Every great copywriter knows that a testimonial can be one of your best selling tools. Unfortunately, you won't always be handed a pile of powerfully worded testimonials. The good news is that you don't have to settle for weak ones -- even if that's all you have to start out with.
Don't wait for great testimonials to come to you. Go out there and get them! When you do, you'll be able to get testimonials that highlight certain key benefits. This lets you show your prospect that someone just like him has used this product and gotten great results!
The most common type of testimonials you'll find are what I call Before and After stories. This is when the customers talks about the problem he was having before, and how much better things are after using your product. These are much more effective than a lame "We love your product!" testimonial -- but the truth is, you can do a lot better.
Here's what I mean. Everyone is using Before and After testimonials now. They've become standard. This has made them less effective than they use to be. Your prospect sees them all the time, and before long they all start sounding the same.
In today's market, you want to use testimonials that are richer and more powerful. Luckily, you can get a stack of real-life testimonials that will highlight different key benefits. It's just a matter of going out and getting them.
Grab your list of satisfied customers and start interviewing them. Spend 20 minutes talking to each one. Think of this as a "search and find" mission. Your job as a copywriter is to uncover the rich, emotional stories behind all of those Before and After stories. That's the first step.
The next step is simple, and it's the key behind getting the best, most powerful testimonial possible.
At the end of the interview, ask if he would be willing to give you a testimonial that you can use. If he says yes, ask if he would like you to type one up based on the conversation you just had. Most customers love this idea, especially when you tell them that they will have final approval on how it's written.
Now it's a matter of taking the information you just got and crafting the best testimonial possible. If you've done a good job interviewing them, you should have some great material to work with.
Take some time to review your notes. Then ask yourself a few questions:
* What angle will work best?
* Which key selling points do I need to reinforce?
* Which one is best supported by this person's story?
* What is the best way to position this particular testimonial?
* Is there some part I can include that will make my prospect stop and think, "Hey, that guy sounds just like me!"
Just imagine how much more powerful and effective these type of testimonials will be. All of the different angles you can take and the great real-life tidbits that you can weave through your sales copy.
Interviewing happy customers has got to be the most powerful way to get strong testimonials that support your sales copy. If you understand how to guide the conversation in the right direction, you can uncover the good stuff quickly, every single time. Once you've done that, the only thing left is positioning it properly and you've got copywriting gold!
What you end up with is a testimonial other copywriters would die for. One that's laser-focused on a specific, key selling point in your copy. One that speaks directly to your prospect's needs and desires. One that uses your customer's words only better!
About the Author:
Are you ready to take your copywriting career to the next level? Before writing another piece of sales copy, discover the copywriting secrets that will dramatically improve your response rates.
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