Great Testimonials
Testimonials are an effective way to instill trust. They reassure people who don't know you personally, by providing a third party recommendation. This article will help you get great testimonials that will really work well in your marketing materials.
How to Gather Testimonials
Most therapists would probably ask a few trusted clients for testimonials, and leave it at that, but why not try another approach? Instead, follow up with each and every client after their treatment, and ask them for feedback: How are they feeling now? Is there any improvement? Is there anything they would change about their session? By doing this, you are really making your client feel important and cared for. If they have complaints, find out how you could do things better next time. Taking this approach, you can often turn a dissatisfied client into one of your happiest customers. If they are happy, then use what you already know about their history to paraphrase their comments into a great testimonial, and ask permission to use it.
The Ingredients of a Great Testimonial
Credibility is vital with testimonials. They have to be believable, and there are a few ways of achieving this:
- Be specific. Give as much detail as possible, always from the perspective of your client. For example, mention their concerns and how they were addressed, or give detail about their condition and its subsequent improvement.
- It's OK to include some negative comments as long as everything turned out well in the end. Some initial skepticism just makes the testimonial more believable.
- Really make the testimonial giver come to life. Consider providing their full name, location, age, gender, and even a photo. Of course you need to bear client confidentiality in mind and always get permission to publish personal information.
For example:
"Before I saw Anna, the pain in my hands was so bad that I couldn't manage to carry my shopping home. Several people recommended Anna, so I decided to give her a go. After my first treatment, my hands were so much better that I decided to call in at the shops on the way home. I managed to carry my bags all the way up the hill without stopping for a rest." - Olive Cousins, Retiree, Narrabeen
"John has worked miracles for our family. My daughter had severe asthma, and we never knew when the next attack would strike. She was struggling to keep up at school, sports were impossible and we couldn't even go for a family day out without knowing where the nearest hospital was. After 6 treatments with John, the asthma has improved enormously. It's now 3 months later, and my daughter hasn't missed a single day at school, and has even joined the netball team." - Carol Foster, Mother, Mona Vale
"The moves were so gentle I thought they couldn't possibly have any effect, so I was amazed when I stood up after the treatment and felt straighter than I have done in years." - Jim Morris, Builder, Manly
Also consider testimonials that answer common concerns (e.g. "I was worried about taking my clothes off, but in the end it was fine - I was completely covered at all times and there was nothing to be embarrassed about.") Common concerns include total price, reliability of therapist, and effectiveness of treatment.
Where to Display Your Testimonials
The best places to include your testimonials are where you're reaching people who don't already know and trust you. Although space is tight, try to make room for at least 1 testimonial in your brochures. Your website could include several testimonials, and for best results try to match the testimonial to the rest of the content on the page (e.g. put testimonials from pregnant women on the pregnancy page), rather than listing them all on a single page containing only testimonials.
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