Testimonials work. Unfortunately, I’ve seen more than one client become the victim of a scathing review, often the result of an unethical competitor, someone who was never a customer or client in the first place or simply a hot-headed customer. What have they been able to do about it? Nothing. Even when it’s a hothead, it would be nice to be able to post a response.

So along comes this iVouch site that takes an entirely different approach. Fairness. How about that? It’s more than a lame directory with the capability of adding stars for a review. You can actually use it as a business tool. That is if you happen to be as customer focused as you claim to be. It has accountability and people appreciate that.

Integrate business-friendly iVouch in your marketing mix to serve up customer testimonials and reviews.

The beauty of this site is multi faceted but I like that people can land on a third party site or find testimonials on my site as well. When customer reviews and testimonials are on a third party site in the customer’s own typed words, such as the case with a review site called iVouch.com, it is marketing gold. It creates priceless buzz for your business. How? Because endorsement is hands-down the best advertising there is. Period.

Your target market can sell you as a worthy business.

Testimonials and reviews posted on a third party site are the most effective form of advertising for bringing people closer to the point of sale because they have credibility. And accountability.

Your customers usually put into words exactly what your potential customers want to know. They know the target market because they are the target market. And there is value in the fact that someone took the time to say it.

How does iVouch work?

iVouch package prices

• iVouch WEB-  $24.95 per month
• iVouch LOCAL business- $14.95 per month
• iVouch REALTY- $24.95 per month
• iVouch LITE- Free version
• Prepay an entire year and get 2 months free andthen get 10% off. (use promo code winwin)

Get 10% off any package when you type WINWIN when registering at iVouch.com.

There is so much more to it than you see at first glance. iVouch was built from the ground up to be a savvy, low cost marketing tool for businesses who care about customer satisfaction. There is a free account called iVouch LITE to give it a test run. But I’m going to refer to what’s available with iVouch WEB, the paid version, because of the intuitive marketing tools.

Here’s the much-simplified overview. You send e-invitations or have them automatically sent to your customers. When customers or clients get the invite, they leave a review on iVouch.com without having to register. Once you have a few, even 3 or 4, you can get a snippet of code called a ‘widget’ that allows you to ‘feed’ the reviews of your choice to also be displayed on your own site if you wish.

As a marketing professional, I love the fact that testimonials reinforce and amplify a positive brand image.

iVouch is a unique business model. They provide consumers with what they want to know but focus on providing credible businesses with the ability and tools to promote the testimonials to reinforce a positive brand image.

By putting yourself out there for public review on a regular basis, you are actively demonstrating a commitment to being customer focused. This is far more effective in marketing your business and reinforcing a positive brand image than merely stating it in some lame tagline.

What if I get a bad review?

I asked the owner this question. Yes, I talked to him on the phone. And he’s clearly thought this through to be very fair and transparent. For one thing, you can choose the customers you want to invite to write reviews. But what if you still get a bad one?

Well, iVouch doesn’t simply remove it. That would undermine the credibility of iVouch. So there is a formal process owners can follow called a ‘challenge’, which requires follow through on the part of the reviewer. Once challenged, the review goes invisible until the reviewer validates the authenticity with his or her real identity. Only after a protocol is followed can the review be reinstated.

And what if it is? You’re not ruined. For one thing, an occasional less-than-impressive review keeps it real. You should take it as an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism by leaving a thoughtful response.

Bargain-basement cheap for a penthouse service—particularly compared with ppc.

Even a bare bones monthly ppc budget runs at least $300 per month. Comparatively, iVouch costs $14.95-$24.95 per month (or less with the coupon) and creates leverage and web equity for your business that is truly unsurpassed.

In other words, you get more ROI in the long run. A lot more if you compare a yearly cost of at least $3,600 for ppc, and $69-$180 per year with iVouch.com. You do the math.

For added value, iVouch actively markets your reviews so when someone ‘googles’ you, they not only see your site in the organic results but see your iVouch reviews as well. No ppc ad on the planet could pack that kind of marketing power.

Make it part of your marketing mix.

As a marketing professional, I’m saying committed business owners should make this part of a marketing plan and budget to work in synergy with whatever else you’re doing.

And to make a low cost marketing option even more low cost, I snagged a coupon that knocks off an additional 10% off the first year price whether you pay for a year or by the month. Because I love a deal, particularly one that works as well as this does for a price this attractive. Hey, I had the guy on the phone. It couldn’t hurt to ask.

Click here for iVouch.com and type ‘WINWIN’ as the promo code