Because no-one remembers a faceless brand.
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The best way to get more customers is through other satisfied customers.
Why?
For this simple reason – people care more about what complete strangers say about your company than what you have to say yourself.
All of your other marketing materials and sales strategies pale in comparison to authentic testimonials.
In fact, according to 72 percent of customers, positive testimonials and reviews improve their trust in a company.
And a video testimonial, which combines the persuasive power of video with the potential of customer feedback, is a double-edged sword.
So without further ado, let's find out why customer testimonial videos are so essential for developing your brand story and how to maximize conversions by collecting great testimonials from customers:
The reviews that your customers leave can significantly impact your sales and brand recognition.
Customer testimonials have a tremendous amount of sway. Word-of-mouth advertising, often known as "earned advertising" in the marketing world, is a great way to build your company's reputation, attract new clients, and reward existing ones.
79 percent of people prefer video testimonials to learn more about a company or product. Because of this, testimonials are frequently cited as the most effective form of advertising by marketers.
A testimonial can accomplish a number of different things for your business, such as:
Marketing has long relied on consumer feedback. Brand and product evaluations from satisfied customers are now an integral part of online marketing assets for companies.
Video is the most popular content format, with 54% of consumers preferring video over any other forms of content. And with the advent of video testimonials, companies can now reach a wider audience of potential customers.
Here's why video testimonials are so effective for your business:
Unlike written testimonials, video testimonials deliver a visual experience. These visual features add to the content's aesthetic.
Text is dispassionate and impersonal. Videos, on the other hand, don't have this problem. The dynamic nature of videos is undeniable. Photos, audio, and text are all represented in a highly engaging way. Together, they are able to elicit the right feelings in the minds and hearts of their users.
Contrast this with a testimonial that is provided in writing. There isn't much here for the reader to take away from the letters and words.
They don't do anything to humanize the content by moving, acting, smiling, or frowning. Instead, the reader bears the burden of deciphering the message.
Do you know that people retain approximately 80% of visual information, compared to only 20% of text-based information? This eye-opening statistic reveals why video testimonials are superior to written reviews.
Video is, therefore, more engaging than reading long passages of text for your target audience.
People prefer testimonial videos because they help them picture product specifics, according to 47% of consumers.
Customers can discuss your product more when you use video. This means they can be more personal in their evaluations of the product's usefulness.
A 30% improvement in productivity or $50,000 in savings in costs are important metrics to consider. However, these numbers only become important when you factor in the storytelling power of customer video testimonials.
An effective marketing tactic is one that allows your target audience to empathize with the feelings of your testimonial subject. This is why it's so critical to get to the heart of the testimonial's story, just like this example below by Sendible:
A powerful selling point is how your product or service helped consumers overcome their frustration, overwhelm, or struggle and move closer to the ideal they had hoped for.
It gives your consumers a complete image of your product and helps them connect with your brand. Your single client testimonial has now taken on a life of its own, becoming multifaceted.
Consumers will be more likely to spread good content around if they enjoy it.
Video testimonials are a terrific way to build your brand since customers who have used and profited from your product will be able to tell others about your company's value.
Intel's "Meet the Makers" campaign and Slack's critically acclaimed "So Yeah, We Tried Slack" campaign are just a few notable examples.
With video marketing, small-budget videos have the same viral potential as big-name businesses, which is a huge advantage.
This is why the key to developing an online reputation is to give your audience the freedom to make their own decisions.
Collecting customer video testimonials can seem challenging at first but a humane approach will go a long way in collecting great testimonies, which represent customer opinions and experiences.
If you've got the necessary tools and information, you can do this! In this section, we'll provide you with all the information you need to begin collecting video testimonials.
Knowing when to request a video testimonial is critical. Let customers tell you about their excellent experiences in person or social media before you do anything. The fact that they're willing to spread the word about their positive experience with your company suggests they're a brand advocate.
You should also think about how long they've been using your product or service for them to make this decision. You don't want to ask too soon when they haven't had enough time to develop an experience or address their problem.
