Testimonials, reviews and case studies: lifesaving writing for your business

We’re all impressed when we see written endorsements for businesses from real Kiwis on a business’s website. However…

• We can all tell the difference between fake-sounding testimonials and heartful, genuine testimonials

• If you want to let your audience know that your business has a heart, real human testimonials are the best way

• Why not turn your testimonials into case studies? Try using storytelling to persuade your audience to use your business.

NZ is a country of sheepish, apologetic, polite people who cringe at the concept of talking themselves up. Thankfully, making difficult phone calls to collect testimonials is something KiwiWords specialises in.

• Phone 021 299 0984 to get wordsmith Michael Botur to make those difficult phone calls so you can collect impartial testimonials from your best customers
• Email mike@kiwiwords.co.nz to get a quote estimating how long it will take to collect the words that will energise your business

 

The story of how I came to be an expert in getting words out of people

When I was a cadet journalist around 2013-14, I made countless difficult cold-calls to people. That was my job, as a newsroom rookie. Often it was calling Police, Fire or Ambulance communications services to squeeze out some detail about some emergency. Other times it was phoning the houses of people likely to have witnessed a car crash outside.

The reason phone calls elicit such great words is 1) They’re impossible to ignore, unlike email and 2) The person on the other end of the phone is usually speaking with words that are impromptu, unpolished and raw. There’s also a bit of a rabbit-in-the-headlights effect, meaning the majority of people won’t hang up on you, so long as you treat them respectfully over the phone. They’ll keep responding to your questions.

Apply the above skill to collecting testimonials endorsing your business, and you’ve got written gold – after all, we can all think of instances when we’ve been persuaded to trust a business due to effective testimony from a chuffed customer.

• Remember, testimonial words can be used on all sorts of platforms, from Google My Business to Facebook to Instagram to LinkedIn and your website

A journalist collecting testimonials and case studies for your business can make a big difference.

I’m available to capture the words that will persuade the public your business is reputable. Here’s how and why:

• Nine times out of ten, a person you feel has complimentary things to say about your business will gift you their words, their time and their published endorsement. Ask and you shall receive.
• Treat the person respectfully and they’ll volunteer plenty of time on the phone. You have to address the person with the correct pronunciation of his or her name, correctly use their title and acknowledge their position, then the rest is simply the art of listening (and recording, and typing frantically, and arranging the person’s words for maximum effect)
• If your word-collector listens to what the testimony-er is saying, the words captured will “ring true” and will sound authentic and unscripted. That’s very persuasive for your audience.  
• At KiwiWords, Mike always ensures the testifier is given a copy of their words so they can see how the words are being used so there are no surprises when a person sees their name online. It’s part of the journalism code of conduct, whereby we do our best to let a person know how their words and name are being used.

KiwiWords is here to help capture those testimonials you need to build credibility, case studies and endorsements.

Simply phone Mike Botur on 021 299 0984 or email mike@kiwiwords.co.nz and let’s begin.

Across May and June 2020, I worked on three electronic books.

Don’t know what an e-book is? An e-book can help your business talk to your audience in a respectful, educational way. It’s like classy marketing that no one can diss.

Here’s everything you need to know:

• An electronic book is a digital publication, usually 10-30 pages in length.
• If set up correctly, an e-book can be given to customers via your website, or sent to your mailing list with a few clicks.
• An e-book can have a paywall and be exclusive, or it can be freely and cheaply given to your audience
• The most common and practical format to distribute an e-book is PDF (portable document format), because it’s searchable, copyable, readers can flip through the pages easily and it’ll display on most devices
• Need an e-book written, proofed or edited? Contact mike@kiwiwords.co.nz / 021 299 0984. 

The e-books I wrote in May and June included:

• A guide to an Auckland renovator/building company with personal messages from the founder and lots of case studies. The purpose: To give past, present and future customers detailed information and persuasive photos to demonstrate the thoughtful solutions offered by the company
• A guide from a Kaitaia realtor about how and why people can or should sell their own houses. The purpose: To let the reader know that our expert is available to provide sales services if, after having read the book, the reader is still finding the job too challenging
• A children’s book about evolutionary biology called My Animal Family. The purpose: education and entertainment (I’ll be trying to get an experienced publisher to put this book in front of children around the world, but until then, I need an easily-sendable document, created with Adobe, which can have its text easily updated.)

 

The e-books I created for clients this year had the following in common:

• Landscape orientation, white background
• Easy to print if the business wants to put a paper copy in a customer’s hands (high resolution photos; large headings)
• 2000-6000 words, meaning not so brief that the book doesn’t leave an impression, and not so long that the reader gets lost or bored.
• Drafted on Google Docs. Google Docs is perfect because it’s simple to set up, easily shareable and editable, and you can save your e-book as a PDF or Word doc any time you like.

 

The differences between these e-books were the following:

• The renovation expert’s e-book identified ten customer segments, and focused on visual proof with calls to action and bold, clear headings. The takeaway message: the renovator can provide the building work required to create a customer’s dreams
• The realtor’s e-book downplayed calls to action, with a more biographical storytelling approach, and a soft sell. The persuasive message: The realtor told the story of how he became a master expert real estate salesman, learning from his mistakes, letting the reader know that he/she could have the same learning journey

 

Typically, e-books are used to achieve the following:

• When a customer is sitting on the fence about using your services, an e-book which contains persuasive, carefully thought-out information should convince a prospective customer to say Yes
• An e-book sent out occasionally will remind a customer that you would like the customer’s business
• E-books build expertise – they tell the world you know your trade thoroughly enough to write a whole book about it
• E-books are intelligent advertising.
• E-books add thoughtfulness as one of your brand qualities, while your competition/opposition appear less intelligent than you if they haven’t published an e-book
• E-books are simple to share. A converted customer can easily share your book with a yet-to-be-converted customer.

 

In previous years, I’ve created the following for clients:

• A Northland property management company wanted ebooks persuading warm customers to rent out their houses
• Northland DHB asked for my input on creating a number of health publications, usually in PDF and printable layout
• I’ve helped a housing project in Te Kauwhata create PDF ebooks to help persuade warm customers to say Yes.
• I’ve turned a number of family memoirs into e-books and published these in print and on media such as Issuu, which is flippable and easy to share with a single click.

Want an e-book written? Want me to proofread your e-book?

Email mike@kiwiwords.co.nz / phone 021 299 0984.