5 Reasons Why I Don’t Use Client Testimonials In My Marketing

When you’re looking for a product or service as a potential customer - especially online via websites and social media - you probably spend a lot of time reading testimonials from people who have used that product or service. And it makes sense to do this type of research: learning about other people’s experiences will give you an idea of what to expect, and a (theoretically) unbiased view of what was and wasn’t so good about it.

For the provider of a product or service, testimonials are often incredibly helpful, as they offer useful feedback about the strengths and limitations of what you’re offering, and you can use this information to develop and expand your business accordingly.

Potential customers often regard a business as more trustworthy if they make testimonials publicly available to view, as they believe that it shows transparency and openness about where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and they can use this information to make an informed decision as to whether it’s the right one for them.

Yet in spite of this, I don’t use testimonials from my clients in any of my marketing, and in this post, I’ll explain why.

My professional membership body prohibits the use of testimonials

Although there is no legal requirement for me to be a member of any professional body, I’m registered with the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), and have agreed to abide by their Code of Ethics. The Code makes it clear that UKCP members shouldn’t use client testimonials for marketing purposes: “15. Not make any claims which you cannot demonstrate to be true or include testimonials from clients in any advertising.” You can read the full Code here if you’re interested in learning more.

I take my professional registrations seriously, and it’s important to me that I respect the ethical code I’ve agreed to. If I breach this code, I could lose my registration, and although it wouldn’t legally stop me from continuing to practice, it wouldn’t send out a good message to clients!

Testimonials are subjective, and don’t provide the full context of an individual’s experience

For me, this is one of the crucial reasons why I wouldn’t use client testimonials in my marketing, even if my membership body allowed it. My work and relationships with each individual client is unique to them, even if there are common themes in how I approach them. Although their presenting issues may be similar on the surface (e.g. relationships), how these issues impact them and their daily lives, as well as the experience that informs why they have an impact, will be different for each individual.

A testimonial on its own doesn’t provide any of the additional context that informs the individual’s experience. I believe that this matters, regardless of whether the testimonial is positive or not, because it’s difficult to understand why the individual had the experience they had without it.

Glowing testimonials can set unrealistic expectations

When you have a great experience of a product or service, it’s only natural that you’d want to share your enthusiasm with the world so that other people can benefit too. As a business owner, it’s wonderful to receive positive feedback from clients, and to understand how their experience of therapy has changed their lives for the better.

Although it’s obviously encouraging to see and hear about other people’s good experiences of therapy, testimonials rarely account for the challenges within the process. Yes, therapy can be life-changing, but this isn’t the case for everyone, and it can take a long time for the benefits to be felt properly. This means that clients can have unrealistic expectations about how they might change, and when they will see those changes for themselves, and this risks reinforcing a belief that they’ve “failed” if this isn’t their actual experience.

There’s an ethical dilemma with meeting advertising standards, and protecting client privacy

In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which oversees advertising practices here, says that the source of any testimonials should be verifiable as genuine, i.e. that you should be able to prove that the person / company who has provided it is real.

This presents an obvious dilemma for therapists who want to use client testimonials in their marketing: if we use a client’s testimonial in our marketing and someone asks to see evidence that the source is real, we would have to breach the client’s privacy by naming them.

Rather than getting into a potentially tricky situation, I simply don’t use testimonials in my marketing.

There is a significant imbalance of power

If a former client decided they wanted to post a testimonial for me on Google or Facebook, they would have chosen to waive their right to privacy, and to make their decision to have therapy public. They can also choose to remove the testimonial if they don’t want to leave it in the online space, but should be aware that nothing on the internet is ever truly erased.

Yet if I ask a client to provide a testimonial that I can use in marketing my practice, I am at risk of exploiting my power in the relationship by using that client’s information for my own gain. The client might feel pressured into providing one for me, and this could be harmful for them and for our relationship in the long-term.

Every therapist is different, and will have their own views about using testimonials. As long as the ethical issues are managed appropriately, and the client is able to withdraw their consent at any time if they do agree to provide a testimonial, then it’s not necessarily a “bad” thing. I still won’t be using them in my marketing, but appreciate that other therapists will!

I hope this has given you some useful insights into why some therapists like me don’t use testimonials in their marketing. If you have any comments or questions about the issues I’ve raised here, or you’re interested in the possibility of working with me, feel free to get in touch. You can: use the contact form at the bottom of the page; send an email to emma@emmapooleytherapy.com, or find me on Facebook and Instagram @emmapooleytherapy.