Advertising testimonials are essential to promote your business and reach more potential customers. It is undeniably one of the most important steps in marketing a business. Whilst it is tempting to exaggerate your company’s services in hope of attracting more people, it is illegal for any business to engage in misleading or deceptive conduct. Not only that, but incorrect use of advertising testimonials can have a serious long-lasting negative impact on your business’ reputation. This forms of advertising can usually be conducted by your business. However, if you choose to engage an advertising agency to take care of your advertising needs, it’s always best to have an Advertising Agreement in place. So, let’s find out what you should avoid when using advertising testimonials.
What is advertising testimonials?
First things first, let’s find out what exactly is an advertising testimonial. The term ‘testimonial’ refers to a form of advertising by sharing positive texts, quotes or comments about a product or brand of a company. It often boosts the credibility of a company’s products or services and develops a sense of trust for the customers. It can be a review, social media post or any other way of sharing a positive experience with a company.
There are many benefits of advertising testimonials. They aren’t as pushy as sales pitches but rather, they appear as unbiased opinions. It reassures customers that there are real people who support and praise your business’ products and services.
This all seems great. Let’s now dive into finding out what you should avoid. Here are 3 main things to avoid when using testimonials to advertise your business.
1) Do not share anonymous testimonials
Authentic testimonials are key to creating trustworthy and effective testimonials. Try to avoid anonymous testimonials as customers are more likely to believe words that come from a real person they can identify. So, you may want to disclose the relationship between your company and the person claiming the testimonial. Be careful to silly spelling mistakes or fake names. Ensure you create professional designs and statements in order for customers to develop trust in the testimonials.
2) Avoid sharing multiple similar testimonials
Not all customers will be looking for the same benefits from your company’s product or services. There will be a variety of needs and having too many similar testimonials is often pointless. Encourage your customers to focus on unique areas of your business that made their experience special in order to stand out from your competitors and draw in more diverse type of customers.
3) Do not share deceptive or misleading testimonials
Misleading or deceptive testimonials can be any false statement made about the quality and value of your company’s products or services. Under Australian Consumer Law, whether or not you intentionally created misleading or deceptive conduct does not matter. You can’t just argue that you have made a ‘genuine’ mistake in sharing a testimonial that happened to be misleading. You will still be held liable, regardless of your intention. If you’re still unsure, you should read more about How to Avoid Misleading or Deceptive Conduct.
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Get startedKey Takeaways
Testimonials are an effective way to advertise your business when used correctly. It develops trust and credibility, whilst allowing customers to read authentic positive statements about your business’ products and services. Ensure to create authenticity by disclosing the relationship between your business and the individual claiming the testimonial. You should also be sharing a variety of testimonials which focus on different aspects of the business. Last but not least, you should always be careful to avoid making any false statements with the testimonials. You can still be held liable for engaging in deceptive or misleading conduct regardless of your intention. Seek professional advice if you are still unsure.
