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What Should You (and I) do with Testimonials?

November 19th, 2009 View Comments

I’ve never been a big fan of testimonials online.
(After all, it seems as if they can be easily faked, right?)

However, every six months or so, I jump into LinkedIn and try to find something worthwhile to do with it. 

NOTE: For those of you that don’t use LinkedIn, it basically lists the details of your professional life.  You can then use it to connect with others you know professionally.  That’s about it. 

They’ve added some new features to LinkedIn, but I still feel like it is basically an electronic rolodex more than anything else.  I’ve connected my profile to my colleagues, friends, and students.  So, I’m now up to 329 connections.  (I actually know most all of these people.)

So just for fun, I sent an email out to a select few of them that I know very well with this comment…

Hi there:

I’ve never done this before, but I figured I’d give it a try.

I’m sending this (through LinkedIn) to ask you for a brief recommendation of my work that I can include in my LinkedIn profile.

Please don’t feel obligated.

If you don’t have anything to say or don’t want to, that’s fine. Just delete the message. But if you feel you can write an honest, positive recommendation for who I am and what I do, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

Corey Creed
www.CoreyCreed.com

Amazingly, I got some incredible comments back.  So now I’m trying to figure out what to do with them.

On a similar note, I’ve always encouraged my students to send me a testimonial so that I can post them on my blog or site and link back to them.  Very few actually do.  But I’m always blown away by what some people do write.

Such as…

Corey Creed’s marketing and technical experience lend itself well to interactive marketing but his passion for teaching is what pays off for us students!

His approach to teaching is informational, educational and beneficial to anyone looking to better understand interactive marketing.  Unlike many other seminars, webinars, etc  that are generic and focus on the high level benefits of taking advantage of some these technologies, Corey’s classes enable you to dig in and get your hands dirty with learning the concepts and then hands on application!   You spend time understanding how to get started, how to use the tools available to you, and most importantly what steps you should take in building a focused strategy that reflects your goals and objectives.  It was time well spent!

Shannon Ramsey,
Internet Marketing Manager

Source Technologies
MICR printer and interactive kiosk solutions

I always save testimonials and have dozens in a special email folder.  But I’d like more opinions on the subject…

  • What do you think? 
  • Are testimonials worth anything? 
  • If they are done right, do they validate credentials? 
  • Should small businesses and freelancers put them on their website or just let them sit on LinkedIn?

I welcome your comments below.  Personally, I’m still undecided.

Popularity: 38% [?]

  • After 20 years in advertising and marketing I can say without a doubt that testimonials are almost always important. They're especially important for large purchases, business-to-business, new businesses and new products and services. Testimonials are like word-of-mouth in that you can hear first hand from people who have purchased a product or service. People will just naturally be more willing to buy, if they can be reassured by other people who have already bought.
  • I am with Fred on the Google LBC. All things being equal, a searcher is more likely to click on the link that has more positive reviews. Sure, they can be faked but most people are pretty trusting if there are numerous reviews/testimonials that support each other.

    In the case of LinkedIn I think they carry a little more weight because they are attributed to a (probably) real person. While they can still be faked, I don't think most people would go through that much trouble. I think that it is key to get testimonials from people who have actually used your service rather than a colleague or acquaintance who has nice things to say about you. Because you are a nice guy and someone heard you were good at what you do doesn't cut it.
  • Chris Kellum
    I find the testimonials as above to be effective. However, given the FTC rules that go into effect next month, I would be wary of using any testimonials that speak of specific results. Saying your class is great and useful should be fine, but "I made $. . . " should be avoided.

    It would also depend on who you're marketing to. Testimonials provide more value to cold traffic. If you're marketing to a group of people who are familiar with you (especially if they've purchased something from you before), then they likely wouldn't be needed.
  • I've heard that from a marketing perspective, a video testimonial is suppose to be one of the better tools in your marketing bag.
    From a search value, I think it helps to have reviews/testimonials for your company in your Google Local Business Center (as well as other local review sites).
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