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4 | Should You Use Testimonials to Market your Integrative Practice?
Testimonials can be powerful marketing tools.
When I was doing research for my recent webinar on how to find clients without using social media, I kept running across the recommendation to use testimonials.
Sometimes known as "social proof," they can reassure potential clients that you're a legitimate practitioner and that others have benefited from working with you.
Almost all online marketing/business-building courses and gurus will tell you to include testimonials on your sales pages and in your marketing materials if you have them.
When clients are singing your praises, it does seem like a good idea to build on that enthusiasm so that future clients can see they'd be in good hands.
Not so fast.As healthcare practitioners, we are automatically in an uneven relationship with our clients in terms of power dynamics.
Their care is our first priority.
We have to ask ourselves if there are any possible risks to our clients or to our relationship with our clients when we ask for or use a testimonial or review for self-promotion.
Could doing so affect your work together? Might the client feel compelled to oblige? Are there any risks to the client if their testimonial is published online or in other marketing materials?
Most organizations for counselors and therapists prohibit the solicitation of testimonials for these reasons. Rob Reinhardt (2015) has written about the Ethical pitfalls of online testimonials and reviews from a counseling perspective, but I think these are relevant considerations for integrative practitioners as well.
What about if your work with a client is complete? What if they sent you an unsolicited testimonial? Thes are mitigating factors that may change your willingness to use them.
There isn't a single correct answer here.
I urge you to think about these issues and decide what feels comfortable and right for you. I share what I've decided for myself at the end of the episode.
I hope you find it helpful.
If you decide to use testimonials:- Give your client the option to stay anonymous, use a pseudonym, or use initials only
- Be sure you have your client's permission and that they understand what will be posted online and any possible negative repercussions
- Make sure the content is true (both what is implied and what is explicitly said) so that you don't run afoul of the FTC
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Transcript
(00:03)
Hi there, welcome to In the Clinic with Camille. My name is Camille Freeman. I am a licensed nutritionist and clinical herbalist. And today I want to talk to you about using testimonials in your promotional materials as an integrative practitioner. This came up a few weeks ago. I was teaching a free webinar about how to find clients without social media.
(00:24)
And one of the things that people are often told when they are putting their marketing materials online is to include testimonials. This is called social proof.
(00:35)
And essentially seeing that other people have worked with you, have bought your services or packages and have had a positive experience, can help new clients feel more comfortable in working with you.
(00:48)
It can help them get a feel for the type of results people have had that can help them feel more comfortable actually clicking that schedule now button and deciding to work with you.
(01:00)
So they're very compelling and they're very helpful in terms of promotion. The data is pretty clear about that. What's not as clear are the ethics around doing so as a health care practitioner. So it's a little different if you are a yoga teacher or teaching an online class or working with somebody on decluttering their home. Those are all slightly different circumstances with different ethical codes then when you are working with somebody as a health care practitioner.
(01:30)
So let's think a little bit about the ethics and what we need to consider as practitioners. There really isn't a cut and dry answer here, so I'm not here to tell you one way or the other whether you should or should not. Some of the things that I want you to think about before you decide to use them or to request them are number one: have you considered whether there's any potential harm or risk that may come to your client from either being asked to provide a testimonial or from actually providing it?
(02:07)
So to answer that question, we need to think about the power dynamic and the relationships that we have with our clients. When we're working with somebody on their health and related to personal health information, there is automatically an unequal or uneven power relationship. As the practitioner, we are in a place of power relative to the client, largely because they are disclosing so much information to us. We have a very intimate and detailed look into what's going on in their lives.
(02:40)
And automatically, as much as we would like to think that we are on an equal playing field and so forth, there is a natural relationship that forms when you are in the role of practitioner.
(02:56)
And we have to think about whether we are exploiting that relationship when we ask our clients to provide a testimonial for us. Are there are they in a position where they would feel awkward saying no, where they would feel unable to say no or where they would feel pressured to write something that they didn't necessarily think?
