How to ask others to toot your horn
Reading authentic recommendations on a website really helps potential clients, customers, donors, volunteers, and participants understand what you can offer them.
A woodworking craftsman client of mine has a page of testimonials on his website that speaks to both the breadth and quality of his work. A non-profit agency I'm working with holds seasonal events and asks participants to fill out a survey and write about their experiences. The positive comments are turned into website testimonials to encourage others to attend events and help support the organization.
If you have an account on LinkedIn, it's easy to ask for recommendations. When I completed some of my first projects, I asked my clients (with whom I had already connected on LinkedIn) to write a recommendation based on their recent experiences. I was grateful that they were able to do so and I published them to my LinkedIn profile.
I also wanted to add these positive comments to my website, knowing that I wanted potential clients to be able to read them. Clever ads and slick marketing just can't take the place of testimonials. Nice words from real people serve to reassure people to take the next step of contacting you for a consultation or attending your upcoming event.
I did some research on what others had to say about adding testimonials to a website. This article, "5 Ways to Showcase Your Testimonials and Wow New Clients", gave me some new ideas. Going beyond the standard practice of asking for testimonials through LinkedIn and email requests, it also suggested asking for permission to record or write down spoken testimonials. The article also showcased some designs for adding testimonials to a website that were visually appealing and compelling.
When my business was still young and growing and I didn't have a huge number of testimonials from various sources, I had a dedicated Testimonials page.
Now I tend to advise sprinkling testimonials throughout your website. The important thing to remember is that people visiting your website should be able to find and read about what your customers have to say about you and your business. Having others sing your praises will make your phone ring.
