Testimonials and reviews are the lifeblood of your online presence and you need to nurture and grow these throughout your website.
Indeed, I have just started writing reviews on TripAdvisor and so far have had the pleasure of writing good reviews. I love writing them and whilst I am not looking forward to having to write a poor one, I feel others can benefit from my experience.
The first review was a fish and chip shop in Rhosneigr (Scarlets to be precise). They serve probably the best chips in the area, I love them!
The point I want to make is that what people say about your business is so very important indeed. Potential clients can read your sales literature, visit your website and even talk to you but so often they need that little push to make the plunge to buy from you. This push is often a testimonial or review.
Once your prospects see others have bought from you and been happy with the experience/product they feel so much more “at ease” with the buying process.
So as far as your online profile goes, there are a number of things you need to do.
- Ensure your site has plenty of testimonials
- Ensure your testimonials have real people’s names wherever possible to add greater credibility
- Make sure it is easy for your clients to be able to post reviews
- Actively gather testimonials by asking for them when you complete a sale
Asking for testimonials is difficult I know but the more positive reviews you have the more likely any poor feedback will be drowned out.
If you do not gather testimonials then go on and try it. the next time you complete a project ask for a testimonial and see what happens.
Testimonial – Top Tip
If your client does not come back to you with a testimonial, write one for them. Make sure it is truthful and then send it to them to ask if this is the sort of thing they want to say. 9 Times out of 10 they will say “thats great” and you can then publish it.