How to Collect Testamonials For Your Business

Anyone who has ever taken a class or read a book on marketing knows the value of testamonials. It can feel awkward to ask your clients for them, and puzzling to know what to do with them once you have them. Here is how to use them to your best advantage.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• An internet connection
• Join Yelp.com

1. Testamonials are very important to any business, especially to new start ups. Collecting testamonials, publishing them, and making them available to potential new customers can be done very simply.
2. Do an internet search for business review websites where members can rate and review area businesses. One such site for example is www.Yelp.com. Visit these sites and sign up for an account using your business name and information. Make sure to look around for other local sites you can get yourself listed in.
3. Most of these sites can access your email address book and you can choose from your contact list who you'd like to invite to be linked on the review sites. This works very similar to other social networking sites.
4. Once you have your account set up with the review sites of your choice, copy and paste your direct link to your profile and paste it into your website, newsletters, email signature lines, or email blasts. Ask your customers to visit your profile and leave feedback for your business.
5. If there are any reviews that are less than positive, see if you can reply online or contact the unhappy customer. Yelp.com offers businesses a way to do damage control at biz.yelp.com.
6. Once you have several positive testamonials on your profile of user review and recommendation type websites, use this to your advantage. Publish the link in the same places and tell your customers to view your "rave reviews" or comments from just a few of your satisfied customers. This strategy lets your happy customers do your marketing for you, and may also move you up in the search engines as a bonus.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to revisit these sites periodically to make sure your feedback is positive.
• Invite your friends and family to leave you feedback to get the ball rolling in the beginning