How Talking Testimonials Will Increase Your Sales - Part 2

By Jay Jennings

In part 1 of this article I talked about the benefits of having testimonials on your site and what a boost "talking testimonials" can give you. This time I'm going to show you some ways you can get the audio from your satisfied customer's mouth onto your web site - quickly and easily.

When using a "self service" audio tool, you're responsible for getting the testimonial from the happy client into an MP3 file. If you're in the same location as the person you can use a handheld MP3 recorder and go straight from voice into the correct file format. Then it's just a matter of copying the file from the recorder to your computer.

The following site is a good place to find MP3 players that will work (make sure you choose one with a line-in jack as well as a microphone): http://reviews.cnet.com/

Most of the time you'll be recording from the phone. Fortunately there are inexpensive gizmos from Radio Shack that will do the job pretty well. For $15 to $30 you can buy a device that records both sides of a phone call (stay far away from the little suction cup device).

Now that you have a way to record phone calls, you have to decide what you'll record them onto. In some cases you can go directly from the device into the line-in jack on your computer sound card. Try it and see if that works on your system -- if so, you've got a quick and easy way to record phone calls.

You may have to go from the phone to a recorder of some type and then from the recorder to your computer. I usually record to a mini-disc unit and then after the phone call run the audio from the mini-disc into the line-in jack of the sound card. You can even use an old-fashioned device such as a cassette recorder (grin) but I like to "stay digital" for as much of the process as possible.

Okay, so the mechanical end of things is settled. But there's still the issue of recording the call. One of the best options is to call the customer and record the testimonial live. That way you can coach them in what to say and do a "retake" if the first shot isn't all that great.

If someone is a little shy about singing your praises with you listening in, you can still get audio testimonials as long as you have voice mail or an answering machine that allows you to call in for your messages.

Just make sure that the customer calls and leaves their testimonial at a time when you won't pick up the phone. They record their message on your voice mail or answering machine and then all you have to do is call in to retrieve your messages and record them with your phone gizmo.

Then copy the audio testimonial to your computer, convert to MP3, and you're all set to go.

Yes, going the "self-serve" route when doing web site audio takes a little more work, but once you have things set up, recording a new testimonial and adding it to your web site is a piece of cake and can be done in just a few minutes.

And, for some people, that little extra hassle is worth the savings they'll net by not paying for a monthly service.

Jay Jennings has been working full-time in online marketing since May, 2004. He's known for creating software tools that help people save time and make more money with online marketing. Find out more about an audio tool that can help your business at his website: http://sonicmemo.com