When I'm talking with Denver small business owners about required elements for a website - testimonials are near the top of the list. Anyone that comes to your website needs to know that they aren't the first to do business with you. They need to feel comfortable that other Denver business owners have had great success in dealing with your small business.
An optimal testimonial for a Denver Small Business will require the following:
- Get a testimonial from well known Denver businesses that have used your services
- Use the person's real name, real business, and link to that business
- Have the person talk about how your business helped them - not how awesome your business is
- Consider using video testimonials - which can be very powerful
Additional Denver Website Testimonial Strategy
Sean D'Souza over at CopyBlogger is in the middle of a two part post about website testimonial strategies. He compares many website testimonials to resumes in that they are completely one-sided and overwhelmingly in favor of the company. The effect can be that the testimonial is somewhat unbelievable and doesn't add a ton of value to the website visitor.
Sean discusses a process called using a "reverse testimonial" which would actually relate much better to the site visitor - and it doesn't seem nearly as one-sided. It makes a testimonial appear more objective by introducing a bit of skepticism about your business. I encourage you to head on over to Copyblogger to learn more about the technique.
How Does this Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?
The next time you go to a website for Denver business services - take a look at their testimonials. Are they real? Are they credible? Is the person giving the testimonial from a known Denver business? Are the reviews overwhelmingly heaped with praise - or do they address initial skepticism and how the company won them over and helped their business?
Your website should contain real, relevant testimonials that describe how your Denver small business solved the client's problem. The client should be a real person from a recognizable business that is easy to track down.