Flyers still exist, but now we have websites, which are far more cost-effective and don’t get tossed out every week. Whether people buy online or in person, they use your website to do research. Cus-tomers still ask themselves: Do people like me buy this?
“People are persuaded more by the actions of others than by any proof we can offer.” Dr. Robert Cialdini, Principles of Persuasion
SOCIAL PROOF
Your website communicates your expertise, supported by social proof. You can use many types of social proof on your website:
the logos of customers or affiliations—such as NLOWE
certifications or awards—such as the NLOWE Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
statistics—Did you help an NGO client break their previous fundraising record?
ratings and reviews
names of those big clients—Are you an artist whose work is owned by a corporate or public collection?
case studies and project work samples, because there’s nothing like seeing the real thing
testimonials from customers who are similar to your ideal/niche customer
EFFECTIVE TESTIMONIALS
Customer interviews
Testimonials often sound—and even look—generic and vague. The best testimonials are based on brief customer interviews that ask relevant, incisive questions, such as the following:
What made our product/service stand out compared to that of our competitors?
What were the main concerns that almost prevented you from buying our product/service? What helped you overcome those concerns?
How would you describe our product/service to a friend?
What did you enjoy most about working with our company?
Was there anything that surprised you about using our product/service? (Positive or negative—the latter tells you how you can improve your product/service or your communication about it.)
Could you tell me about three benefits you experienced as a result of using our product/service?
What does our product/service enable you to achieve?
How has your life improved since you used our product/service?
Testimonials
Including specific information about the person giving the testimonial will make them more believable.
The testimonial should include the following:
You can also use the most important phrase as a pull quote or bold it.
Create the quote using the best bits from the customer interview. A good testimonial might be one that’s similar to a claim you are making. Or it could be drawn from positive feedback about a project you’ve done.
If you don’t want to do customer interviews or write testimonials, you can hire a professional user-experience designer to take care of it for you. Get in touch with me at User-Friendly Website Design:
Mireille Sampson | 709-703-5001
Or just scan the QR code.
I’m an award-winning international artist who has turned my creative skills in a new direction: tech!I’m a user experience (UX) designer and a webflow developer—and I own and operate User-Friendly Website Design. My not-so-user-friendly name is Mireille (she/her); I’m originally from Stephenville and now live in Corner Brook after 14 years abroad.
I have vivid childhood memories of “flyer day.” You know, the day of the week when all the stores’ flyers arrived in the mailbox. My mother made toast and cocoa (she never drank coffee or tea) and scoured the pages, researching and planning that week’s household procurement. Mom knew it wasn’t just about the price tag, though—quality made the purchase cost-effective. That information wasn’t in the flyers; she had to get it from friends, neighbours, and other stay-at-home parents—in other words, people like her.