Getting and providing testimonials are a valuable means of showing appreciation that is often overlooked. Providing a testimonial on a website of a company with which you’ve done business has several benefits.
- Testimonials often include the name of the person providing the testimonial, his or her title and company, and sometimes a link back to the company’s webpage, which is usually of high SEO value. It works both ways, of course, so providing testimonials to suppliers can be just as valuable as eliciting testimonials for your own site.
- If there is media attention, you may get calls from reporters, presenting you with an opportunity to receive a few positive mentions.
- You may become part of someone’s marketing materials, ending up in brochure material and in conversations with their salespeople. Potential clients may ask “Do you have any clients in my industry?” and if your company happens to be in the industry, they may use your company’s name. In short, a testimonial may lead to your company’s name being seen or mentioned more.
Naturally, the same thing applies in reverse. Obtaining testimonials from your own clients will have the same positive effect on your business, by acting as brand ambassadors for you, creating referral traffic back to your website, and generating a value proposition to potential customers.
You might be uncomfortable about starting to allow customers to provide testimonials if your business has not yet started using them, but if you feel your company provides good service and value, testimonials will be an easy win for you. Review your competitors’ websites and see if any of them are using testimonials; if they are, it will be imperative for you to have testimonials as well in order to compete successfully. If they don’t use testimonials, you could create a significant competitive advantage by using them yourself, becoming a leader in your market and setting your company apart from your competition.
Consider using customer testimonials in all of your marketing and advertising efforts, both online and offline. Consistency makes marketing successful, so use these testimonials in everything you do. It’s an easy and positive way of showing appreciation.
Edward Solomon has over 30 years’ experience in project management, technical education, computer networking, web design and development and is a Digital Business Consultant for PENNInk Productions Ltd.