(03:17)
And would asking them or using a testimonial from them change our relationship in any way, possibly with negative results for the client?
(03:26)
So we have to think about those things. If people are also going to be giving testimonials where they are disclosing any health information, for example, if they say, oh, I had a terrible IBS, but then I worked with so-and-so and it's been smooth sailing ever since, if you're going to put that up on your website, what that means is that anyone out there can find that person's name associated with the fact that they had IBS. So, of course, you can get around that by using anonymous testimonials, using pseudonyms or initials and so forth.
(04:01)
But you still need to understand that there is a risk to your client by publishing their personal health information and so forth. So these are all considerations. If we look at what other groups are saying about this, any, almost all of the counseling and therapy groups, at least in the United States, have a code of ethics that prohibits counselors, psychologists, therapists and so forth from soliciting testimonials from their clients for these very reasons, I looked at the American Herbalist Guild Code of ethics, and they do not have any statements that address this one way or the other.
(04:38)
And as far as I know, none of the Nutrition Association associations do either. However, you may want to check if you are a different type of practitioner. You may want to check your own profession's code of ethics and see if this is addressed there.
(04:53)
So that's all something to think about. Are there any risks to your relationship with the client or are you exploiting your relationship with the client? And are there any risks for the client in terms of having their information or their testimonial published in any way?
(05:08)
Sometimes people will feel better about doing this after your work together has concluded. So if you have a package and it's over, you're unlikely to be working with the client again, I think that is a stronger case for asking for testimonials versus when you are still continuing to work together or when there's the possibility that they will work together. There's also a difference between a solicited testimonial and an unsolicited, unsolicited testimonial. So if a client just writes you and says, oh, I really want to tell you about this, please feel free to use this in your marketing materials, then that is a different ethical scenario.
(05:48)
And I think that it's a lot easier to justify using a testimonial like that if the client has given it to you willingly without any kind of request or coercion. And he has said, I would love for you to use this if it's helpful for you, that is fine. And actually, those counseling and therapy codes of ethics all allow those types of testimonials to be used. If the person is fully aware of the risks and clear about how they will be used and so forth.
(06:20)
All right. So those are some things to think about. So let me summarize this. If you do decide to use client testimonials, you've thought through all these things and you feel really good about it, you don't think it's going to interfere with your relationship.
(06:32)
Your clients have given the testimonials willingly. You've got them.
(06:38)
So if you do want to use them, number one, be absolutely sure you have your client's permission to use them in the context and format that you'll be using them to make sure they know. For example, this is going to be published on my website. I'm going to include your name or your initials or whatever. Make sure they can change anything they want to change and so forth. You also want to make sure there that you've explained any possible downsides and offer them the option to be anonymous, if they would like.
(07:06)
And then the other thing you need to do is make sure that they're true.
(07:09)
This is actually a FTC situation where you cannot put any kind of false advertising on your website or any other marketing materials. So you need to make sure that whatever is being either specifically said or implied in these testimonials is true.
(07:29)
So, for example, if somebody is like, oh, I lost 75 pounds working with this person in the next over two weeks, you would need to make sure that that had some kind of a disclaimer like this is not a typical result or, you know, this was combining lifestyle changes and blah, blah, blah. So make sure that you're not doing any kind of false advertising, either implicitly or explicitly. You may have a question about how I have interpreted this for my own practice, and I'll fill you in really quickly before we say goodbye.
(08:05)
I hadn't really thought much about this, actually, before I taught my webinar a few weeks ago. I'll put a link to the webinar down below to in case you're interested. It's free, still available. You can watch the recording if you want.
(08:19)
And I haven't had testimonials on my website previously, although I had actually just started collecting them mostly from people who come to my classes and not from clients.
(08:30)
But looking at some of this in the context of advertising and promotion really did.
