You've seen them, heard them, read them: testimonial advertisements. Without a doubt, these ads – featuring real-life customers – create human interest, build product credibility, and help consumers identify with a particular product.

If you're thinking about using testimonial advertising, you're not limited to a few "talking heads" in an advertisement. In fact, your testimonials can take on many different appearances. Here are a few:

•  Let the seller talk. You or your employees can speak credibly about the pride they take in their workmanship each day.

•  Toot your horn. Provide a pride-filled "report" on your accomplishments last year, using real-life customers as examples.

•  Turn statistics into a testimonial. In your advertising, talk about the number of customers who use your product ... the number of items sold last year ... or statistical profiles of customers.

•  Let your products do the talking. Let customers (or employees) explain your top product features in their own words.

•  Play up your partners. If you have a strategic alliance with a well-known business partner, mention your partner's name. Ditto if you're running a promotion with a respected charitable organization.

•  Stage a conversation. Imagine several customers talking with you. Or a salesperson talking with a prospective customer. These conversations make great ads.

•  Use anecdotes. How has your product or service changed someone's life? Made her day easier? Produced a pleasant surprise?

•  Look to the past. Let the founders of your enterprise tell their stories in their own words. How did the business begin? What values have guided the business over the years? What promises did you make to customers years ago – and do you make today?

•  Fill your ads with honor. Have you received any awards recently? Have your employees received recognition? Build an ad around these.

•  Highlight product use. Customers may use your product or service in slightly different ways. Using their own words, let customers explain why and how they use your line.

•  Let customers talk to each other. Instead of trying to explain what makes your product line unique, ask your customers to do it in their own words.

•  Here's a celebrity. Celebrity endorsements, in many instances, create interest. Remember: local celebrities may be perfect for your media market.

•  Check the portfolio. Build an ad campaign around your scrapbook of awards, photographs, letters, and other evidence of product quality.

•  Count the votes. People vote with their dollars. Compile your customer volume records. How many customers bought from you? Visited you? Asked you for help? Mention the most impressive stats.

•  Become a list maker. Compile a list of customers who use your product and ask permission to use their names in your ad. A long list speaks volumes about you.

•  Mention "thumbs up" media notices you've received. If your product has been mentioned – or better yet, reviewed – in a publication, briefly quote the story or refer to it in your ad.

•  Take a poll. Ask your customers to rate you on things like quality, timeliness and service. Highlight the poll results in your ad.

•  Let customers speak as a group. Bring a group of customers together and ask them to evaluate the top points of your product. Build your ad around the results.

•  Listen to the leader. In what way does your product or service claim industry leadership? Are you first in something? Produce the most of something? Mention your leadership position.

•  Show and tell. Display photographs of customers using your product, or employees making your product or providing your service.

•  Let's be candid. Many testimonial ads sound scripted – and they are! Instead of producing a scripted ad, invite a few customers to share candid thoughts on audio and video in an informal discussion. Cull the best comments out for print and broadcast ads.

•  Highlight unsolicited endorsements. Anytime you receive a positive unsolicited letter, ask your customer if you can use it in an ad. The same is true with telephone calls.

•  Note the referral source. If you're gearing ads toward a particular market, mention the names of respected individuals who have referred you to customers within the market.

•  Don't overlook novelty. Who was your first customer? Your oldest or youngest customer? Your customer living the greatest distance from your office? Your customer using your product most frequently? Answer any of these questions and you'll have great advertising fodder.

•  Let your suppliers talk. Are your vendors or subcontractors all working hard to help you build quality? Let them offer testimonials.

•  Announce your test results. Subject your product or service to a series of tests, either external or internal. And let the public know the results.

Whatever form of testimonial you use, remember: many prospective customers will listen to other customers before they listen to you. So let them speak for you, loud and clear.