Once you've determined who your brand's biggest advocates are, you can compose an email and send it out to them, asking them to provide a video testimonial. You want to be as personal as possible and tailor the message to the individual customer. With Storyprompt, you can make it even more personal and comfortable for your customer, by recording a video yourself guiding them through the process.
Video calls require the coordination of time zones in order to make sure that both parties are available at the same time. This can be more challenging for your customer. Thanks to the availability of asynchronous video testimonial solutions, it is easier for the customer to record a video response on their own schedule without your involvement.
Your customers simply receives an email with a link, and they can record on their phone or computer whenever they choose, as opposed to synchronous recording, which requires everyone to be in the same place at the same time.
You still need to show them why their story is essential, even if you ask your most engaged and supporting customers. A video testimonial shouldn't be coerced from someone. Instead, focus on the importance of their narrative to you and the potential ripple effect it may have on the lives of others.
To help them feel more comfortable talking about their experience with your brand, product, or service, you can lead them through the steps of the interview process.
Help them in recognizing and appreciating the value you have provided them through your product or service. Using this method helps you to coach your customers through what they should say while still allowing them to tell their own stories.
Sharing a video testimonial example can also be helpful. When the customers know what you want, they will better understand what to say. Open-ended inquiries can be helpful if you don't have a video sample of your own.
Although written testimonials may appear less demanding than video testimonials, they can actually be more difficult to collect. By making the video testimonial submission process as simple as possible, you will increase the quality and quantity of your submissions.
It's important to remember that you can utilize the text transcriptions from testimonial videos, so when you collect a video, you're actually getting both written and video testimonials in one.
You risk losing clients if your video recording software is incompatible with their devices or if they have to download a different app in order to get started.
Storyprompt is a free video testimonial software created exclusively for businesses to invite their customers to record video testimonials asynchronously.
Just a few minutes of your time is all that is needed to create a real, conversational testimonial that can help you attract new customers.
Before recording and editing video testimonials, you need to find satisfied customers willing to share their experiences with you. The best time to invite a customer to share their feedback over video is just after they've experienced a moment of delight.
With Storyprompt, you can collect videos asynchronously from your customers without needing to schedule a call like you would with a service like a Zoom or Google Meet. The user can simply respond to a video prompt in their own time and record their video from any device. Their video is then automatically edited using AI, and you receive a fully produced video testimonial to music and with your own branding. There is no additional editing necessary.
In order to produce an engaging and powerful video testimonial, it's important that you've planned your structure in advance:
There should be a fundamental framework and flow to guide your customers, even though you don't want to develop a video that looks scripted. A minimum of the following should be included in your testimonial:
Introduction
The client will discuss the obstacles and the negative consequences of those issues in this section.
Middle
The customer should be able to articulate why they were looking for a solution, how they compared other possibilities, and why they ultimately chose your product or service.
Conclusion
The last part of the testimonial includes a customer's thoughts on how your product or service met their needs and helped them achieve their desired goals.
In most cases, the customers are not actors or speakers. Some people may be too self-conscious or apprehensive about speaking in front of a camera.
To get the most out of the interview, brainstorm a list of questions to pose to the topic and then circulate it among the participants. An interview-style encounter with a consumer is typically the best way to go about it.
Send these questions to the person who will be the subject of your testimonial, so they are aware of what you plan to ask them. And in truth, it should not be necessary for you to stick with your list. Respond to your customer's comments by asking additional questions.
We've compiled a list of questions to ask customers:
Brief the customer exactly how you plan to shoot or capture the video. You can also offer suggestions such as where to look, what to wear, how to speak, etc.
Your video should have excellent visual and audio quality. This is an area where you should not compromise.
For the best experience, make sure the audio and pictures are crystal clear and loud.
Equipment such as a high-quality camera and microphone can make a significant difference in the quality of a video or recording. If your customers are recording remotely, make sure they have these essentials available before you ask them to record a testimonial video.
You're almost there in publishing your brand new customer video testimonial. Just a few more steps, and we'll be done!
Go to the editing studio after you've finished filming your testimonial video. Choose the best angles and combine them.
There's nothing worse than sitting through a long film of someone talking to the camera. This is why you must be on the lookout for soundbites that convey the enthusiasm of your subject and save those parts of the video to make winning video testimonials.
