sally neill testimonial awebextraOk, today I want to write about testimonials…

So why you should write testimonials for product owners?

AND

How do testimonials benefit YOU?

Providing a written, audio or video testimonial is a fabulous idea!

I love providing a testimonial for genuinely great products.

After all, it gives me a chance to pay back the product owner for creating something that has helped me.

Now before I go any further, I want you to understand a very important point.

TESTIMONIAL BENEFITS FOR YOU COME LAST!

By this I mean that you should not solely provide a testimonial for your own benefit.

Testimonials should be provided to help another potential customer decide if they should buy that product or not.

Any benefits for you that come from providing a testimonial are just the icing on the cake.

So now we have that clear, let’s move on.

TESTIMONIAL BENEFITS FOR YOU…

Right, first things first, if you have never seen a customer testimonial, look at mine here:

>>>> Sally’s Testimonial

Ooops, there’s a little typo on it, but I will tell Rob to change it.

Ok, now you know what a testimonial looks like.

Now obviously my testimonial benefits Rob and Paul, because I have briefly described how those Aweber videos helped my online business.

I actually got some super sneaky tips from the videos so was really glad I watched them all.

If you think you are an experienced aweber user, think again, I am willing to bet you learn TONS from the Awebextra videos.

So we know my testimonial benefited Rob and Paul yes?

But on the other side of the coin, how do you think that testimonial benefited me?

GET A REVIEW COPY

Well the very very very first benefit was that I was lucky enough to get VIP access to the product before anyone else in exchange for an honest testimonial.

I get lots of testimonial requests, and I always ask for a review copy of the product first.

I would NEVER give a blind testimonial, by that I mean I always want access to a product before I will give my opinion of it.

If a person refuses to give you a review copy, don’t give a testimonial.

A long time ago someone asked me for a testimonial, I asked for a review copy and they sent me to the payment page.

Such a cheek!

They explained that I could purchase the product and write the testimonial, if I didn’t like the product I could have a refund.

YEAH RIGHT!

I decide what products I want to buy and that was not a reason that enticed me to buy that product for sure.

Needless to say, they didn’t get a testimonial from me ha ha.

DON’T WAIT TO BE ASKED FOR A TESTIMONIAL…

There is no rule to say you have to wait to be asked for a testimonial.

If you have purchased a product and received a great benefit from it, let the product owner know.

Send them a nice email, or contact their support desk, and offer a free testimonial for their product.

They may publish it, they may not, either way you have not lost anything.

NEVER GIVE A FALSE TESTIMONIAL

There is nothing on this earth that could persuade me to write anything false, embellish or lie about a product in a testimonial.

I do not want to be associated with any kind of deceit, if a product is utter crap, I will simply refuse to give a testimonial, and so should you.

Providing a glowing testimonial for a poor product will damage your trust and credibility, NEVER DO IT.

Be wary of product owners trying to put words in your mouth too.

It’s fine for them to ask you to highlight certain benefits of the product, but don’t let them tell you what to say.

Trust me, some people can be very pushy with testimonials.

Another point to mention is always check the testimonial when it’s live.

I have seen product owners change or completely rewrite parts of my testimonial without asking me first.

Most honest marketers will not do this, but some sneaky ones will, you have been warned.

SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE…

Don’t be tempted to rush out and spit out a ton of testimonials all over the place!

Choose the products you provide testimonials for sparingly, and save them for the best ones.

Once you start to give testimonials, you will notice that you will receive an increase of testimonial requests for other products, choose carefully that’s all I am saying.

The reason you get more testimonial requests is because people seeking out testimonials for their product, will often visit related product sales pages and contact the people who have given a testimonial for that product already.

GET YOURSELF KNOWN…

Providing testimonials can get your face seen by thousands of people.

That’s if the product owner allows a photograph of you to be included with your testimonial.

Your status is immediately raised when you appear on the sales page of a particular marketer, you are almost on a par with them.

The product owner is saying they trust your opinion enough to include it on their sales page.

If you are lucky enough to get a testimonial on a very popular product sales page, your lovely face will be seen by thousands, maybe even millions of people.

People who will see you as someone who can be trusted, if they buy and like the product so that’s very good for your image.

A TINY TRICKLE OF TRAFFIC…

Now essentially, the idea of the testimonial is to increase sales of that product right?

So we are not trying to “steal traffic” from the sales page.

We are merely aligning ourselves with the product, the product owner and getting ourselves seen.

But with any good testimonial, to prove it is real, you will normally be allowed to add your name and your site name too.

Kinda like a little free mini advertisement for you.

This can mean a nice free back link to your site, which is always good.

However, you don’t always get a back link, sometimes the link can be in an image like:

>>>>> My testimonial here

So although my link is not “live” people can still see it and if they wanted to, they could type my website address in their browser bar and visit my site.

That is a really easy way to get some free traffic to your site.

Ok so maybe it’s not going to be floods of traffic right?

But every little helps, even a tiny little traffic trickle.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Seriously testimonials build relationships, they do!

Just think, you give someone a glowing testimonial about their product, do you think they are gonna like you after that?

Of course they will!

I have built up many great relationships with several Marketers after providing testimonials for their products.

It also means that when I come to release my own products, I should hopefully be able to approach them and ask for a testimonial for my product too.

ENHANCES YOUR AFFILIATE PRODUCT PROMOTIONS…

Don’t you agree that it looks wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better when you send out an email promoting a product and your testimonial is on the page?

Instant proof that you have used and like the product.

Too many people send out promo email after promo email, it’s nice to receive an email, then see a REAL testimonial from you on the sales page.

I have learned that anytime I send out an email promoting a product, I will receive AT LEAST 20-30 replies from my subscribers asking if I have used the product, have I made money from it, is it easy etc etc.

I have to be extra careful with the products I promote now and have become very selective of what I promote.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN…

Well I think that about wraps up the reasons testimonials benefit both the product owner and you.

Try it out, I am sure you will be really happy with the results.

But remember the tips I shared above…

  • Never Lie
  • Choose Carefully
  • Check the Live Testimonial
  • Get Yourself Seen!

I am sure you guys and gals may have some more benefits or points to add, so feel free to put them in your comments below.

Speak soon, Sally :)

ps. sore shoulder is on the mend, thanks to everyone who wished me well, especially Dawn Kay who sent me an online virtual get well card, very sweet Dawn thank you.

pps. next post will be Sally’s Secret Sauce Traffic Blogs Part 2, promise :)

Filed under: Ebook Marketing

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