More on Asking for Customer Testimonials & Reviews

Maybe we are self-conscious. Maybe we don't want to ask. Possibly we just flat out forget.

Asking your clients for a testimonial is a great addition to your marketing materials. It helps with credibility and gives potential clients peace of mind. First, you must do good work, provide great customer service so that they have something to talk about. Here are some tips on how to ask your clients for a testimonial:

1. Prepare them in advance by letting them know that you will ask at the end of your work.
2. Be gracious and humble but don't be shy.
3. Tell them how you will use the testimonial.
4. Thank them multiple times.

Here is an example:
"When you have a minute and if you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate if you could write me a testimonial for use on my website and in my marketing."

Some uses for testimonials are:

1. On your website
2. In your newsletters
3. In printed brochures

You can also remind your customers that they can review your services on any one or multiple websites like Google Places, Yelp, Citysearch, Yahoo Local, Bing Local and hundreds more. If you have not claimed and updated your Google listing see my blog post here.

The best testimonial comes in the form of a referral though!

Google AdWords & Internet Advertising

When was the last time you opened a phone book to find a business listing? I am willing to bet that most people now turn to their computer and do an internet search. Do you have a strategy for being found on the internet?

There are two types of search results - paid and organic. Ads typically run along the top and down the right hand side of your browser window and organic listings are in the middle.

Google's AdWords, allows businesses to advertise at their own budget, targeting very specific search terms and demographics. These ads are Pay Per Click ads, meaning you only get charged when someone clicks on your ad. You set the price you are willing to pay for each term. Google will rank your ad based on several factors including relevance and price you are willing to pay per keyword.

For example: Fred goes to Google, types in "Honda Mechanic Portland". The businesses that bid on those 3 keywords or keyword phrase have an ad that displays with a link to their website.

The basics are as follows:

1. Create a Google AdWords account here.
2. Define your keywords. Think about search terms that are actually being used, not your industry jargon.
3. Create geographic constraints; your local area, your state, your country.
4. Create several ads based on your keywords.
5. Make sure your website also includes the same keywords.
6. Set your budget.

The better your keyword usage is (without over doing it) over all three parts; ads, website and bids, the better position Google will give you and the lower the price.

To start, you can use the automatic bidding for keywords. Further AdWords strategies can get complicated especially when you are competing for position and price.

Learn more about AdWords here or you can contact an expert.

Email Marketing - When is it too much?

How many emails do you get per day that are promotional, special offers, sales, newsletters and more? Now we have sites like Groupon and Living Social that have made whole businesses on email offers!

Are you missing out on an easy and inexpensive way to market your business? What you send and how you send it will be critical to your success. As I mentioned in my post on Email Marketing there are services that will help you track your emails, make them look great and most important - keep you out of spam-ville. Do your due diligence too - you must have the permission of the contact to email them!

To determine how much is enough, but not too much, lets take a look at two businesses. The first is a specialty grocery. They offer gourmet foods and sometimes hold cooking seminars and classes at their storefront location. Their customers are foodies and are interested in what is new, unique and on special. Weekly communications might be just the right amount of touches that customers get information they enjoy and are not overwhelmed.

The second is a legal firm. Information here, while important, not on many peoples "ooh, ahh" list like a good piece of gourmet chocolate. I don't want to get weekly emails, but once a month or quarterly is helpful.

Look at your content. If you email weekly, you may want to keep your articles, copy, specials, etc short and sweet. On the other hand, if you are only emailing monthly or quarterly, you may want to elaborate a little more.

Plan your email campaigns in conjunction with other marketing activities. Here are some ways to use email to cross promote your business:

• Events, classes and seminars
• New product launches
• Clearance sales
• Coupons and specials
• Announcements
• Facebook and Twitter pages
• Fun contests and give-a-ways
• Product reviews

Take cues from your customers by asking how much is too much. Certainly everyone will have a different opinion but you can also separate your contacts into groups and email them accordingly.