented. The testimonial may even link to information about the job you carried out for them.

Ask For Testimonials

Don’t be afraid to ask for a testimonial. There is no better time to do this that straight after the completion of a job well done. One word of warning though – other than sorting typos, don’t edit the testimonial unless you have checked with whoever wrote it. It is far better not to publish a testimonial than to change the meaning of it. Doing this would affect the trust you have with that client and could affect future business. I hope I have given you an insight into why I bother with testimonials. Most clients will be happy to provide you with one and as your list builds up hopefully so will the number of clients contact you after reading them.

Thanks for reading.