Too early to see any real effects from the changes made over the last couple of days but it does look as if some visitors are using the new links to the streaming samples. We have tried out a lot of different wordings but in the same position on the page so there will be some real quantified analysis to do in a while.
In the meantime here is an article about testimonials - food for thought:
Proof Positive! The Weight Of A Testimonial
Don't be shy - soak up the praise! When you let others toot
your horn for you, you not only raise your credibility but
you also build a deeper level of trust with your visitors.
While its okay to tell visitors that you are credible, these
statements are much stronger coming from a testimonial.
Before many visitors will purchase, they expect this level
of trust.
Would you rather hear a salesperson say, "I'm fantastic!" or
would you rather hear a testimonial that reads, "The service
from this business was so wonderful that I wouldn't hesitate
to return!"? This type of testimonial adds credibility to
the business just like references on a resume. Some
marketing experts feel that a "C" should be included in the
AIDA formula to stand for credibility. The best way to
start build credibility is with testimonials.
Testimonials place oomph in a website and can move a visitor
from a sightseer into a valuable customer. When a website
errs and leaves out testimonials, the website is misses an
opportunity to capitalize on the power of these tributes.
Some tips on how to get high quality testimonials are below:
1. In writing, request a testimonial. As the saying goes,
"if you build it, they will come" applies to accumulating
testimonials. Many times, customers are eagerly awaiting
the chance to share their positive experience with your
business, as long as they are asked to do so.
2. Positive comments make great testimonials. When a
client offers a positive comment such as in an email or
letter, ask the customer's permission to use it as a
testimonial. Many customers find this complimentary and may
even ask if they can elaborate on their comments! You
should get a customer's permission to use his comment on a
form such as a "release letter". To see a sample release
letter, go to www.marketingtoday.com/marcom/testi2.com.
3. Offer a deal or reward in exchange for a freely given
testimonial. Notify customers of this testimonial campaign,
along with plans for monetary or donated rewards or future
discounts. Find out state laws on gift donation limits
before doing the campaign.
Many testimonial campaigns can be done directly from your
website, direct e-mails, or in the mail.
Use these testimonials generously throughout your website.
Don't limit the testimonials to one page! Testimonials have
the best effect when interspersed throughout the website and
strategically placed on pages that directly pertain to that
testimonial. Many testimonials work well in the left or
right margins, along side articles or product descriptions.
Also, inserting testimonials into content such as course
material is very effective.
Testimonials don't work on everyone. If your audience holds
certain high power jobs like an executive or other
"pioneers", testimonials will not move them to make a
decision. However, an audience with "emulators" will
definitely want to read many testimonials, especially
statements that reflect their beliefs or wants.
The most believable testimonials come from a real person and
uses real conversion language. A long testimonial is more
believable than a short testimonial. Below are tips for
selecting believable testimonials:
- Put the testimonial in quotation marks. End the
testimonial with the person's entire name and title. For
instance, "A.K. from Alaska" isn't as believable as "Andrew
Karver, Vice President of Sales, XYZ Company, Anchorage,
Alaska".
- General statements don't grab interest as well as a
testimonial full of details.
- Testimonials that pack a punch and sound real come off in
a positive manner.
A testimonial in and of itself won't sell your product or
service. But, it can be a tool that positions your product
or service in a more positive light that can motivate a
visitor to conduct business with you.
Copyright 2005 Riki Trafford. All rights reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Riki Trafford is the webmaster and operator of RC
Marketing Inc
which offers low cost keyword-targetted web traffic.
For comments and questions visit his archive of articles:
http://www.1dmom.com/archive/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is the last lofi streaming sample of our rag arrangements published last week - Canadian Capers - have a good weekend.
In the meantime here is an article about testimonials - food for thought:
Proof Positive! The Weight Of A Testimonial
Don't be shy - soak up the praise! When you let others toot
your horn for you, you not only raise your credibility but
you also build a deeper level of trust with your visitors.
While its okay to tell visitors that you are credible, these
statements are much stronger coming from a testimonial.
Before many visitors will purchase, they expect this level
of trust.
Would you rather hear a salesperson say, "I'm fantastic!" or
would you rather hear a testimonial that reads, "The service
from this business was so wonderful that I wouldn't hesitate
to return!"? This type of testimonial adds credibility to
the business just like references on a resume. Some
marketing experts feel that a "C" should be included in the
AIDA formula to stand for credibility. The best way to
start build credibility is with testimonials.
Testimonials place oomph in a website and can move a visitor
from a sightseer into a valuable customer. When a website
errs and leaves out testimonials, the website is misses an
opportunity to capitalize on the power of these tributes.
Some tips on how to get high quality testimonials are below:
1. In writing, request a testimonial. As the saying goes,
"if you build it, they will come" applies to accumulating
testimonials. Many times, customers are eagerly awaiting
the chance to share their positive experience with your
business, as long as they are asked to do so.
2. Positive comments make great testimonials. When a
client offers a positive comment such as in an email or
letter, ask the customer's permission to use it as a
testimonial. Many customers find this complimentary and may
even ask if they can elaborate on their comments! You
should get a customer's permission to use his comment on a
form such as a "release letter". To see a sample release
letter, go to www.marketingtoday.com/marcom/testi2.com.
3. Offer a deal or reward in exchange for a freely given
testimonial. Notify customers of this testimonial campaign,
along with plans for monetary or donated rewards or future
discounts. Find out state laws on gift donation limits
before doing the campaign.
Many testimonial campaigns can be done directly from your
website, direct e-mails, or in the mail.
Use these testimonials generously throughout your website.
Don't limit the testimonials to one page! Testimonials have
the best effect when interspersed throughout the website and
strategically placed on pages that directly pertain to that
testimonial. Many testimonials work well in the left or
right margins, along side articles or product descriptions.
Also, inserting testimonials into content such as course
material is very effective.
Testimonials don't work on everyone. If your audience holds
certain high power jobs like an executive or other
"pioneers", testimonials will not move them to make a
decision. However, an audience with "emulators" will
definitely want to read many testimonials, especially
statements that reflect their beliefs or wants.
The most believable testimonials come from a real person and
uses real conversion language. A long testimonial is more
believable than a short testimonial. Below are tips for
selecting believable testimonials:
- Put the testimonial in quotation marks. End the
testimonial with the person's entire name and title. For
instance, "A.K. from Alaska" isn't as believable as "Andrew
Karver, Vice President of Sales, XYZ Company, Anchorage,
Alaska".
- General statements don't grab interest as well as a
testimonial full of details.
- Testimonials that pack a punch and sound real come off in
a positive manner.
A testimonial in and of itself won't sell your product or
service. But, it can be a tool that positions your product
or service in a more positive light that can motivate a
visitor to conduct business with you.
Copyright 2005 Riki Trafford. All rights reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Riki Trafford is the webmaster and operator of RC
Marketing Inc
which offers low cost keyword-targetted web traffic.
For comments and questions visit his archive of articles:
http://www.1dmom.com/archive/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is the last lofi streaming sample of our rag arrangements published last week - Canadian Capers - have a good weekend.