It seems everywhere you go there is a glowing testimonial about the product or service you are checking out. They state that it works so well that everyone needs it.

BUT, is this a REAL testimonial or just creative advertising?

Many of these testimonials read like they are too good to be true. They could be very accurate but, because of how they are constructed, the testimonial reads like more hype than reality. Rather than simply stating how the product or service did what was advertised, the testimonial gives an almost unbelievable account of results. In many cases this causes the testimonial to backfire on its effect.

So, how did the testimonial go from effective to hype?

Like everything else in the world, there is a creeping change that occurred. Gradually people changed the context of the testimonial to be more like an ad than that of the original testimonial.  Once these revised testimonials got to the market, and people realized that the context had changed, they became less effective.

If you are writing a testimonial but constructing it like an ad, there is a high probability that it will not work. You can’t hide an ad, regardless of the context, under the guise of something else. Today’s market has seen almost every type advertising that you can present.  They understand when marketers are using a form of communication that does not fit the original meaning. As the saying goes, you can fool some of the people some of the time….

What is a true testimonial and how can you identify one?

A functional testimonial has several very significant differences from a sales ad. For instance, the testimonial will usually state the results of using the product or service rather than the benefits of trying the product or service.  A true testimonial will be written in the first person context rather than the third person. It will use I or me in describing the person using the product or service. Typically it will be three or four sentences long.

By contrast, a testimonial as an ad will be longer in length. Some are several paragraphs long. My experience of testimonials is that they are very seldom that long. Most people just won’t write that much.  Most testimonials are also worded with conversation words versus sales type words. They are worded as if you are telling a friend about your experience rather than if you are trying to convince a friend to use the product or service.

So, the bottom line is quite simple. If you are going to use testimonials, and I highly recommend that you do, have you customer write it from their experience.  Do not reword or edit it. If you change it, other than not being a true testimonial, you most likely will lose the context you were trying to capture. Then your target market will begin to distrust you and your words. That is bad.

My team and I connect with our market because we have learned how to show them the benefits of working with us. To learn how we accomplished this, go to:  http://www.MLMIntegrityMarketing.com/?t=ial and see what we teach our associates.


Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Filed under: Are Testimonials Factual Information or Creative Advertising?

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!