How To Use Testimonials Effectively

If you have never heard of a product before, would you at least consider buying it if it came recommended  from someone you know? Given a selection of similar products, wouldn’t you rather try one that has had some glowing reviews even if you’ve never heard of them before?  A persons endorsement of a product can have a profound effect on the buying decisions of others. That  is the power of testimonials.

These days, testimonials are widely used for building credibility and generating buzz about a brand/product or service.  The world’s largest corporations spend billions of dollars in harnessing the power of a good endorsement.  In affiliate marketing, carefully chosen testimonials can be very effective in convincing prospects to try your product or service. Because of competition however, many  affiliate marketing programs try to increase their credibility factor by inviting celebrities to provide an endorsement. While this can be very effective, particularly if the celebrity has a large fan base, it can also be quite expensive.  Not every affiliate marketer can afford to pay a celebrity just to place their name on his site.  To compete, affiliate marketers turn to their own customers and members, specifically people who have had sufficient experience with the product and want to share their success.

A fully satisfied customer’s testimonial, if honest and well-written, may be as effective as that of a celebrity.  To do it effectively however, consider the following factors:

A) Be Specific – If a testimonial from a customer or another affiliate states that the program is ‘excellent’, it should be followed by a specific description of the program’s most useful features – what makes it excellent, how it has helped the customer or affiliate, why it’s reliable, etc.

B) Skepticism is good – Believe it or not, skepticism is good.  Phrases such as, ‘I wasn’t convinced at first, BUT…’ or ‘I have always used XYZ product and didn’t think of switching to another brand.  However, your product has ____ and ____ features that convinced me it was so much better.’

Even with the stated objection, a testimonial can be quite powerful if it is followed by a positive statement.

C) Avoid using fake testimonials –  You lie, you die. Someone will get wind of the falsehood, expose you and you lose your credibility.

D) Be selective –  Be picky:  find the best, especially the well-written and detailed ones.  Or, you could take the best sentences and phrases and post those in place of a paragraph.

Bottom line is this- use but don’t abuse..

The Art Of Preselling

I took a little hiatus from blogging, but I have returned.  I’ve got some GREAT content to share.  We’ll start of with the art of what’s called Preselling.

What it is

Preselling  is the art of  conditioning your website visitors to be ready to click to the merchant site and buy their product (and earn you your commission.)

Easy enough right? You would think.  But you’d be surprised how many times I’ve landed at a site and all Isaw was a hard-sell. “SPAM!”, I said and left. I was looking for information, but I was bombarded and forced to buy something – no thanks.

However, when you presell your visitor, you are cultivating a relationship. When you present him with agreeable content, you will increase the likelihood that he might click your link to make a purchase.  The question then is this: How does one presell?

Like talking to a friend

The first tip is this: Write like you are talking to a friend.  Keep things sweet and simple. Too many obtions confuse people, and confused people don’t buy!  Stick with one topic and stay on target. Share a problem, and discuss how you solved it, what you did that helped.

Stay clear of the exaggerated claims.  Never begin with unbelievable statements. Big statements and promises may be OK for a merchant’s page, but not for a relationship-building, preselling page. You might tell some short funny anecdotes about your family of snorers, and ease up to the day you chanced on this anti-snoring herbal concoction.  End up relating how it ended your (or your spouse’s) lifelong, nightly noise.

And finally, write your content as if you are the person reading it. See if you:

• Answer a question people are asking
• Are writing on their level
• Provide a solution

Know this: Preselling is the secret sauce of  your  Super Affiliate recipe.  Master it, and your affiliate commissions will have you eating deliciously well…