The Formula for a Great Testimonial ~ 5 Testimonial Templates
If you aren’t using testimonials to help sell your CSA, you are leaving money on the table.
Testimonials are an absolute deal-breaker when it comes to selling new customers your product. And I confess, I didn’t understand their power until recently.
Of course, I’ve always known about the power of “word of mouth”… In fact, word of mouth is the number one way that I sell my CSA.
But testimonials are a different animal.
Testimonials are written endorsements by current customers, who basically say that your product worked for them, and therefore will probably work for someone else too.
Consumers may not know it, but they are looking for someone to help them feel good about their purchase.
It’s something we call “social proof” in the marketing space. And it’s actually one of the 4 main reasons people will get off the sidelines and finally buy something.
Think about it: You look for testimonials before you buy something big-ticket too.
Just consider Amazon.
Don’t you find yourself looking for the number of stars something has before you investigate further? Don’t you scroll through the ratings and reviews?
You better believe it.
And so are your potential customers.
So if you aren’t currently using testimonials or ratings or reviews… you are robbing your future customer of that necessary step they need to make their buying decision.
Remember: your customer leads are looking for testimonials (even if they don’t know it).
They need this part of the buying process to help them reduce the perceived risk of purchase.
Imagine this…
If you’re a potential CSA customer, and you’re on the fence, and then someone else says to you, “This product is great because of x,y,z..” ~ and those words tap into the very concerns you have, a small part of your brain will light up. And you can now mentally checkmark a box in your mind.
Have I convinced you yet? You need to be collecting testimonials from your customers. It’s a big part of the equation to finding new ones.
But before you start scraping every comment off your Facebook page and slapping it on your website, hit the pause button.
Because there is a difference between a “good” testimonial and a “so-so” testimonial.
Let me give you an example.
Compare the following “real life” testimonials I’ve collected from my customers.
I love having a local source for high quality fresh organic vegetables!
Versus…
Last year was my first year in this CSA and I loved it. I remember thinking to myself at my first pick up that I had never been so excited over lettuce before in my life! While the fresh organic vegetables are the stars of buying into the CSA; it brings with it so much more in terms of helpful videos, newsletters, recipes and efficient, friendly service.
Do you see a difference?
While both of these are applauding our service – the copywriting is richer in the second version.
When mining testimonials, I am always on the hunt for context-rich, emotionally rich words that will connect with the pain points or values of my future customer.
I want customers to read the testimonial’s words on the page and think to themselves, “It’s like they’re in my head!”
So what is the “formula” for a great testimonial?
Well, of course there isn’t ONE right way to say “I love your farm!” But I find that there are 5 basic “styles” of testimonials that can be helpful, depending on where you plan to use them.
Let’s break these templates down.
Template #1: The Before and After
A testimonial that describes how the customer’s life was before they consumed your product or service, and then how it changed after they used your CSA will do wonders for your conversions.
I have learned so much about farming and my food since joining this CSA. Kurt and Corinna are very welcoming and provide our family with fresh, organic, locally grown veggies. Veggies are even better when you know the story behind them.
If you look between the lines of this testimonial, you’ll see that before Kerri joined our CSA, she felt disconnected from the story of food and farming. Now that she’s getting our box, she feels like she knows where her food comes from.
This was a need she had, and we met it.
BOOM.
The power of this testimonial is that this is one of the main reasons a CSA avatar will want to join a CSA. So when someone else verbalizes what they’re thinking, it corroborates their decision. They think:
This CSA understands what I really want… I’ll find what I’m looking for here.
When your testimonial can identify the problem many of your customers have – the reason they’re looking for you – and spell out how they solve it, it will make the customer more ready to buy.
Template #2: The Objection Buster
Worth every penny! These veggies are not only local and organic but they also have a taste that is far superior to anything you will find in a grocery store. I also love the fact that I have tried and fell in love with so many new veggies I had never heard of prior to joining this CSA. Another great asset is the knowledge I have gained on how to use and preserve vegetables with the tips and tricks they provide each week.
