To feature your testimonials prominently, it is a good idea to use a thin line box around them. I use boxes sparingly because it breaks up the copy and makes it harder to read. Too many boxes can wreck havoc with the eye flow in the ad, so do not over do this.
But I do copy intensive ads in my advertising and marketing agency, and having 1 box works just fine. Boxes tend to contain the reader’s eye as it bounces around inside the box. This makes the eye get stuck here. If you want your reader’s eye to get stuck anywhere in the ad, I would put the testimonial section at the top of the list of where I want their eyes stuck reading my testimonials over and over and over.
Use Times Roman font with quotation marks around the testimonial. Then use bold and a different font for the person’s full name and city. A lot of my clients are squeamish about using the full name and city, but when you ask people about this, most are thrilled to be quoted in print. I have had my testimonials lead the friends, relatives and neighbors to the ad to see their name in print! This only improves your ad’s response because now they are spending more time talking about your practice or business.
So don’t make the mistake of using initials. Your testimonials are far more credible when you use full names and cities. I do feel that using their phone numbers is going too far and leaving them in control of what is said later about you if you have a falling out with that person.
These tips are sure to make you testimonial marketing strategy more effective whether you use them in print, Yellow Pages, magazines, newspapers, direct mail, postcards, websites or landing pages.
Tags: advertising, Larry Conn, marketing, marketing agency, marketing strategy, small business marketing, testimonials, Yellow Page ad design