You can do way more with your client testimonials than simply put them on your website.
You can do way more with your client testimonials than simply put them on your website.Testimonials are something every business owner knows you should have for your business. But once you have them… then what?
We know testimonials help us with sales.
Whether you have a private practice, or a service-based business, or sell a product – how your clients feel about your business, services received or how the product functioned – these are areas potential clients like to read about as they make their purchase decisions.
I have talked before about the importance of gathering testimonials from your clients and why you need to make certain to ask for them from current and parting clients.
But, now that you have them, what do you do with them?
Many people that do gather testimonials tend to forget them and leave them in their inbox, or put them on a testimonials page on the website… but you can do so much more with them!
Remember why you asked for them in the first place – to use them. They are Social Proof of your Services or Products, and this is one of the main uses of a testimonial.
They can become Marketing Content!
How can you use them effectively within your overall marketing?
ORGANIZE
I like to keep mine in a spreadsheet. I love spreadsheets for sorting and organizing information and so this is where all the collected testimonials go. Once I get one back from my clients, I forward them to my Virtual Assistant and she places them in the spreadsheet with the following information:
- Dated collected
- Client name
- Testimonial
- The Client’s Title
- Website link to use (some people may have more than one so check their preference)
- Their profile image that can be used
We also have a folder to store the images for the clients to use and then any images we make for using the testimonial online.
IMPLEMENT & USE THEM!
This is so important – you have the testimonials, now go use them! Depending on what service the testimonial is about, I decide where to place them and they don’t always get used in the same place. This is where some business owners get lost and don’t always think about where the testimonials work best to support the marketing plan.
The main areas you can use testimonials online are:
- Website – Always have a testimonials page with your testimonials – if not all then the most valuable ones – so it is easy to find. You can also share it in strategic areas on specific pages or even on the sidebar of your website.
- Sales Page or Promotional Emails – Testimonials can work really well when they speak to the service or product being sold. Add them to your sales pages to help others speak for you!
- Webinars, Launch events and Presentations – Weaving your testimonials as stories into your webinar content or presentations is a great way to authentically and naturally share how your services, programs or products have helped others.
- Newsletter or Podcast content – In a newsletter or podcast you can highlight the content of the testimonials and often they can easily support the topic/articles.
- Social Media Content – yes, this can work really well. You can share some of the back story and talk about the results your clients got from working with you. Make images to use to go with the posts. And this is content you can repurpose and reuse which helps save time with your marketing.
When you collect your testimonials, you may need to categorize them for the type of service. Take a good look at what you are ‘selling’ on each area and match the testimonials to your products or services. Release them over time in different areas. Maybe you want to bring something up in a newsletter and the testimonial works well with that – add it there. Save it for the website later and down the road. When you release a new product that it is relative to, pull it out and use it there.
PRO TIP >> Do NOT wait until your are finished working with someone to ask for a testimonial! Getting testimonials in the heat of a client’s “success period” or “winning times” when working with a client will often bring forth much different wording and feelings than once someone is done working with you.
Testimonials will help potential clients feel better about choosing you, or your product or service. Some have told me in the past, “I saw what so and so said on your website and that is what I want to aim for too.” Without the testimonial, that trust to say “Sign Me Up” might not have happened or happened as easily. Testimonials should not be a forgotten part of your business. Gather them and more importantly — USE THEM!
Don’t forget – over time, if you continue to work with the same clients, ask them for an updated testimonial too – especially if the work or service you do together has changed.
Testimonials can be one of your content categories for your marketing that I teach about in my video training lesson included with the Ultimate Marketing Content Planner. They can be a “Share Some Info” or “Inside Scoop” type of content that I teach about in this planner lesson. If you want to get a head-start on your marketing, understand how to plan your content and learn a time saving system, then check out my Ultimate Marketing Content Planner today.
SPECIAL NOTE: For all the dietitian and private practice owners …
Always make sure you are HIPAA compliant with your testimonials. Now, I am not a lawyer and do not play one in real life 😊 so be sure to know or check with your lawyer or your industry association or elsewhere for HIPAA compliance for proper rules. These are some good articles I have found:
Good HIPAA info on testimonials: https://compliancy-group.com/hipaa-law-on-advertising-patient-testimonials/
This one shows good examples of what to do/not to do: https://www.reputationdefender.com/blog/doctors/online-reviews-and-hipaa-what-you-need-to-know-about-responding-to-patient-reviews
Adrien Paczosa of Fearless Practitioners has a self study course on HIPAA, Billing and Insurance for Dietitians and Private Practice Owners: https://fearlesspractitioners.com/workshop/
Stop Struggling and Start Thriving! My passion is helping to guide people just like you, private practice and service-based business owners, who are often frustrated with all their wasted time spent on marketing that gets you nowhere. You can learn strategies to attract a steady flow of clients and build a thriving and profitable practice. Get started with some of the free resources on my Pepper It Marketing website, especially this Guide to Streamline your Marketing. I also offer several self-study training programs to help you attract more clients so you can Build a rewarding and profitable private practice and still have time to LIVE your LIFE!