How best to use testimonials
I go back and forth on the value of testimonials in your marketing efforts. At times, I find them so self-serving as to have no credibility at all. Other times, I believe that prospects still enjoy reading them, and are curious as to their sources.
Dean Rieck of copyblogger.com offers some tips to make the most of your use of testimonials — if indeed you’re so inclined. Here are some:
Select testimonials from customers similar to your prospects. Select testimonials that give specifics. Edit carefully and lightly. Use many short quotes instead of a few long ones. Include full names, titles, and locations when possible. And use quotation marks.
To these fine tips, I would add that the message points you’re trying to make throughout your marketing — typically elaborations on your brand attributes, differentiation, or so-called value propositions — should be reinforced with your choice of edited testimonials.
