Using Testimonials

Last Tuesday, I wrote about two essentials for your avatar. Your avatar’s main weakness is it is still your invention. If you’re not tuned into your visitors the chances are copy addressed to your avatar still won’t sound right.  You can solve this problem using testimonials.

The aim of testimonials or feedback is for people to write your website for you so your site will speak to other people like them. Their words can inform your avatar and so improve your copy. It is OK to base your avatar on real people because you don’t share your avatar online and it evolves as you hear what people say.

Over the next few weeks, I shall explore some aspects of building your site with the words of others.

Here are the topics:

  • Sources of testimonials – how to be proactive identifying clients and others who know your work.
  • How to collect testimonials – you have several options taking notes, audio or video recordings.  You need to get material you need for your site.
  • How to use testimonials – how to deploy the material you collect to speak to your market.
  • How to present them on your website – there are several options and some are better than others.

A small group will soon be producing a testimonial blueprint or report. This project has inspired these posts and I shall interpret their work for voluntary organisations as well as try out some of their ideas on my site.

How do you use testimonials on your site?

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About the Author

I've been a community development worker since the early 1980s in Tyneside, Teesside and South Yorkshire. I've also worked nationally for the Methodist Church for eight years supporting community projects through the church's grants programme. These days I am developing an online community development practice combining non-directive consultancy, strategic management, participatory methods and development work online and offline. If you're interested contact me for a free consultation.

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Sources of Testimonials - July 15, 2014 Reply

[…] this, the first of a short series about testimonials, I shall describe sources of testimonials. All these sources have value and […]

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