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.

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For years people have direct marketed to potential customers by randomly distributing business cards. Sometimes, they would “drop” the cards so that someone would pick up the card to see what was on it. Usually these cards would have something on them to make the bystander curious about the card so they would pick it up.

Recently, a new version of the dropcard has become famous. The dropcard has been redesigned to look similar to currency but with an advertising message on the back of the card.  The most effective dropcards have been printed to resemble the look of a $100 dollar bill.  These bills have been very effective in many different strategies because they resemble US currency.

To make the dropcards very effective, there must be a compelling message on the card. This will cause enough curiosity so that the person picking up the card will take action on the message. What the message includes seems to be up for discussion on a regular basis but most marketers agree on several items.

First, the message on the dropcard must include a compelling call to action. The message needs to be short and precise so anyone reading the message will know exactly what to do. Typically, the message would be a short statement or question, such as, “You need to check this website NOW” or “Number 1 Home Based Business”.

Second, most messages are better if a phone number is not included on the dropcard. Although this may seem counter productive to many, not having a phone number forces the person with the card to log into the marketer’s system to have their curiosity resolved. This gives the marketer another chance to reinforce his message and to start to build some trust. It also provides more time for the prospect to review the marketer’s information before starting a conversation.

Third, the message on the dropcard must include a website for the prospect to review. Typically, this will be a page that presents an overview of the opportunity and a form to record the prospects contact information.  There is sometimes a phone number for contact since the prospect now has an idea of what product or service is being promoted.

Much has been written and discussed about the most effective marketing strategies for using dropcards but there appears to be a short list of the most effective strategies. These include: gas pump credit card slots, newspapers, tollbooths, clothing stores, and bookstores.  Each of these marketing areas require a specific technique to be effective.  All of these strategies can be implemented most anyplace in the country and are equally effective anyplace.

Now for the disclaimer.

Unfortunately, the dropcard techniques will not get you hundreds on leads everyday.  They will get you a steady, reliable stream of leads, of which most will be highly qualified since they took the time to track you down. These are the type of leads that you are looking for anyway. They will also understand how effective dropcard marketing is since they were discovered using the exact technique.

Unfortunately, most people will start out strong with the dropcards but slowly lose interest. The primary reason is that dropcard marketing is not high glamour.  It’s easy to lose interest since you are not getting the type of leads that you would with pay-per-click, for instance. However, you are also not paying the high cost of pay-per-click with a dropcard marketing strategy. Consistency will make this strategy pay well with time and the cost to get started is quite low.

This is truly a low cost marketing strategy that can be implemented by most everyone.

Order Your DropCards and  learn how to Market Your DropCards Effectively

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In today’s MLM marketing world, there are two types of people in business – the Marketer and the Wanna Be. If you are marketing for an MLM, how do you know which category you fall into? The answer is actually quite simple. Read the rest of this entry

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