In this age of skepticism, many people sometimes discount testimonials, feeling like they're fake, or made up.

But we know better!

Site owners recognize that there is nothing like a positive, unsolicited testimonial from a customer to strengthen a professional reputation. Especially if customer shares how their product or service changed their lives for better. They usually post these in very public areas, for obvious reasons.

Now, imagine exposure your name and URL will receive if YOUR testimonial is posted. There you are, commonly in a highlighted box, with your URL hyperlinked back to your web site.

Think some potential prospects will come across this link and perhaps, out of curiosity, click through to your site? Especially if you combine a mention of your own product or service within testimonial? I've seen people get an enormous amount of additional traffic this way.

Do this quick exercise. Go to some of 'guru' websites. Look for testimonials. You'll start noticing same names and URL's showing up over and over again. These people are on to something! Namely, spillover traffic!

Plus, by being seen on web sites of a heavy hitter, writers' credibility is enhanced by affiliation.

Testimonials are a win-win.

True, Internet is a numbers game. What these services are implying is that more people you can expose to your message, more sales you will get.

This is true, to a point, but it's not just about traffic - it's about attracting, converting and KEEPING customers.

Right?

Now, how do you do that? You get them through advertising and keep them through customer service.

So, you carefully analyze a few ezines, determine that ratio of ads to original content is ok, and start getting word out through advertising. Soon your logs tell you that your traffic is picking up. Great!

Now, how do you make them stick around, and hopefully become customers?

Shower them with attention. Get their email address asap, and start wowing them with your knowledge and insight. Maybe record an interview with a guru or two, and post it for free on your site. Make them feel like you're best source of information around.

If you do enough of this, hopefully a prospect will soon become a customer. So, You've Converted Them…Now What?

Now that they're a paying customer, you have to keep them. There are a number of inexpensive, if not outright free, ways that you can show your customers your appreciation. Hopefully most of these will already be familiar:

*Say thank you. Tell them that you appreciate their business. Reinforce that positive behavior!