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Testimonials establish authority and credibility

in your potential customer’s mind to help them easily respond to your offer with a “YES” . Being credible and your brand being trusted by consumers is critical for any business to prosper. By having testimonials from multiple individuals or businesses, it can show others who may have just recently stumbled upon your business that you are successful and can be an asset to them. It can solidify why they should choose your business over another, which is a BIG deal!

Testimonials help a consumer understand who you are as a business. More times than not, a consumer wants to be able to relate or to connect with a business they choose to support. By having testimonials published, it allows for consumers to learn all the great things about your business. 

Asking For a Testimonial 

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Depending on who you are, asking for help may be out of your comfort zone. However, it is important to keep in mind two things. 

1. It doesn’t hurt to ask. The worst that someone can tell you is ‘no’. 
2. By asking, it shows you are looking to  benefit your business.

You’ll be surprised to find that more often than not people will be more than willing to help you! Especially if you are providing them with a service, a small favor like sending you a testimonial will feel like the least they can do!

If you ask for a testimonial during your agreed working time-frame, you will be more likely to receive it compared to if you ask once your services are through. This is because during your agreed working time, the client will be communicating with you on a frequent basis, so you might as well snag that testimonial now! If you wait until after, it may be a struggle to contact them. 

You could offer three simple ways to gather your testimonial that will be hassle-free!

1. Fill in the blank - Do the majority of the work but let the client give their full, honest opinion. 

2. An example sentence- Provide the client with a previous example, this way they know the types of things that should be included in a testimonial. 
3. The opportunity to leave a video - Video testimonials are great for your business because with a video you can see that someone took the time to create a video and also that that person really appreciated your services to go above and beyond. There is an app called Video Ask that makes testimonials personable and easy! Record your video and send it directly to the business that you just gave a testimonial for! This is such an easy thing to do that makes a big difference for business owners. 

Where to Use Testimonials

Testimonials throughout your website will break up your own content and allow readers to continue to be reminded how awesome your business is and make them want to be in on the action!

On your homepage where most people will visit it is is a great placement option to establish authority, about half way down the page. The goal of the home page is to have visitors "click the call to action button" to move along their customer journey.

Ideally, a customer clicks the Call To Action button that you placed above the fold, or as soon as they land on your website.

But if they don't, a well placed testimonial, about half day your home page, might entice a person to push that button, and move closer to becoming a new client or customer.

And of course, your followers on social media want some social proof before they buy from you! Dropping a testimonial on your social platforms will certainly encourage your followers to engage and buy from you.

For your business to be more successful, gather testimonials and use them throughout your website. A testimonial could make or break your business in more ways than one!