Miles Ahead Marketing

Thus far in this series we’ve established that customer testimonials are a “must have” for your marketing system. We’ve talked about the difference between heralding your own good qualities and having a satisfied customer do the talking. We’ve also looked at examples of quality testimonials and why they work.

With the background established, it’s time to discuss exactly how to employ these tactics uniformly across all of your marketing efforts.

Marketing guru Ben Hart puts it very simply: “Be a relentless collector of testimonials.”  This is the first and most important rule in testimonial marketing – you won’t get very far if you aren’t able to reach out to your clients and ask for their support.

So don’t be shy.  Get out there and request that testimonial, preferably at the time when your customer is happiest with your product or service (but be able to approach customers at any point). For important clients, don’t be afraid to offer a small incentive as a show of appreciation for their help.

In this age of multimedia, be sure to cover your bases. Don’t settle for a simple written testimonial; if possible, videotape your conversation with your client, going over their needs and how you succeeded in meeting them. With this video, you’ll not only have their words captured, but you’ll also have audio and video clips to use on the web and in other media.

As these ideas suggest, you should not settle for simply placing testimonial blurbs on your website or in direct mail pieces. Marketing experts suggest placing testimonial quotes on AdWords landing pages, in print ads, and any other media you use to communicate with potential customers.

Dan Kennedy suggests cutting customers off at the pass by offering a “preponderance of proof.”  Some of his clients even include mini flipbooks, full of testimonials, in their direct mail pieces.  Getting creative with your quotes can go a long way.

See a sample sales letter.

In my next blog, we’ll discuss seven brilliant ways to increase response using testimonials.

I owe my success in business to my customers.

As a small business owner, the expense of hiring and training sales people can be overwhelming. In the 11 years since I took the entrepreneurial plunge, I have found that my customers are my best sales people - and they’re not even on the payroll. 

Believe it or not, over 33% of my business this year is in some way a result of customer referrals.  Typically, the referring person has already done the sales job for me; I just need to confirm the order details. 

Customer testimonials break down natural resistance and make your marketing claims credible by saying things that would sound too good to be true if you said them yourself.  Hearing the details of a good buying experience from a fellow customer can move mountains in terms of overcoming buyer skepticism.
 
I am convinced it is absolutely critical not to overlook the wealth of marketing power we hold in our customer records. We all spend so much time looking for new business when we have acres of diamonds in our existing customer base! These are the most powerful tools a business owner can use to market his business.

As a business owner, you know how difficult it is to play all of the roles you need to play in order to keep your business afloat.  With all of this juggling, it is easy to lose site of the bare essentials that keep your business trudging on - marketing.  Systematic marketing, where a repeatable system is in place, is a must-have, yet is too often taken for granted.  And when that sale is complete, you need a system for turning that satisfied customer into more leads by requesting and harnessing that all-powerful testimonial.

I feel so strongly about the topic of customer testimonial marketing that I have decided to bring you an entire series of comprehensive blogs on the topic.  I will show you, step by step, how to put together an effective testimonial marketing strategy and explain to you exactly why it works.

This series will cover:

• Why Your Customer Can Say What You Can’t
• Why Customer Testimonials Work
• How to Use Testimonials in Your Marketing Materials
• 7 Ways to Increase Response Using Testimonials
• Testimonial Checklist

Keep checking in for the great tips and updates I’ll provide in the rest of this series.  I promise, your business will never be the same.

In my next blog, I’ll tell you why your customers have the power to say the things you could never say yourself.