Using Testimonials on Your Ecommerce Site

A Home Business Article Contributed by Abe Gardea

Using Testimonials on Your Ecommerce Site

One of the most effective marketing strategies for ecommerce businesses doesn't cost a lot of money to implement, in fact, it's free! Positive customer referrals and stories of their experiences with your company or product -- called testimonials -- are one of the best ways to convince a potential customer to buy from you. Just imagine that you were researching a particular product on an ecommerce site, but were unsure about whether or not to make the purchase.

The product looked good online, the price was right, but...well, how could you be sure it was as good as the ecommerce site claimed? Then your eyes fall on a testimonial from a former client. They claim to have had only positive results with the product, and they even included their email address so you could verify their statement!

Now you feel better, and decide that, if someone else felt good enough about the product to take the time to write about their positive experiences, it's probably safe to trust the ecommerce site and make the purchase.

What the owner of that imaginary ecommerce site understood is that we, as humans, need to rely on the experiences of others sometimes when making decisions about a purchase. Want to make use of this no-cost ecommerce marketing strategy? It's simple really, just follow the guidelines below.

An ecommerce site needs to solicit client testimonials

Unfortunately, these great marketing tools usually won't just come to you -- you've got to pursue them. Most customers would only be too happy to provide you with statements of their satisfaction, they've probably just never thought of it! Begin by contacting all your former clients and asking them if they were happy with their ecommerce shopping experience, then, if you get a positive response, ask them for a testimonial. You'll be surprised at how many people will be willing to provide you with one.

Fine-tune your testimony before placing it on your ecommerce site.

Now that you have some testimonials to post on your ecommerce site, it's time to edit them. The idea is to not change the statement, but rather to take out any errors that will challenge the credibility of the testimonial. Your next step is to present the edited statement to your customer, and ask permission to post it on your ecommerce site.

Finally, to lend credibility to the statement, and also to your ecommerce site, you need permission to print their email address next to the testimonial, as well as their city and state. Chances are, no one will ever contact them, but without it, the statement simply won't ring true.

What if you are new to ecommerce?

So, you ask, what if I have a brand new ecommerce site and haven't yet sold any products? Don't worry, you can still post client testimonials by creating some clients! Don't you know anyone who fits into your target market? If so, why not give them a sample of your product, and then ask them to provide you with a written statement of their satisfaction? You might even give them a sample of a great testimonial so they understand exactly what you're after.

In short, client testimonials are a great way to boost sales on your ecommerce site -- why not get started using them today?