More on Endorsements

Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 12:08pm by Angela Gilltrap in Marketing

As promised here is another installment on using endorsements to create credibility and consumer trust. One of the things you want to avoid when including endorsements is to make them into a commercial.

An endorsement is merely that, it’s an unpaid and therefore presumably unbiased vote of confidence for your product and/or company’s services. It’s not an advertisement.

Recently we received a promo package from a relocation firm. Included in it were photocopies of four letters written to the company by former customers, saying how happy they were with this company’s service. Completely unnecessary, and a little creepy.

I don’t want to read other people’s mail. If anything it put me off using them. A simple quote extracted from one of the letters and included in their letter head would have been sufficient. Instead, they went over board with their endorsements which says to me that they are don’t have confidence in their own service.

You want to use an endorsement as an after thought – “we know our products are good we don’t have to prove it, but if you need some confirmation here’s what other people have said”.

Here are three practical ways to include endorsements:

1.) Extract a quote from a review or letter praising your services and include it in your email signature.

Here’s an example:

Ms. Smith
Freelance TV Publicist
ABC TV PUBLICITY
Tel.
Fax.
Mobile

Strictly Dancing - 8pm Fridays on ABC TV

“So much outrageously good fun, you have to wonder why the Government
hasn’t legislated to have it axed.” The Sydney Morning Herald

2.) Place an endorsement beneath a heading, used in promo materials.

Example:

RELOCATION PLUS - Services & Costs

“The easiest move we’ve ever had” Joe Bloe, Texas.

3.) Include a review page on your website. You are not pushing a commercial but people are always interested in what others have to say – you only have to look at the blog boom to see that.

For more hints and tips on using endorsements give us a holler.

One Comment

Leave a Comment