(08:36)
Make me think twice about whether I would want to use testimonials, and I came down on the side of no, I don't think I am going to include testimonials on my website for my work with clients.
(08:49)
I do have an unsolicited testimonials that I could use. What I think when I weigh out the possible risks versus the possible benefits, I have just decided to not use them.
(09:02)
I am going to use testimonials for things like my webinars and my mentoring services and my classes. I think that's a slightly different power dynamic where it's a little bit more of a straightforward relationship. And I do feel comfortable asking people for testimonials about those. But I'm not going to ask for testimonials about my work with clients.
(09:23)
If you have a different decision, absolutely no judgment.
(09:28)
I can see the pros and the cons in either direction, but I hope that this has given you some food for thought in terms of how you want to address this and making sure that you're clear on your reasons and that you feel really good about them moving forward. I would love to hear any feedback, any comments, any pushback. Please feel free to let me know. You can reach me on my website, camillefreeman.com, and I'll be back soon with some more episodes.
Hi there, welcome to In the Clinic with Camille. My name is Camille Freeman. I am a licensed nutritionist and clinical herbalist. And today I want to talk to you about using testimonials in your promotional materials as an integrative practitioner. This came up a few weeks ago. I was teaching a free webinar about how to find clients without social media.
(00:24)
And one of the things that people are often told when they are putting their marketing materials online is to include testimonials. This is called social proof.
(00:35)
And essentially seeing that other people have worked with you, have bought your services or packages and have had a positive experience, can help new clients feel more comfortable in working with you.
(00:48)
It can help them get a feel for the type of results people have had that can help them feel more comfortable actually clicking that schedule now button and deciding to work with you.
(01:00)
So they're very compelling and they're very helpful in terms of promotion. The data is pretty clear about that. What's not as clear are the ethics around doing so as a health care practitioner. So it's a little different if you are a yoga teacher or teaching an online class or working with somebody on decluttering their home. Those are all slightly different circumstances with different ethical codes then when you are working with somebody as a health care practitioner.
(01:30)
So let's think a little bit about the ethics and what we need to consider as practitioners. There really isn't a cut and dry answer here, so I'm not here to tell you one way or the other whether you should or should not. Some of the things that I want you to think about before you decide to use them or to request them are number one: have you considered whether there's any potential harm or risk that may come to your client from either being asked to provide a testimonial or from actually providing it?
(02:07)
So to answer that question, we need to think about the power dynamic and the relationships that we have with our clients. When we're working with somebody on their health and related to personal health information, there is automatically an unequal or uneven power relationship. As the practitioner, we are in a place of power relative to the client, largely because they are disclosing so much information to us. We have a very intimate and detailed look into what's going on in their lives.
(02:40)
And automatically, as much as we would like to think that we are on an equal playing field and so forth, there is a natural relationship that forms when you are in the role of practitioner.
(02:56)
And we have to think about whether we are exploiting that relationship when we ask our clients to provide a testimonial for us. Are there are they in a position where they would feel awkward saying no, where they would feel unable to say no or where they would feel pressured to write something that they didn't necessarily think?
(03:17)
And would asking them or using a testimonial from them change our relationship in any way, possibly with negative results for the client?
(03:26)
So we have to think about those things. If people are also going to be giving testimonials where they are disclosing any health information, for example, if they say, oh, I had a terrible IBS, but then I worked with so-and-so and it's been smooth sailing ever since, if you're going to put that up on your website, what that means is that anyone out there can find that person's name associated with the fact that they had IBS. So, of course, you can get around that by using anonymous testimonials, using pseudonyms or initials and so forth.
(04:01)
But you still need to understand that there is a risk to your client by publishing their personal health information and so forth. So these are all considerations. If we look at what other groups are saying about this, any, almost all of the counseling and therapy groups, at least in the United States, have a code of ethics that prohibits counselors, psychologists, therapists and so forth from soliciting testimonials from their clients for these very reasons, I looked at the American Herbalist Guild Code of ethics, and they do not have any statements that address this one way or the other.
