Many people in marketing spend their time pushing wild ideas and searching for some “cool factor” to attract consumers. But the thing that really sells your product or service is a referral from a customer or a testimonial by a customer.
There’s no secret sauce or million-dollar idea you need to find. Find a customer who will tell others why they prefer you. And if you don’t have one, why not? That just becomes a customer experience issue, not a marketing one.
Are testimonials exciting and sexy? Maybe not. Are they compelling? Yes. Are you trying to win awards for having the most creative ads, or are you
trying to get consumers to try your service? This is where listening to your agency may send you down the wrong path. Well, wrong for you, great for the agency!
REMOVE YOURSELF, INSERT CUSTOMER
Of course, you know your service or products better than anyone else. But no one wants to see a business owner bragging about their own business. Remember local car ads in the ‘70s and ‘80s that featured the dealership owners? Were those hucksters really selling cars or just feeding their egos?
Thankfully, marketers have moved on to showing what potential customers actually want to see, hear, and learn. And what customers really want you to show is a relatable customer telling the story of why they chose you. For my business, I would rather have
a client say something positive about me and my team for 10 seconds than have me talk about it for an hour.
AMPLIFY THE TESTIMONIAL
The first step is to ask some customers if they would be open to giving a referral or endorsement. This may feel awkward at first, but you will be surprised at the positive reaction you get. You’re telling them that their opinion is valuable.
Next, ask for permission to share a quote on social media, or even better, a paid ad on social media or other channels. Targeting your best prospects with a helpful testimonial that they are actually interested in seeing will bring results faster than any other content possible!
– Jack Monson
Jack Monson is the host of the Social Geek Radio Network, home of the number one podcasts in Franchising including The Franchise News Podcast and The Facebook Franchise Podcast. Monson is also the Chief Revenue Officer at Social Joey and has been working with franchisees and small businesses in social media marketing for 13 years. For more information, visit socialgeekradio.com, or email jack@socialgeekradio.com.