Generate Trust with Testimonials
By TSJ on Apr 28, 2009 in marketing
Testimonials are a great way to generate trust in your business. Many potential customers may hesitate to make an online purchase from a company or on a website they are not familiar with. Testimonials aren’t a complete guarantee, of course, but it does tend to make people feel better if they can read about someone else’s positive experiences with the company.
For instance, say you sell airsoft guns online. There are tons of sellers of these on the Internet, and chances are most potential customers have never heard of you before. Having testimonials — not only to the quality of your airsoft pistols, but also to the quality of your service — in the margins of your website’s pages is a great way to give a little nudge to a client who is on the fence, and hopefully tip the scales in your favor.
But don’t just throw a few testimonials up on your page and forget about them. It’s in your best interests to change out your testimonials periodically, so that there are always fresh quotes from new clients on your website. Customers often save a site and come back several times before finally making a purchase, so changing out your testimonials regularly reassures them that you have a steady stream of satisfied clients!
Karen | May 8, 2009 | Reply
I agree … I have learned my lesson about buying products from sites that do not feature testimonials or customer reviews. Usually it means the company has something to hide. Any company that believes in its products should offer the opportunity for customers to leave a testimonial.
Lee | May 8, 2009 | Reply
It is also important to switch them out and keep them updated, like you said. If a customer were to visit a site and not see any fresh content, they might think your site — and your products — are outdated or not well maintained.
Michelle | May 8, 2009 | Reply
At my last job, we kept talking about doing this sort of thing and just didn’t have the resources to add it to our Web site. I think that was really a mistake. Customers are more Web savvy and they expect to see this sort of thing when they are shopping online.
Tessa | May 8, 2009 | Reply
Most people who are satisfied with a company’s products and service will be more than happy to leave a positive review. Unfortunately, open forums tend to receive a lot of negative comments as well. If you are going to allow reviews on your site, you have to have someone moderate them to make sure nothing inappropriate gets through.
Nikki | May 8, 2009 | Reply
I always look for customer testimonials and reviews when I am shopping online. You have to make sure you know what you are getting. Advertising and even images on Web sites can be misleading, so hearing from satisfied customers is a huge help in deciding what to buy.
Megan | May 8, 2009 | Reply
It speaks well of your company’s customer service, too, if people are willing to take the extra effort to either come back to the site and leave a review, or e-mail the company to express their satisfaction. A lot of people won’t go out of their way to do so unless the product or service is outstanding.
Susan | May 8, 2009 | Reply
I try to leave product reviews on Web sites as much as possible. Otherwise, companies have no way of knowing what their customers really want! If I’m really satisfied with a product, I don’t mind making the effort to let the company know.