Al

How to get great testimonials to use in your marketing

May 25, 2010 by Al

Testimonials are a well known tool for marketing products and services, for good reason – They work!

I recently attended a webinar on internet marketing, as I do from time to time to pick up any new ideas or practices that I can transfer to marketing real world businesses. One of the presenters got me thinking about testimonials.

The presenter of the webinar pointed out the extraordinary lengths that infomercials go to get the testimonials they need to sell their products – They:

Go out onto the street to video the public
Pay celebrities for their endorsement
Do “live” demonstrations with volunteers
Show amazing results from previous clients/guinea pigs

Now I know that we all watch the infomercials thinking, “yeah right, sure he got his 8 pack abs from ONLY using their face cream for 30 seconds per day”. But at the end of the show we’re all ready to pick up the phone for a 14 day trial.

Testimonials just work!

Testimonials are the next best thing to a personal referral. Someone standing up and saying ” I know you are nervous about using this product, but I did and it worked great for me” gives a sense of security, it removes some of the perceived risk of making a purchase.

If testimonials are such a great tool, why don’t businesses use them to their full advantage?

I encourage all of the businesses I build websites for to gather some testimonials for the site, and without exception, they are always the last content that I get supplied, if at all.

People are scared to ask for testimonials, and particularly here in New Zealand I am sure people are worried that asking for a testimonial is somehow reducing their authenticity.

How do you get testimonials?

How often do you follow up with your clients to check they are satisfied with your service? This is a golden opportunity and should be a part of your customer service process. Whether you do this in person, via email or thank you letter, always ask for feedback.

When talking to a client or customer and they mention that they you gave them great service, or that they loved your products, just ask “do you mind if I use this as a testimonial” all they can do is say no, but I bet a lot are happy to help.

Make it easy for them to give you a glowing testimonial

Avoid wasting an opportunity to get an inspiring testimonial, by helping your client give you the information you want. Ask the right questions to get the answers you want. Try these out to start with:

What was the number one reason that helped you decide to purchase our product or service?
Was there any reason you considered NOT using our product or service? What overcame this?
How specifically did our product or service help you?
Would you recommend us to a friend or colleague? If yes, why?
Do you have any other comments on our product or service?

These questions will get you some specific, informative testimonials, as well as help you understand why your clients buy your product or service (and why others don’t).

Now go and get some testimonials, and if you are really keen, you can always get out on the street with some product samples and a video camera!

Is blogging worth the time for small business?

March 5, 2010 by Al

Is blogging worth the time spent for small businesses So you like the idea of blogging but aren’t sure if it is worth the effort? This great post just came through my twitter stream via the @smbusinesscoach. Hubspot studied their small and medium business customers and were able to document clear business benefits of Blogging.

The data was crystal clear: Companies that blog have far better marketing results. Specifically, the average company that blogs has:

55% more visitors

The study also showed that those businesses that blogged gained 97% more incoming links than those who didn’t.

I am a strong advocate of blogging for small businesses to establish credibility in their field and connect with potential customers.

Does your business have a blog? Do you use it as a tool to build your business or as support for current customers?

Photo credit: Mike Licht

Why you should stop chasing new customers!

October 22, 2009 by Al

When I first talk to a client about their marketing, I have a few questions I always ask. The first is “What do you want to achieve from your marketing?”, almost without fail I get the same response: More customers!

While it is the obvious response, it isn’t strictly the truth. When they ask for more customers, most businesses really want something else… More money! The assumption that more customers result in more money doesn’t always hold true.

The Problem

The problem with targeting more customers with your marketing, is that each customer costs money in the form of paperwork and staff time for customer service. Marketing to new potential customers is also expensive.

The solution is better customers

Rather than aiming for more customers, how about focusing on creating more great customers. A great customer is a heavy user of your products or services, they buy more, more often. The never complain about your prices, and best of all they brag about your business to their friends and colleagues.

A great customer is valuable to your business from a profit perspective, but they also give you the best type of marketing you can get – word of mouth testimonials. In short, they send you referrals!

Getting great customers

There are two things to keep in mind about great customers. Firstly, you already have some great customers. and secondly, your great customers think differently about your products or services than your regular customers.

In a cafe example: To a regular customer, the cafe might be a place for an occasional pick-me-up, or a casual place to meet a client out of the office. To a great customer, the cafe is their breakfast bar.

Get talking to the the great customers you already have. Find out their thoughts on your products, what is it about them that make them great customers, and why they choose you over your competitors.

Once you have an understanding of who your best customers are, and WHY they are great customers. You can use the information to:

Encourage your standard customers to become Great customers
Target your marketing at those people who are most likely to become great customers

Rather than aiming to get just more customers, your ultimate goal should be to get more GREAT customers.

Last Question:

What do you offer to your best customers to let them know how much you value them? Do they know they are a VIP to your business?

A secret to creativity in Business

September 17, 2009 by Al

It is easy for us all to believe that creativity is some sort of magic talent, or a gift given to the lucky few at birth. I always considered creativity was the domain of artists and musicians, and was in awe of those who could pick up a pencil and draw spectacular illustrations seemingly effortlessly.

Creativity for business innovation

Artists are talented but the very best still practice for years and years to refine their natural creative abilities. Creativity in business is at the heart of innovation, whether it be for marketing campaigns or new and ground breaking products. But unlike natural born talent, it can be learned and turned into a creative system.

Tip: steal ideas!

I’m not talking about blatant plagiarism of ideas from your nearest or most successful competitor, (though it obviously happens). A much more effective and creative approach is to study other industries or market sectors. Preferably an industry entirely different from your own… If you sell bicycles, compare your business to an ice cream truck. If you’re an accountant, compare yourself to a book store.

Think about their business model? How do they market their products? How do they serve their customers? What other systems do they have? Challenge yourself to bring one idea from another industry into your business!

With this tip in mind, get into the habit of carrying a notebook with you everywhere. When you see great ideas or are inspired by something others are doing, write it down and review it later.

Another great resource for finding new ideas to re purpose for your business is Springwise.com, which gathers great innovative business ideas from around the world. Also check out their sister site trendwatching.com for upcoming consumer trends.

photo credit

Whats in a telephone number?

August 25, 2009 by Al

Maybe you don’t think much about your telephone number. I know a lot of people strive to get the easiest number to remember when connecting a new number, but that seems to be as far as most go. Lets be honest, people don’t remember your business phone number anymore, not with cell phones… there is no need. Honestly, I can’t tell you my wife’s mobile number because it is two buttons away in my cell phone.

But your phone number can say a lot about your business, and your customers notice it.

If you service a local community like Blenheim, or region such as Marlborough, a local calling number reassures your customers they are dealing with a local business and often depending on the industry, this is important to the customer.

If you provide products or services nationally, having a toll free number is telling the customers that you may be out of town, but you value their business enough to pay for their inquiry. If you have two competing businesses to contact for a product, and one is a toll call, while the other is toll free, which are you going to call first?

International business may be a combination of the two. Are you going to make an international phone call to place an order? Not likely if their is local competition. Why not have a toll free number in another country redirected to your local office?

What can you take away from this? Smaller local companies can have toll free national and international numbers, so they appear bigger than they actually are to their target customers. On the other hand, large national (or international) companies can have many local numbers to appear as though they have a local office.

What does your business phone number tell your customers?

Photo credit: Alexander ONeill

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