In 2016, I wrote about how our new Five Guys restaurant heavily promoted testimonials about its food (dot #1660). When I recently visited, I was struck by how they are using the exact same quotes a decade later. It may be cost-prohibitive to change the signs lining their walls, but even the cups are using old reviews, dating back to 2008. The most recent quote is from 2019, seven years ago. I am no longer impressed.
I know from my own website that it’s easy to post a testimonial and forget about it, but comments that are not refreshed become stale. It makes me wonder whether no one has provided positive feedback in the intervening years.
The adage “what have you done for me lately” can be modified to “what have you said about me lately.” Keep that in mind before utilizing testimonials so prominently.
