Today’s post is all about one of THE most effective ways to help you get your prospects to take you seriously. So many of the clients I’ve helped lately, ignore or pay very little attention to it. They move from client to client without stopping to take inventory of the value their work has on the people they help. What’s this effective method you ask?

It’s TESTIMONIALS (or REVIEWS if you sell a product)!!

So today’s post is dedicated to helping you get the proof that you are indeed making an impact and providing value to the people you are serving. The fact is you need them and here’s why.

• It shows you know your stuff and you can do what you say on your website or across your socials. These days it’s all about how you are providing value.
• Builds your trust and credibility.
• Helps you generate roughly 62% more revenue, not only from every customer but every time they visit your brand.
• 92% of people say they read reviews / testimonials when considering a purchase.
• And this one may sting to all you highly educated folks but truth is, “More consumers are interested in “good value” than before, while less are concerned about the “expertise” of a business.” So this type of customer proof of the value you provide is necessary.

So let’s take a look at how it’s done, shall we?

1. Select the TYPE of testimonials you want to have. There are at least 9 different types you can choose from 1) quote, 2) video, 3) audio, 4) case study, 5) social media post, 6) interview, 7) customer story, 8) peer review, or 9) customer review. (I explain each one in more detail in my downloadable).

2. ALWAYS follow-up soon after you finish working with the client, while the impact you’ve made is top of mind. Don’t wait for weeks, months, or years to go by and then reach out and ask them how you’ve helped them. I’ve made this mistake and people have a hard time remembering what they ate for lunch yesterday, much less what they did a month ago.

3. Focus on the aspects of your brand that people look to you for. What are you known for? Is it community, inspiration, encouragement or transformation? Make sure these keywords show up in your testimonials. It will make your testimonials more searchable from a SEO (search engine i.e. Google) perspective.

4. Identify how you want people to FEEL when they read the testimonial. Do you want them to walk away inspired, motivated, happier? If you identify the emotion you want them to feel, you can weave it into your “ask”. Here’s an example. How did working with me help you to stay motivated as you grew your brand?

5. Get a good photo to accompany the testimonial. Words are great, but it’s much more powerful when you can see a photo of the person whose words you’re reading. It makes a stronger connection. There are cases when you can’t use their face but there are other creative ways to get an image that may work well instead. Get creative.

6. Edit the testimonial for grammar, tone, and impact. Grammar and style are important, but so is tone. It should read like it’s coming from your ideal customer. Additionally, people are busy and hate to read long testimonials unless it tells a story that pulls them in. Focus on impact instead of length. When you read it, you should go, “Wow is that me they’re talking about?”.

7. Showcase testimonials of your IDEAL customers. Stick to showcasing the specific type of person you most want to work with — your ideal customer persona. When you showcase your ability to work with a specific type of person, research shows that you attract more of that type of client to you.

8. Start with at least THREE testimonials — the power of three. The power of three is something I use all the time in all of my design work and it applies here too. The “rule of three” is based on the principle that things that come in threes are easier to consume and are more effective than any other number due to the way the brain processes information.

9. Use them throughout your marketing. Put these golden nuggets EVERYWHERE. Not just on your website, but sprinkle them across your social media, your ads, landing pages, anywhere you engage with new prospects. Remember the people you help are the stars of the work you do in the world. A great example is The Faster Way to Fat Loss. She showcases community and is always posting results from its members. It’s inspiring! She’s grown a multi-million dollar business as a result but more than that, she’s changing lives.

If you want to deep dive into getting great testimonials you can download the FREE Get Testimonials Guide I put it together to help you as you dive into getting some proof from the people you’ve helped. It requires you to get on my list but don’t worry I won’t spam you.

Please let me know how this helped you, I’d love to celebrate your wins!

Continue to dream!