All the Testimonials (And How To Use Them)
Testimonials are a fantastic tool for promoting your business, there’s no better advertising than word of mouth, and testimonials are just word of mouth with greater reach.
There are a couple of different types of testimonials you can employ, and it’s worth knowing the different kinds so you can choose the one that will
suit your purposes best. That’s what we’re going to cover in this blog.
Written Testimonials
The first type we’ll look at is the written testimonial. This is pretty self-explanatory, it’s a piece of writing talking about someone’s experience with your business and how fantastic it was.
This can take the form of an interview transcript, a blog post written by your company, a piece from a prominent industry figure, or a straight review written by a client or customer.
Whatever form it takes, don’t let it go on for too long. You can occasionally convince prospective customers to sit down and read a very long piece of writing, but generally your testimonials need to be kept short and sweet.
The maximum length of your normal written testimonials shouldn’t exceed 2-3 paragraphs. Keep them to the minimum length necessary to express all the salient points, a truly succinct testimonial won’t be more than a paragraph in length.
Once you have your written testimonials, all you have to do is find somewhere to display them, we have some ideas if you need them.
Video Testimonials
A very popular form, the video testimonial can take most of the same forms that the written testimonial can, but obviously it comes with a few major differences.
Obviously they’re going to take a lot more effort to produce, schedules have to align, cameras have to be procured and operated, sound has to be recorded clearly, and so on.
But in the abstract they’re much the same, decide on a format, keep them to the shortest length you can get away with, and then find them a home where people can appreciate them.
If you’re looking to produce a really good video testimonial, here’s a few key tips:
- Clear sound is by far the most important aspect of any video testimonial, make sure your speaker/s can be heard clearly.
- If lighting is a struggle, remember natural light always looks good.
- If the video part just isn't working, consider playing the audio over some nice photos or graphics.
Pull Quotes
In magazines, newspapers, and online articles, a pull quote is an eye-catching quote pulled from the text and presented alongside it in big letters to get people’s attention and convince them to read the full piece.
Testimonials are much the same. Take a sentence or two and post it somewhere eye catching, either as a standalone or as a way of attracting people to check out the full piece it came from.
These make great social media posts, as a feature on your website’s homepage to
entice people over to your testimonial page, or anywhere else you want something that catches the eye quickly.
Think Carefully About Your Placement
These aren’t true testimonials, but they are similar enough that they can be adapted to suit your purposes. These are nice things people have said about your business on social media that you then use as a testimonial.
It’s important that you ask for permission before plucking these out of their context and sharing them on other platforms, not everyone is going to be okay with that. If you do have permission though, they make an excellent source of “organic” testimonials you can put to use in many of the same ways you can use quotes.
To repeat, testimonials are word of mouth with more reach, and word of mouth is the best advertising a Small Business can get. Seek them out, show them some love, and enjoy all the benefits they have to offer you.
