Take It From Me - Why Testimonials Are So Effective

Marketing is all about giving your customers the information they need to make an informed purchasing decision. Everything you do - from the copy you craft to the images you choose - is built around that simple purpose in mind.

But marketing itself has evolved over the years, away from the heavy reliance on the spec sheets of yesteryear. It's essentially become an open line of communication between you and the people you're trying to serve. People don't want to be "sold to" anymore - or at least, not in the way they used to.

This is why customer testimonials are so important. Instead of "taking your word" for it that your product or service is going to impact their lives positively, it lets real customers hear from other real customers why the decision they're about to make is a good one.

In addition to communicating with your audience, another essential goal of your marketing materials should involve building as much trust and credibility as you can. Your customers don't just want to know that you can solve their problem - they want to know that you can do it better than anyone else. To that end, customer testimonials are incredibly effective - particularly in the world of print.

Part of the reason why testimonials are so important is that they help create a deeper, more emotional appeal for your branding. Consider the following statistics:

 

 

Simply put, customer testimonials create something of a self-fulfilling prophecy regarding your connection with your target audience. Someone enjoys your product or service, so you encourage them to leave a positive review or testimonial. Consumers naturally trust each other more than they trust just marketing collateral, so that testimonial adds more weight to the decision they're trying to make. Those initial happy customers, therefore, encourage more purchases, which creates more happy customers, etc.

When you combine customer testimonials with other effective marketing tactics - like a heavy reliance on not just print but on print techniques that help your collateral stand out and make a unique impression - suddenly your message is being amplified in the best possible way. You're giving an opportunity to let regular customers become brand advocates, which does more in terms of building trust, credibility, and emotion than you could ever do on your own. You're also creating more brand advocates in the process, which is always a good thing.