Thursday, June 26, 2008

How To Get Testimonials - The Easy Way

By Brian D. McEvoy

If you're reading this you already know that adding testimonials to your website is going to dramatically improve your profits. But how do you get them and make the most of them?

Let's look at 7 key methods you can use to get them

1) Ask - no harm in asking. Your customers won't mind and there's nothing wrong with seeking feedback. They may even appreciate the fact that you care about them and took the trouble to find out what they thought of the product or service you offered.

2) Why not give away some free review copies? If your product is new this can be a great way to get positive feedback. A true testimonial is from a paying customer but when you're just starting you won't have any. So giving away review copies in return for comments is your best option.

3) You could make it part of the deal. Just make it clear before anyone buys that you need their feedback shortly afterwards. Be honest about it, tell them why you want it and if it's a great product then I'm sure they will be happy to oblige.

4) Offer a bonus in return for feedback. I'm not talking about bribing someone for a testimonial. That is completely unethical and you should never do it. If you're found out you would lose all credibility in your marketplace. I mean you offer a small bonus in return for completion of a feedback form. You may not always get positive feedback, but just the good ones as your testimonials.

5) Ask your current clients to be beta-testers. You already have a relationship with your clients and they will love to know that they are getting their hands on something brand new, ahead of the general public. They'll feel special because of this and you can be sure, if the product is good, you'll get some great reviews.

6) Pay Per Click Ads. Why not run a very targeted campaign to give away complimentary copies of your product in return for some feedback? This is a great technique if you don't have any existing clients who can beta-test. A carefully worded advert will get you great visitors, falling over themselves to give you feedback.

7) Hold a competition. My favorite method for getting great testimonials and one I have seen used by many other successful marketers - hold a competition. If you had a weight-loss product and held a regular competition, every month or year for the customer who lost the most weight, do you think you'd get some great testimonials? Every month you're going to get fantastic results and people just love to include photos of what they used to look like and the much slimmer version!

Now you know how to get testimonials there should be nothing stopping you. Add them to your site and see your online sales improve.

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