Testimonials that work, fail and burn

I’m a great believer in testimonials, which is why we have them plastered all over our website.

Testimonials should be an extremely effective tool, as they allow you to effectively add other voices to your argument. We’ve all seen those infomercials where the person selling the products gushes praise and hype about his product, and then invariably introduces a ‘neutral’ third party to the set. The questions this person asks are blatantly unsubtle, and this is reinforced by their excitement at the answers. How happy can a grown man be that StainOff will remove all traces of all stains without bleaching the carpet?

Yet the fact is that the technique works. When other people sing the praises of what you’re selling, the person visiting your website is more likely to believe them than you. And the combined effect of the salesperson and the testimonial can overwhelm even the most cautious of buyers.

Yet there are five common mistakes that can render even the most glowing testimonial useless.

1) No attribution.

If the testimonial has no name, or nothing more than a name or initial, then it’s simply wasting space on your website:

“Wow – you guys are incredible. I recommend your services to all my friends.”
Mike P

You don’t need to be a cynic to realise that this is almost certainly made-up. Testimonials that appear fake demolish your credibility. And don’t think that just adding a city works either:

“Good grief sir. In all my years I have never made such a wise purchase. Bravo.”
Lord Smith, London

2) No link.

If your product or service is used by businesses, then every single testimonial should have a link to their website. Not having a link looks suspicious.

“SoftwarePromotions have been an instrumental part of iolo’s online success for many years now. The team is well qualified, extremely passionate about their craft, and, most importantly, always a pleasure to deal with. I have no hesitation recommending their services to anyone aside from our competitors.”

Noah Rowles, iolo technologies, LLC

And don’t make the mistake of thinking that these links won’t be checked. Over the years I’ve had countless emails from clients whose testimonials are on our website, letting me know what they’ve been contacted by someone wanting to verify what was written. Living proof that testimonials work.

3) No relevance – aka Where Ego Wins.

If you’re selling software that speeds up an internet connection, then you’re selling to people like my Dad. My Dad and people like him aren’t going to be that impressed by your software being used by Boeing, the CIA, and NASA. Even assuming that these companies are in fact using your software, it won’t affect my Dad’s judgement of your product, as the person giving the testimonial has to be similar to the audience.

Too many software companies display big brand names on their website, which have the potential to be incredibly effective, but only if relevant. Don’t let your ego get in the way of good business sense.

4) Obvious forgeries.

Too much gushing raises eyebrows.

“Your product changed my live. Only yesterday I was finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, and found it impossible to find any measure of happiness throughout the day. Today I’m grinning from ear to ear, I’ve now been promoted, and have just found out that my bank have approved my new mortgage. All because of your great software – and it evens speeds up my internet connection. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Enthused, UK

5) Bland and edited.

We know that testimonials are useful, but if you don’t have any good ones, go out and find them. Don’t put up a testimonial that looks like a comment.