The Marketing Plaza

Do testimonials have any value? Sure, they do, but that’s the wrong question. When evaluating the worthiness of testimonials, here are questions to ask yourself:

1. Is it a celebrity endorsement? OK, most of your customers aren’t celebrities, but are they well known in your industry or among your customer base?  If not, their words may have limited “credibility”. There’s a reason soap opera mass marketers used celebrities in their ads.  A well-known testimonial carries weight.
2. Is it tied to proof of performance? This can be a case study or something that gives the testimonial (here’s that word again) “credibility”. Does the testimonial just say you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, or does it say you helped increase results by X% in a matter of days?
3. Does it help position you? If it just says you’re great but doesn’t help position the unique value of your services, it’s a platitude.  You don’t need platitudes (most testimonials) but better positioning.
4. Does it take up valuable space? Is it pushing or crowding something else off your page, thereby stroking your ego but not helping get a more important message point across to your audience?

Bottom line: As I wrote on a LinkedIn Group post – Testimonials should not be medicinal in nature, “Do no harm.”  All marketing, including testimonials,  should be designed to help — your message, your positioning, your credibility, your perceived value.  If the testimonial can do that, use it.  If not, reconsider your options.