We all want to attract clients who are willing to pay more for our services. The thing is, people willing to pay top dollar for real results understand the importance of the thought and strategy you put into a website, but they’re not going to just take your word for it that you know what you’re doing.
These people need social proof from others, also known as testimonials. Today we’re going to go over how to make sure you’re using testimonials the right way in a few important areas of your website.
Not All Testimonials Are Created Equal
Before we talk about what to do with the testimonials you have, it’s important to realize that not all testimonials are created equal. Only the best ones are going to be effective enough to get potential clients truly excited about working with you.
If you think about it, the most common type of testimonial you see will mention how fun it was to work with someone or how professional they were throughout the process.
That’s nice and all, but those types of testimonials aren’t nearly as effective as the ones that focus on real results that were achieved from a project.
But, getting those good testimonials isn’t always easy
Ask the Right Questions
The trick to getting the right kinds of testimonials is asking the right kinds of questions.
The questions I ask the designers I work with to get the best testimonials include things like, “What are 2-5 benefits you experienced through our work together?” or “What were your concerns about working with a developer before you hired me and how did that compare with your actual experience?”
The exact questions you ask will depend on your target audience, but as long as you’re encouraging them to think about actual results and transformations, your testimonials will be instantly more effective.
Give Your Clients What They Need
It’s also up to you to make giving these good testimonials easy on your clients. To do that, have statistics from before and after the project available for them to reference. For example, if your design improved their opt-in rates by 25%, make sure they are reminded of that statistic.
Along the same lines, remind your client of their struggles before the project. Before you ask for things that have improved since working with you, use a sentence or two of their own words to remind them of what it used to be like. That will get them focusing more on the transformation and results that took place, rather than just how it felt to work with you.
Show Them off on Your Website
After you’re getting the right kinds of testimonials, you’ll want to display them on the most important areas of your website. Notice, I did say areas – plural.
Many designers make the mistake of only showing testimonials in their portfolio, but you can make use of them in other important places as well
The first is your homepage. No, someone isn’t going to hire you from your homepage or choose to work with you their first time on your site. But seeing some information about a really amazing and impactful experience another business owner had with you, will get them much more excited at the thought of teaming up, even if they aren’t consciously aware of it.
In addition to having your portfolio, also consider having a separate page, just for testimonials. It might feel like a brag fest at first, but having a page dedicated to showing potential clients how great your work is can be a game-changer for your business.
Rather than testimonials being scattered and not that impactful, they can all be in one place, working together to tell someone that you’re perfect for the job.
Attract the Right Kind of Design Clients
Having the right kinds of testimonials and knowing where to display them play a bit part in spicing up your website enough to attract the right kinds of design clients.
For more help, download my free checklist of the exact steps you can take to get better testimonials and display them on the right areas of your website. You’ll be able to go through step-by-step to make a long-term impact in your business.
