Thread: Testimonials in Websites

What do y'all think of testimonials included in one's website? Is it cool to include them (assuming they're not overdone) or is it hokey/crass?

Is this sorta like the question about physical descriptions on websites??? ,r:;

Deborah
who is working on website content and who needs somebody to help her create the site.

Actually, there was a discussion in that very thread about this very thing (I had the same question!)...

Cool . . . I'll go check it out! Thanks!

Deborah

I was told by a bunch of Bhuzzers that I needed some on my site, so I went ahead and stuck 'em on. Two of the comments are from Bhuzzers, actually! :)

Now I'm curious...I left off the quotes that mean the most to me, but would probably mean the least to a civillian looking for a dancer. Do I include any of these?

"You have a lovely quality in your dancing. Your technique is very good, plus you're very musical and graceful." - Zahra Zuhair

"I LOVE the way you dance." Princess Farhana

"I really, really enjoyed your show." Leila of Cairo

"I saw you dance Nasila at Rahanas recital the other night....really beautiful and soulful performance". Akasha

"You dance just like an Egyptian." -Carolyn (local sponsor for Leila)

I almost always look though testimonials when looking for a product or service, but maybe I am in the minority. Or are quotes cheesy (cheesey? cheesie?) enough that they should be removed altogether? Thoughts??

Testimonials are considered "social proof" in marketing. People will tend to follow what other people like or recommend. They are very effective sales tools.

*But*

The trick is to use them correctly. Think of your target market and figure out who *they* need to hear from and *what* they need to hear about to make a buying decision. For example:

If you're a teacher marketing to Boomers and older women, you need testimonials from students, preferably of their own age group, talking about how well you explained the moves or how you modify moves to accommodate bad knees.

If you're a performer trying to get restaurant gigs, it would be great to get a quote from another owner saying how full the house was when you danced, how professional you are, and how much the patrons loved watching you.

If you're a seminar producer and want to attract students, have testimonials from former workshop attendees saying how much they learned...or better yet, some testimonials from people who took classes from whoever you're sponsoring.

You can have other testimonials, too. But try to make most of them fit with what you're selling.

Also, these days it's preferable to get audio or video testimonials whenever possible.

Great question!
Mira

Oh, one more thing...

When you're trying to decide which testimonials to use, try to think of every objection your target may use to say "no thanks" to your service or product. Then use a testimonial to make that objection go away.

If your prospect is thinking "Gee, I'd love to have a dancer at my wedding...but I just don't think my American guests would understand."

A well placed testimonial from a client saying "Everyone *loved* your performance, even my non-arabic guests! My mother in-law is from Tennessee and she said you danced like a goddess! Thank you so much for adding to my special day." could swing their mind over to your side of things.