Before starting on some snazzy and effective ways to feature your customers' praises, we must address how critically important these personal statements are to your business. If you're not already including testimonials on your website, email marketing campaigns and social media, then you're missing out on a veritable cash cow.

People trust people first, then companies.

Oh! Don't even think about creating false testimonies, its like marketing perjury. Take the time to reach out to your customers (and clients) and ask about their experience with your products and services. One of the best ways to collect testimonials is through surveys, allocating a portion for commentary. And, always ask permission to use for public use!

So here are some of the best places to feature customer testimonials:

1. The main page of your company's website
2. Each specific product/service page
3. Customer service page (Earn bonus points because this is often overlooked!)
4. Email campaigns
5. Specific landing pages directed from your emails
6. Social media: for example, on Facebook, encourage customers to post on your wall their thoughts

If you have those bases covered, then you'll be able to finesse the testimonials to further engage potential customers and clients. To add some panache, try these little suggestions:

1. For your main page, distill the best testimonials into a single sentence that is attention-grabbing and poignant. This works best for B2C companies.
2. Now, for B2B companies, do include a handful of single sentences on your main page. If you're allowed, include a linked logo to their site. Always scratch your supporters' backs.
3. Also, for B2B companies, try to aim for a testimonial from a top person, say a CEO or President. Include their name and title, and if you're lucky, their contact information.
4. For any product or service testimony, the very best ones talk about why the customer purchased the product and how it worked for them. Essentially, you're looking for a concise statement that speaks to how your product solved a problem.

Also, ask for permission to edit or alter the statement. Meaning, if you're allowed to condense it or fix grammatical or spelling errors. You'd be surprised at how common this is with testimonies.

Watch for more tips on email marketing, Twitter, autoresponders and other online strategies in future blogs.