The Marketing Viking

“There is no more powerful nor consistent way to explode your response. Surround your claims with stronger, bolder proof and watch your response soar” – A-list Copywriter, Gary Bencivenga

We live in a sceptical society.

So much advertising is just empty hype – “we’re experts in this”, “we’re the leaders in that” – that your prospects rarely believe anything you say unless it’s backed by third party proof.

There are many ways to add outside credibility to the claims you make in your copy. Here are seven: 

(1) Customer testimonials

These are very important for service businesses. You need multiple testimonials and you need to put them on your main pages. Don’t just stick them on a testimonials page. 

(2) Product Reviews

These can be reviews by customers – like you see on Amazon.co.uk – or quotes from respected magazines or review organisations.

(3) Scientific Studies

If the design of your product/service was influenced by the results of 3rd party research, then quote that research.

e.g. if you’re selling a service where you offer remote server backups, you could say something like (assuming the study existed):

“A study by the CBI showed that 20% of companies that lost their server data without having a recent back-up went out of business within 3 months…”.

(4) Expert quotes

This article starts with an expert quote. By using it, I borrowed from Gary Bencivenga’s reputation – he’s probably the most respected copywriter alive – to add weight to my argument that proof is an essential part of successful sales copy.

Is there an expert in your field that could add credibility to your sales message? 

(5) Media Appearances

If you’re selling your expertise, then media appearances carry a lot of weight. You can see a great example of this here:

http://www.martinweiss.com/about/martinweiss.asp

“Dr. Weiss has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNBC, and network news programs, including The Today Show. He has been quoted in hundreds of newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Esquire Magazine, Money, Business Week, Fortune, and The Institutional Investor.”

Doesn’t that make him sound like an expert?

(6) Association Memberships

Being a member of a trade organisation is another way to borrow credibility.

For e-commerce sites, using security logos like “Hackersafe” have been shown to increase sales and, if you place them high on the page, that increases sales even further. 

(7) Guarantees

Guarantees are the ultimate “put your money where your mouth is” proof element.

However, to be credible, a guarantee has to be specific, needs to have consequences for you if you don’t live up to it, and the prospect needs to be able to exercise it.

So, something like “low prices” isn’t a guarantee. It’s an empty claim and there’s really no of determining whether your prices are “low”. 

“Never knowingly undersold” is better, but there are still no consequences of you being undersold.

(“sorry, mate, I had no idea everyone else was cheaper…”)
A real guarantee is “If you find it cheaper anywhere else, we’ll refund the difference plus 10%”.

It’s specific, there are consequences, and it’s fairly easy for the prospect to understand how to get the refund. 

Summary

Gary Bencivenga has said “never make your claim bigger than your proof”.

This is because it’s the proof that sells your claims. And, without that proof – or with inadequate proof – your claims will be dismissed as hype by most of your prospects.

Steve Gibson