Testimonials can create an unfair advantage for your fitness program that other programs can’t touch. When you have raving testimonials for the results your training methods are able to get clients, you strategically position your program to be better than the others. At least the others without testimonials.
By now, we’re sure you’ve noticed online testimonials creeping up everywhere—and we’re certain you’ve read them too. Why did you read a review before buying a product? Was it because you wanted assurance that this product was what you were looking for before you paid for it?
In the fitness world, your clients want the same thing. If they’re going to invest their time and money into a fitness program they want to make sure it’s going give them the results they’re looking for.
Here are some statistics around the power of testimonials:
Having anonymous testimonials isn’t bad—but it isn’t great. By adding a name and photo to the testimonials for your program you’ll be able to show potential clients interested in your program reading that these are testimonials from real people.
When you ask for a testimonial from clients, make sure to ask them if you can include their name and a photo of their choice to use on marketing materials moving forward. If they’re hesitant to share this information, let them know what the testimonial will be used for.
For example, you can say, “The testimonial will be used on my social media accounts and website to promote my program. I want to show client results so that future clients know that this program is the real deal and it will get them the results they’re looking for. Is it okay if I share your first name and a profile photo with your testimonial?” If a client is totally against sharing this information, then ask another client for a testimonial instead. We want the social proof of that name and photo, and without it, the testimonial won’t be as strong. It’s better to find another client who is willing to share this information.
Video testimonials have a superpower that written testimonials do not—they can transform into written testimonials when needed. Written testimonials can’t become video testimonials in a matter of seconds. That’s why you always want to ask for a video testimonial.
Each video testimonial should follow the same format. For example, if you want to share these testimonials on your Instagram stories, ask your clients to film it vertically to fit the dimensions of a story. If you’re going to share the testimonial on your website, a horizontal video might work better.
Once you have their video testimonial, you can turn it into a written testimonial when it works better and use their name and photo to accompany it.
It’s always better to give too many instructions than not enough when it comes to video testimonials. You might assume that clients will film their video in a well-lit place without much noise in the background, but that’s not always the case.
Feel free to ask your clients to find a place with good lighting and to have a quiet area to film the testimonial. You don’t want to receive great feedback only to see that the client filmed in a dark, noisy room that makes the testimonial look unprofessional. This can make the video unusable and force you only to have the written testimonial.After you ask a client if they’d be willing to give you a testimonial, let them know that you’re going to send over talking points to help them. Chances are, your client will be more than happy to hear this. They’d rather know what you’re looking for from the testimonial than have to try to figure out what to say. You might be used to filming yourself, but they’re probably not.
Here are some questions you can have them answer in their testimonial:
Lastly, tell your clients how long you want the testimonial to be. If you don’t tell them, you might end up with a ten-minute long video testimonial that you struggle to post on your socials or website. Ideally, your testimonial is between 1-minute to 5-minutes long.
Generally, the more expensive the program, the longer the testimonial. This is because the more expensive something is, the more analysis we do to make sure that it’s worth the money. If it’s less expensive, then we don’t need as much convincing to do it. Figure out the sweet spot for what works best for your testimonial length and make sure to let your clients know before they hit record.
The more guidance you can give your clients when you ask them for a testimonial, the better the testimonials will be. Since you’re going to be using these testimonials to market your program—you want them to be as high-quality as possible. Be clear about what you’re looking for from the testimonials, and you’ll be able to get exactly what you needed.
Start collecting those testimonials and creating the unfair advantage that your program has over the others. Share those testimonials on your social media accounts, your website, your sales pages, and anywhere else your prospective clients are learning more about your program.
