“If you include a testimonial in your copy, you make it more credible” said David Ogilvy more than 20-years ago. The master was right then. And he is right today. Testimonials can be immensely powerful.
The value of testimonials or endorsements was recognised in the very early days of mail order but today it is often forgotten.
Almost always, readers find the endorsements of fellow consumers more persuasive than the puffery that so often confronts them in marketing communications.
Yet, surprisingly few companies use testimonials. Even fewer, seem to have a systematic approach for gathering them.
The strength of testimonials stems from the problem that all advertisers face: to be believed. Overcoming the credibility problem is one of the biggest problems of all. (Thus the importance of the brand). Testimonials, handled intelligently, can go a long way towards bridging the credibility gap.
The first rule of getting excellent testimonials is ... to ask for them!
Whether it’s on your web site or in your newsletter or in face-to-face conversations with users, it is always smart to request positive feedback. But ask for specifics such as, ‘has this product helped you?’ or ‘do you have a success story of how it worked for you?’
These sort of questions are likely to attract details that have impact. “I found that the lawnmower was so much easier to handle around tight corners” is far better than, “It’s the best lawnmower I’ve ever used.”
It’s specifics that buyers are looking for.
If you have a first class product or service (and I am sure you do), you have an almost inexhaustible source of great promotional copy written by your own customers.
They will come up with selling phrases straight from the heart that can hit a cord with prospects. Usually, your happy customers will write with a depth of conviction that stems from using the product successfully.
Obviously, endorsements must always reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser.
Where the promotion suggests that the endorser uses the endorsed product, then the endorser must have been a bona fide user of it at the time the endorsement was given, Additionally, as the advertiser, you may continue to run the advertisement only so long as you have good reason to believe that the endorser remains a bona fide user of the product.
While testimonials give credibility, this is not a one-way street.
In this age of scepticism, where you use testimonials, some consumers, either consciously or unconsciously, will be asking questions such as:
- Is the endorsement quoted in its entirety, and not edited to alter its overall meaning?
- Is the endorser getting paid by the company whose product or service is endorsed?
- If the endorser is associated with some well-known and highly regarded institution, is he or she speaking on behalf of that institution or only in a personal capacity?
- Is the endorser competent and sufficiently qualified to express an opinion concerning the quality of the product or service being advertised?
Testimonials are credible, yes, but depending how you use them you can make them even more credible.
With testimonials from ordinary consumers, it is best to include some sort of identification - name and city may be enough. On your website, the endorser’s email address is good. In business to business, the endorser’s organisation is probably best. Few, if any, consumers ever try to contact the person providing the testimonial, but identification gives additional credibility.