The Unlikely Power of Testimonials
“Testimonials work best when they are believable, specific, and enthusiastic.” |
They work because we humans are pack animals: the opinions and actions of our peers matter to us. That’s why we read Amazon.com book reviews, watch movies that Ebert likes and trample each other at soccer games. It’s the phenomenon known as social proof, or for the layman, it’s called the herd mentality. It’s a powerful force, and testimonials can help you harness it in beneficial way.
Here at InsureMe, unless there is an embarrassing misspelling in all caps, we don’t edit our testimonials. The reason is they bring more legitimacy and flavor when they come from a real person (as opposed to a copywriter). And legitimacy and authenticity are the very things that testimonials are supposed to convey. “Testimonials work best when they are believable, specific, and enthusiastic,” wrote copywriter Dean Rieck in a Monday post for Copyblogger. Thus, Rieck cautions heavily against forging your own.
“Using the real words of real customers is the best long-term approach. Your customers will say things you could never dream up on your own. Their comments are often quirky and have a ring of truth that few copywriters can match.”
And I would add that people are masters at spotting bogus testimonials.
Where to use them.
» Web site
» Email signature
» Marketing collateral
» Business card
How to get them.
Ask for them!
Rieck advocates his own homegrown system, which he calls SPRF—schedule, phone, release and file. Read all about it here.
How to pick them.
You want your testimonial to be positive—that goes without saying—but not so over-the-top positive that people might begin to think it’s fake. For example, if on the off chance that a client said, “Since I started with InsureMe, my business has grown, my romantic life has flourished and I’ve achieved a state I think the Buddhists call nirvana,” we’d be thrilled for that agent, but we wouldn’t use his testimonial.
Pick testimonials that are specific (specificity carries more weight), relevant, positive and genuine-sounding. To clarify the last item on the list, by genuine-sounding I mean that it won’t be mislabeled as a fake.
