Testimonials for Websites and More

I expect that you’ve heard that testimonials for your websites are a necessary form of social proof. You likely have many testimonials on your website.

You’ve heard correctly, but there’s more to it than just having testimonials on your websites. To be as effective as possible, testimonials need to be deployed strategically.

This short blog post will cover why testimonials are important, how to use them effectively on your website, and the many other testimonials that can support your marketing.

Buckle up.

Why Testimonials Are Important?

Testimonials are a head nodder. Everyone agrees that they’re important. But this often results in testimonials being used poorly. To unleash their power, it’s important to understand testimonials’ role in supporting the customer’s journey. Why are testimonials important?

Testimonials support your promise. They are reasons to believe your claim. Testimonials provide third-party verification that your claims are valid. Testimonials for websites are trust elements.

More head nodders, but stop and think about this for a moment. Are you keeping these truths in mind when you deploy testimonials on your websites? Given what I see when I’m doing Six Seconds or Less Website Audits, I suspect you aren’t.

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Fifteen testimonials buried in a carousel at the bottom of your home page will not deliver. Six-sentence testimonials (a wall of words) will not deliver. Multi-paragraph testimonials will not deliver. Testimonials without visual support will not deliver.

Now that I’ve depressed you, let’s explore how testimonials can be more effective.

How to Use Testimonials on Your Website

Consider the journey your customer is on. We go into this in detail in the post Six Ways to Engage Website Visitors in Six Seconds or Less. Trust building is important on every web page, especially the home page. But be mindful of the role these trust-building elements have. Trust elements should do their job efficiently by providing reasons to believe that your offer can solve the prime prospect’s problem. Nor more, no less.

A single, powerful testimonial is often sufficient. Or two to three single-sentence testimonials with pictures of the people who provided the quotes will get the job done. Or even better, a video testimonial. The point isn’t the quantity, it’s the quality of the testimonials that’s important.

Take the testimonial; you have and cut them up into smaller pieces. There are many opportunities throughout the website where you can use testimonials to support your solution. Remember, testimonials are trust elements. Use the wherever your offer needs support.

For example, if a subsegment of your target has followed a path to a landing page dedicated to their needs, select testimonials germane to the subsegment’s needs. They can and should be used throughout the website.

Other Ways to Use Testimonials

There are ways to use testimonials that are rarely explored. Think about what testimonials are. They are trust elements. They are reasons to believe your offer. As such, they can be incorporated into all your marketing communication.

Use testimonials in social media. Tweet a customer quote. Use a testimonial as content in a Facebook or Instagram post.

Use testimonials in your email marketing. Insert a related testimonial as a block quote in a product email. Add testimonials to transaction email templates.

Testimonials are not just valuable on your website. They can support your message everywhere.