I love this one because it addresses a few concerns I know my potential customer has all in one swoop…
- The cost (“worth every penny”)
- Fear of not liking what they get (“I’ve fallen in love with new veggies)”
- I won’t know what to do with the veggies (“the tips and tricks they provide each week”)
Here’s a customer who confesses that she felt all these objections to buying initially. But with her testimonial, she wipes those concerns away and reassures the buyer that there’s no need to worry.
Another future customer with these same concerns will feel better about making her decision — thanks to the testimonial.
Template #3: The Quick Win
When you can show your potential customer that they will achieve specific results quickly – it motivates them to buy.
Key word here: specific.
Several years ago, I used one of your suggestions and as a result, the top shelf of my freezer has a space saving stack delicious pesto combinations. This year I tried a fennel frond pesto and a cilantro lime with arugula. Last October I was charged with serving a luncheon for about one hundred people. The base stock for the vegetarian tomato soup was made almost entirely from my “exit strategy” vegetable broth.
No one wants to wait 5 years to get better at eating vegetables. But if you can show them that by joining your CSA, they will see almost immediate palpable results, your leads will be more likely to sign up.
I lost 10 pounds…. My kids will eat more than just carrots and celery now… I made my first ever DIY vegetable broth with my veggie scraps!
Testimonials that spell out these quick wins in descriptive language are worth their weight in gold.
Template #4 Spells Out a Particular Feature or Benefit
Best produce ever. But this is bigger than just getting good vegetables. It’s about supporting people who are making a genuine difference in the lives of those around them. We’re getting back to the days where “community” actually means something, not just the place you happen to live. If you want to eat healthy, and have support along the way, this is the place you want to be connected to!
Brianne is describing the powerful community element that our CSA has cultivated through our private Facebook group and Membership Academy, where members are supporting each other and even teaching each other new skills through video tutorials.
Your CSA product has a lot of features…
It’s not just the vegetables. You might have an organic label. You might provide farm events or dinners. You might have a killer private Facebook group community, or offer home delivery.
Testimonials that go into detail about one of your highly valued features or benefits can be fantastic for your marketing.
For example, when I build my sales page this year I will have a whole section about the SLFarms Membership Academy – a new feature we added this year which is crushing it. I know it’s going to help sell my CSA.
As a side note: Your testimonials will actually help you discover what parts of your membership are most valuable to your tribe. So pay attention to what they rave about the most. This will give you ideas for what features you should focus on in your marketing.
Testimonial Template #5: What specific results can you share?
Trying new veggies and recipes has been fun. Never ate greens of any kind growing up but I’m a fan now with all of the suggestions people are sharing. Fennel didn’t appeal to me at all but roasted with Parmesan was outstanding! Roasting veggies was a new method to me and I’m loving roasted carrots, beets, turnips, kohlrabi and onions. I’m definitely eating less meat and filling up on veggies. Thanks for all of the extra tools you share with us to cut down on waste!
Every CSA members joins your farm for a reason, and it’s more than just needing the calories from your food.
You are meeting an inner need as well as a physical one.
Testimonials that can describe with greater detail how specifically the CSA helped them solve their “problem” or need will prove to your future clients that your CSA gets results.
I’ve had customers who swear that our vegetables helped their spouse stay cancer-free…
For a cancer survivor hunting for certified organic produce to keep them alive, this kind of testimonial will seal the deal for them. They’ll choose my CSA over someone else’s.
You just have to know your customer avatar, and what kind of testimonial will speak to them.
So there you have it.
Five types of testimonials that you can leverage at different points in the buying cycle.
Once you find a great testimonial… file it away so you can deploy it when you need it!
Are there other “styles” of testimonials that have worked for you? I’d love to hear about them. Send them to corinna@mydigitalfarmer.com
And join our private Facebook group where I teach a marketing tutorial every Monday to CSA farmers.