Saturday, September 8, 2012 posted by Rebecca Daneault
One of the most important components of a successful
marketing plan is that of “social proof”. Social proof is basically the art of
leveraging the positive feedback of your existing customers to influence your
prospects and encourage them to also do business with you. Trusting a business
is one thing – trusting the reviews and testimonials of other consumers is
another, and it’s proven time and time again to be a highly effective marketing
tool. That said here are some helpful tips on how you can use the positive
feedback from your customers to your advantage.
Give them a prominent spot on your website.
What good are customer testimonials going to do you if
they’re hidden somewhere that your prospects can’t easily find? You should be
proud of the good work you’ve done, and how satisfied your customers are, and
you should share that pride by displaying your positive reviews at the top of
your web pages, and at several locations throughout your site. You worked hard
to get those reviews – now it’s time to show them off!
Promote them offline.
Many businesses proudly display their positive feedback
online on their websites and social media profiles, but fail to recognize the
importance of also promoting them offline. Consider posting a billboard in your
office, store or restaurant on which you can pin printed-out versions of all
the glowing customer reviews you’ve received. If a customer sends an email,
writes a hand-written note, or posts a review on Yelp or any other media resource,
print it out and post it!
Incorporate them into your sales pitches and marketing materials.
Think about it – if you’re marketing to people who have no
experience dealing with you, how will you convey the message that you are a quality
business with whom they should work? Sure, you can tell them yourself, but it
would be much more powerful to let your already satisfied existing customers do
the talking for you by including excerpts of testimonials in your emails,
letters, and other marketing materials.
Use LinkedIn to your advantage.
LinkedIn is an excellent marketing tool for businesses
because it has a built-in resource for writing reviews and recommendations. Ask
your colleagues, coworkers and customers to consider visiting your profile and
lending a few kind words on your behalf. Once you have established a number of
glowing recommendations, encourage other people to visit your profile and read
these reviews by including a link on your website and in your email signature.
When it comes to spreading the word about your products or
services, one of the most powerful tools you can use is the positive feedback
of your existing customers. Remember, people are naturally drawn to things with
which they can relate. By leveraging your existing client base to connect with
your prospects, you can capitalize on this concept and use it to your
advantage.
Labels: marketing, small business tips
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 8:58 AM