just curious how important you think testimonials are to direct-response style web copy. Sometimes they help, but usually I just glaze over them when reading...Like I have read so many salesletters, I'm not sure what effect they have on my purchasing decision. but do you think it is worth putting them in the middle of the page and taking up a lot of space? I think sometimes they make the salesletters too long and intimidating to read (in terms of how much time it will take) thoughts?
I think it depends entirely on the market and target demographic. I wouldn't, for example, post testimonials for some new tech toy unless they were testimonials by known community figures. However, if we're talking kitchen appliances? Absolutely.
I glaze over when I read testimonials, too, but I think they are important to have. I don't have them listed as "testimonials" on my site though. I have a link to "See what clients are saying about us" and it has text from real clients talking about my work ethic, reliability, timeliness, etc. They don't read "Abigail is so amazing, I'd sell my soul to work with her again," because that's over-exaggerated and hokey. They're more like "Abigail not only completes projects correctly and on time, she also makes suggestions that help improve my business" or "Abigail's strengths are her flexibility, ability to meet tight deadlines, and the quality copy that she hands in each and every time we work together."
So many of them are fake these days on the Web, that I wouldn't bother unless it's either from someone that A) is recognizable B) agrees to have some sort of contact info available so people could verify it if they wanted to
Testimonials are important in helping build the trust factor, especially if you are new. Unfortunately, many testimonials these days are nothing but, "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours". I wouldn't look at vague testimonials. They should highlight the benefits of the product and include their contact info.
I never read the testimonials because half of the time it is just random bologny put up to sell there product, and not from actual people.
statistically speaking testimonials are more profitable than not using one However you need to test your sales page to get the maximum conversion rate
And "statistically speaking" lying in advertising will get your ass in a heap of trouble when you're found out. So if you're going to use testimonials, at the very least get honest feedback (preferably from people who actually matter to your audience).
hi everyone, really good thread and question. personally i think over time testimonials have lost the trust factor. businesses put them in their sales literature or their websites because they think that they have to. personally i think that you need testimonials however; i would take it a step further. write case studies. write how it changed the individual or company with what your product or service did. what benefits was it to the company. get some quotes from the director or manager; more than anything get them to allow you to post a link to the work completed or a tel no, email etc so your prospect can contact them. this builds the trust and belief factor. Warm Regards Stephen Doyle
Definatly IMO, the internet has bad rep as it is, and quite a high lie/crap/spam to good content ratio. So typically people don't believe anything self promotional you say. Depending on your market you may be able to get a review (perhaps sponsored) of your website/services on their website, by disconnecting yourself from the person giving a testimonial you make it more believable. so if company x say 'excellent services would use again' you could link to their blog page or whatever in your blog/testimonials page.
It's something we already mentioned in the thread - not an accusation that you're telling people to lie. But strictly saying it improves conversions does give motivation to the immoral crowd who don't care about lying in advertising (illegal in the US) as long as it brings in some money. I was just making the point that it's ok to use them to improve conversions; but only if they're honest. Anything else in the long run risks putting them out of business and permanently damaging their reputation if they decide to launch a new business down the road.
The only way that I see having testimonials hurt your sales process is if they were really generic sounding. If you get testimonials that are well thought out and believable then I can only see them helping your sales. Testimonials are a form of social proof. People will tend to trust you more if they know that others have already put their trust in you. For me personally, whenever I read generic sounding testimonials it makes the product less credible.
what amuses me sometimes are the pictures of the people who gave the so-called testimonials. more often than not they look like stock photos
Testimonials are important because they are social proof. People will feel less skeptic about your product when they see 'good' feedback from previous buyers. That said, testimonials should be elaborate and specific. A generic testimonial like "The product is great, I liked it very much" serves no purpose at all.
Yes, sometimes your quality work will spread away mouth by mouth rather than testimonial. For example, in design, testimonials are not so important. Just put your great work and visitor will attracted automatically. Am I right?