The road to great SaaS Testimonials
I’d say persuasion is the main skill to have in any form of communication. In the perspective of testimonials, it is vital for your survival, but there are helping tools which can push you forward and get your clients to speak.
Social proof influences greatly: from the earliest age, to the eldest. If the cool kids get new phones, guess what every other child will demand for Christmas?
In terms of marketing, we’re all kids, and we are all prone to influence when we see someone else doing or having something interesting. This includes friends, family, partners, or even celebrities.
Example: Go to YouTube and you can see a pattern, if you get your Marketing Goggles on. A popular user in the makeup industry will receive free samples to review on their channel from various providers. Exposing that brand to their viewers will generate traffic to the brand. It sounds very boring when put this way, yes, but it’s a very logical and effective way to influence people to give your product/service a chance. It is also why so many people collaborate today: to share the increased traffic income.
Structure of an effective testimonial
(Several examples can be seen on the full article at Maerketing.com)
Your testimonial providers will give you all the content you need to make a good testimonial, but often, people will leave out the vital data.
Here’s what your testimonial should contain:
1. An identity component
2. A relation component
3. A benefit component
1.In the identity component, your readers must identify and understand that this testimonial is actually written by an individual of flesh and blood. Sure, most of us don’t really check, but we can all vaguely see a fake testimonial. Or worse, a real testimonial which appears fake. The point is that it actually provokes others to act because of what they just read.
Avoid “some random bus driver.”
Instead use full names and their job descriptions, or, in case you don’t want to use real names, use data like “Bus driver of the highest ranking bus company in New York.” Heck, even “Karen from Finance” better than a completely vague title.
2.In the relation component, your readers must identify with the testimonial.
Example: You’re a busy business woman living on Wall Street, you hate kids and your business briefcase just ripped. You stumble across a testimonial of the product you need and it’s written by a pregnant mother of four who claims “this bag is a life-saver because of the extra room for diapers.” Would you value this testimonial? Let’s rather grab another smoke instead.
Yes, specifics are important, but it’s important to use testimonials the majority of your audience will relate to. If you’re providing software for shift management, testimonials from business owners will be more valued than a student who needed the software for homework.
3.In the benefit component, clearly, your audience needs to see exactly what the benefit of your product is. There should typically be a common problem, and your product/service should be the solution. Cons are also welcome if they’re minor, because they provide a sense of authenticity, just don’t let them destroy the testimonial completely:
“This briefcase is horrible, it ripped as soon as I bought it, my laptop fell out and broke my big toe. But the color is cute, buy this briefcase. 5/5 stars.”
On the other hand, make sure the testimonial doesn’t look sugar-coated or forced. Remember America’s next top model when they advertised products as a challenge?
“Buy this coffee. Buy this coffee. This is good coffee. Buy the coffee now!”
We can also discuss the direct and indirect approach when acquiring testimonials, and there’s also the question of where to place your testimonials on your site. For a more detailed look and answers to these questions, check out the full article on Maerketing.com.