Keys to Get More Traffic by Sharing Powerful Testimonials

When I talk with entrepreneurs, they tell me that they want to get their message out and grow their list of people that are interested in hearing what they have to say.  Many also are interested in getting in front of other influencers in their industry and building stronger relationships.

What about you?  Does that interest you?

Those are great things to be thinking about and today I'm going to share a simple, yet often overlooked activity that will help you do that.

When was the last time that you have given a truly powerful testimony for someone's products, services or mentoring?

Not only is it a great way to share the love for someone you respect, but it is also a great visibility strategy!

I'll show you the elements that make up a great testimonial and I'll share a few awesome examples too, but first, let's talk about why this might help you as well as the person you are giving the testimonial for.

Testimonials and How They are Used

A testimony or testimonial, in the business context, is your authentically genuine positive review of a service or product. 

When you write a powerful testimony that shares who you are and your before and after story, it becomes great marketing collateral for the person you write it for.

They are used by people or companies to assist prospective clients in the buying decision.  You can see testimonies on sales pages, on social media, in emails, on brochures, inside products and other marketing locations. 

There are some people that say that their buying is not impacted by testimonies and in some small cases that is true.  However, social proof (seeing that someone else had success with a product or service) is a powerful motivator for at least 98% of the buying population.

They are a big help to the potential customer/client who is interested in hearing from others who have experienced the service/product and have been helped.

Why Take the Time to Give a Testimony

It is true that it takes time to think through a powerful testimonial.  So, let's take a quick minute review of why you should do it anyway.

You Get Visibility

When you give a great testimony, you are helping someone else look good.  They in tern will be motivated to share that with others!  That means visibility for you.  Your name or company name, picture, website (sometimes linked) and comments about the service or product are shared on content that is looked at by people interested in buying.

Not only is this no-cost traffic; but if you do it enough, your ideal client will start saying, “I see you everywhere!” as well as associating you with other businesses that they like. 

Showing up and being visible where your ideal client hangs out is an important element of getting your message out and building your brand.

You Build and Enhance Attention and Relationships

The simple truth is that most people can absolutely love a service or product, but not take the time to share that.  When you invest your time in saying something authentically nice for someone, they pay attention.  You will jump into their line-of-sight faster. 

There are a number of reasons that testimonials get selected or not for inclusion into different materials.  But be sure that when you provide a powerful testimonial you will get noticed by the service or product owner.  By taking the time to share, you have the potential of starting a longer-term relationship that can lead to a number of different opportunities such as reciprocal promotion, joint venture possibilities, interviews for more exposure, affiliate relationships, and more.

You Get Practice Sharing Your Message

When you get brave and share your testimony on camera, it is also a fabulous way for you to quickly get comfortable using video technology.  One of my private clients really took to this idea.  She wanted to grow her exposure fast and thought video would be a great way to do it.  Rather than create “test” videos, she thought of all of the products and service providers that she loved and she started speaking truthfully and authentically into the camera about them.  Because she was not trying to sell herself, she found that with each testimony, she was more and more comfortable in front of the camera!  Win-win. 

Potential to Increase Affiliate Sales

When you have a testimony on the sales page of a product that you strongly believe in, it will provide extra credibility to those that click through on your affiliate link.  Not only are you sharing the link, but you are personally endorsing the product through the sales page. 

How to Give a Powerfully Authentic Testimony

When you think about the testimonials that you have received for your products or services, can you think of one that made your heart sing?

They weren't all like that were they? 

Not all testimonies have equal value to the person that receives them.  In fact, there are many that are really particular when they are selecting which ones are used in their marketing. 

Testimonies that either reinforce the benefits of a service or product or those that help to overcome objectives are very helpful.  So, let's talk about those.

Testimonies that Reinforce the Benefits of a Service/Product

This type of testimony is often referred to as a transformation testimony or a before-and-after testimony.  Here are the steps:

1. Tell Who You Are and What You Do

When you begin your testimony (especially if you are using video) state who you are and what you do.  Keep it brief.  You're not making a commercial, just a short 1-2 sentence introduction max.

2. Tell What Happened Before?

Clearly (yet briefly) tell what things were like before using the service or product.  In this portion of the conversation, you get transparent.  Talk about the pain you had or the obstacle you faced.  Many people can't bring themselves to admit they had a problem, try to let your ego go here.  Example: “Before working with …. I was struggling with clarity and confused about what I should do next and was doubting my ability to grow my business.”

3. Tell What It Was Like Using the Product or Service

Explain what happened after you used the product or experienced the service.  What did you think of the program or the delivery? Was there an instant result or instant changes?  How did you feel — excited, empowered, etc.  What was the delivery like — content packed, concise and powerful, amazingly detailed, spiritual, etc.

4. Share Your Results — What You Accomplished

What did you actually accomplish as a result of the product or service?  What were your results after applying what you learned?  Example:  “After applying X strategies I was able to X which resulted in X.”

Helpful considerations: When you share your results consider what you accomplished in transformation (speed or largeness of change), money or time. 

Testimonies that Help Overcome Objectives

When you give this type of testimony, consider the objections you had before you chose to make the purchase.  Some common purchase objectives are:

• Cost – don't have enough money or investment is way more than I've ever made
• Time – don't have time or think it will take too long
• Satisfaction – not sure it will work for me
• Ease of Use or Implementation – not sure that they want to take the action needed to get results
• Support – concern that once the purchase is made, the business will not be there to support it

Consider all the reasons you “almost” didn’t buy a product or invest in a service. Create your testimony focused on that specific objection. Then, you follow the before-and-after steps I outlined above.  The difference is that you focus on the objection you had originally and how your real-world results were different than expected.

Examples of Great Testimonies

Take a look at the sample testimonies that I share below.  Do you see the elements that I have mentioned today? 

Examples of Product Testimonies

My friends Morgana Rae and Amethyst Wyldfyre gave such great testimonies for AudioAcrobat that their videos are on the home page!  [side note, I love Audio Acrobat if you're not using them, consider it!]

Examples of Service Testimonies

My friend Georgina Sweeney has used Noah St. John's Afformation process and shared a testimony with him.  Notice that she is right at the top of the page!

Lisa Mallis recently surprised me with a lovely blog post where shared her story about working with me.  You can find it here:  What You've Got to Know about Stephanie LH Calahan Here is the video portion:

Give it a Try!

I hope you can now see that giving a powerful authentic testimony is about more than how much you love a product.  It is more than how nice or detailed a person was when you worked with them. When you deliver a really great one you are helping to persuade the reader/viewer to buy because they see a little of themselves in your story.

When they see a bit of themselves in your story, they'll gravitate towards you too.

If you're really adventurous, create a video and share it.

I'm curious, have you expressed your gratitude this way?