(04:38)
And as far as I know, none of the Nutrition Association associations do either. However, you may want to check if you are a different type of practitioner. You may want to check your own profession's code of ethics and see if this is addressed there.
(04:53)
So that's all something to think about. Are there any risks to your relationship with the client or are you exploiting your relationship with the client? And are there any risks for the client in terms of having their information or their testimonial published in any way?
(05:08)
Sometimes people will feel better about doing this after your work together has concluded. So if you have a package and it's over, you're unlikely to be working with the client again, I think that is a stronger case for asking for testimonials versus when you are still continuing to work together or when there's the possibility that they will work together. There's also a difference between a solicited testimonial and an unsolicited, unsolicited testimonial. So if a client just writes you and says, oh, I really want to tell you about this, please feel free to use this in your marketing materials, then that is a different ethical scenario.
(05:48)
And I think that it's a lot easier to justify using a testimonial like that if the client has given it to you willingly without any kind of request or coercion. And he has said, I would love for you to use this if it's helpful for you, that is fine. And actually, those counseling and therapy codes of ethics all allow those types of testimonials to be used. If the person is fully aware of the risks and clear about how they will be used and so forth.
(06:20)
All right. So those are some things to think about. So let me summarize this. If you do decide to use client testimonials, you've thought through all these things and you feel really good about it, you don't think it's going to interfere with your relationship.
(06:32)
Your clients have given the testimonials willingly. You've got them.
(06:38)
So if you do want to use them, number one, be absolutely sure you have your client's permission to use them in the context and format that you'll be using them to make sure they know. For example, this is going to be published on my website. I'm going to include your name or your initials or whatever. Make sure they can change anything they want to change and so forth. You also want to make sure there that you've explained any possible downsides and offer them the option to be anonymous, if they would like.
(07:06)
And then the other thing you need to do is make sure that they're true.
(07:09)
This is actually a FTC situation where you cannot put any kind of false advertising on your website or any other marketing materials. So you need to make sure that whatever is being either specifically said or implied in these testimonials is true.
(07:29)
So, for example, if somebody is like, oh, I lost 75 pounds working with this person in the next over two weeks, you would need to make sure that that had some kind of a disclaimer like this is not a typical result or, you know, this was combining lifestyle changes and blah, blah, blah. So make sure that you're not doing any kind of false advertising, either implicitly or explicitly. You may have a question about how I have interpreted this for my own practice, and I'll fill you in really quickly before we say goodbye.
(08:05)
I hadn't really thought much about this, actually, before I taught my webinar a few weeks ago. I'll put a link to the webinar down below to in case you're interested. It's free, still available. You can watch the recording if you want.
(08:19)
And I haven't had testimonials on my website previously, although I had actually just started collecting them mostly from people who come to my classes and not from clients.
(08:30)
But looking at some of this in the context of advertising and promotion really did.
(08:36)
Make me think twice about whether I would want to use testimonials, and I came down on the side of no, I don't think I am going to include testimonials on my website for my work with clients.
(08:49)
I do have an unsolicited testimonials that I could use. What I think when I weigh out the possible risks versus the possible benefits, I have just decided to not use them.
(09:02)
I am going to use testimonials for things like my webinars and my mentoring services and my classes. I think that's a slightly different power dynamic where it's a little bit more of a straightforward relationship. And I do feel comfortable asking people for testimonials about those. But I'm not going to ask for testimonials about my work with clients.
(09:23)
If you have a different decision, absolutely no judgment.
(09:28)
I can see the pros and the cons in either direction, but I hope that this has given you some food for thought in terms of how you want to address this and making sure that you're clear on your reasons and that you feel really good about them moving forward. I would love to hear any feedback, any comments, any pushback. Please feel free to let me know. You can reach me on my website, camillefreeman.com, and I'll be back soon with some more episodes.
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