The first time that I  saw the word “testimonials” on a website, I was not exactly sure what it meant.  Websites were new and  people and companies were trying out different formats.  I  knew all about “endorsements” or “recommendations”  and “comments” but someone “testifying” in a format other than a courtroom was new to me!

So to clarify, a testimonial is a written or spoken expression of regard for a person’s service or accomplishments. And a testimonial is one of the most overlooked areas on an artist’s website!  If your client has commissioned or bought your art product, you need to take the time to discover how they FEEL about your piece and then ask permission to quote them.  You can brag all you want  on your site about how great you are,  and how lucky your client is to have found you, but in reality, that sounds pretty dumb coming from you, doesn’t it? Ah, but coming from your CLIENT. Now that’s a different matter!

We like to add the clients’ testimonials, on our website,  right under the art product that they bought.  A separate testimonial page is also a good idea but  viewers like to see what the testimonial is referring to.

One of the newest and very efficient ways of adding testimonials is with a very short video clip.Having a few on your website is good. Too many gets a bit repetitive. Sometimes the comments become repetitive with too many “I love it’s!” but guide your client into the areas they may forget to mention such as how easy you were to work with.  Or how quickly and professionally you completed the job.  Or how wonderful it is to have something they’ve dreamed of, etc. etc.

Testimonials are a key ingredient to your success!  They validate your art product and you. And they make you a more believable and real artist, not just someone on a web page!

Theresa