I am putting together a website for my salon. I’ve seen some sites that have client testimonial pages. Is it a good idea to include one on my site or is it kind of old-fashioned? Don’t people go to review websites like Yelp anyway?
When done right, testimonials can be a powerful and effective tool to use on your website. They provide prospective customers a glimpse into your business and the level of customer service you offer from a client’s point of view. If you are going to use testimonials, you should choose comments that tell a story and address specific benefits or services offered. Using vague statements like, “Betty’s Nail Salon is great,” doesn’t really give prospective clients a view into what you have to offer.
A better testimonial to use is something like: “I needed my nails done for a last-minute event and my regular manicurist was out of town. I walked into Betty’s Nail Salon to get a gel manicure and it was fantastic! They did a great job, the salon was clean, they got me in and out because they knew I was in a rush, and the staff was super friendly and courteous. I will definitely go back again!”
The latter is a story, a description of the experience at that particular salon. We now know that salon is clean, the services are great, and the staff is friendly. That’s the place I’d want to go!
When including testimonials on your site, you should also consider more creative approaches. Instead of creating a page that simply lists comments about your business, it’s always a good idea to add testimonials to a sidebar of other pages or tastefully weave them into the copy of your website and make the text bold to make it stand out.
Lastly, be brief. There is nothing worse than a wordy testimonial with no substance. Add photos, include first and last names and locations of your testimonial writers, and be sure to ask for permission before adding this information to your site.
Testimonials can be a great way to boost your reputation and conversion rate. But you must be creative, use real people, be brief, and make sure your comments are believable.
— Nail tech and social media expert Tiffani Douglas is founder of Tiffani’s Beauty Parlor (www.tiffanis-beautyparlor.com).
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