To improve the final video testimonial, get rid of extraneous elements, personalize it to your company, and add features like captions.
During the editing process, select the finest takes from your interview to create a video with a natural flow and the appropriate length for online distribution, but never stray too far from the truth of what was stated during the conversation.
If possible, keep the video to a maximum of three minutes to ensure you hold the viewer's attention, like Dropbox has done in the video testimonial example below:
Add the subject's name and title. Include quotes and your company's branding as well as any supporting content (colors, logos, etc.).
This process can be simplified with an automatic AI video testimonial software like Storyprompt, making it easier to record and edit customer testimonial videos. You can get a professionally edited testimonial video in three simple steps:
And that’s it!
Finding the correct channels and messages to share customer testimonial videos is a crucial component in the creation of successful videos.
The best content in the world won't do you any good if you don't know how to distribute it. If you want your testimonials to be effective, you need to know when and how to reach your target audience.
Start with your company's website if you plan to post customer testimonials. Testimonials on a company's website are a great way to attract new clients who might otherwise never hear about the business.
You can either simply embed videos into your homepage or create a separate landing page just for this type of content.
For example, Xero displays industry-specific video case studies featuring customers and showing how they use the product. Website visitors pick their industry, then watch real people talk about how they use Xero to help them run their business.
Using social media to share testimonials is a great idea because it's so easy to publish and distribute visual content to a large number of people. You can promote content that is relevant to your target audience by using social media to target those who are already interested in your business.
For example, Savage Global Marketing posted this video testimonial to their Instagram account:
Everything about your campaigns and posts should feel like it was created by the people who will be reading them. In the B2B world, LinkedIn is a great place to share customer testimonial videos since it allows your followers to see what other people have to say about your business, which helps establish trust.
It also encourages customers to feel like they are part of a larger community, which increases brand loyalty and creates a sense of belonging.
Video testimonials are often accompanied by a document or resource that provides additional context for the information presented in the video.
In order to answer any questions the viewer may have while watching the video, this method is used to deliver detailed information. The prospect will see that you can back up the statements made in the video and that you're also ready to address their inquiries if they have any.
The vast majority of us use YouTube, but there are dozens of other video streaming services where you can post videos of your customers sharing their experiences.
There are advantages to using lesser streaming services. Increasing your reach and establishing relationships with a more specific demographic are two of the many benefits of distributing your content across numerous platforms.
Smaller streaming services like these can help you reach new audiences who might prefer these channels to larger, ad-filled social media platforms like YouTube.
Customer testimonials can be published with great influence on third-party review sites.
Customers and businesses alike are now able to upload videos to third-party review sites such as Amazon, Facebook, Google Business Profile, and Yelp. In light of current video marketing trends, those sites that do not already offer video are very likely to do so in the future. Share your video testimonials on review sites to truly stand out from your competition.
For new customers, it is always a good idea to have some references on hand to share with them. Additional social proof in the form of customer video testimonials may persuade an interested party to complete a transaction with your business.
However, even if you don't have time to watch the videos at the meeting, you may send them out as follow-up materials to sway potential customers who are still undecided.
Testimonials can be a great addition to your email newsletter if you have one. This group of people has previously expressed an interest in your product or service and will be eager to hear about the positive experiences of other clients.
Video is already being used in email campaigns by one in four marketers.
You may still use your newsletter to retain clients even if you only send it to current customers. An unhappy consumer can be persuaded to give your product a second opportunity if they're regularly exposed to stories of others who had a positive experience with it.
Additionally, testimonial videos can be shown during one of your company's presentations, webinars, or events. That's because video is a terrific way to engage a wide group of people.
As if it were a case study, you can play the testimonial, point out crucial information, and engage in a debate about specific themes. To keep your audience engaged, you need to present your video as an educational resource rather than a commercial.
In the end, I can't stress the importance of video testimonials enough. In terms of marketing and advertising, customer testimonial videos are powerful and significantly more effective than other methods.
Positive customer feedback, such as those found in video testimonials, has the power to influence a potential buyer's purchasing choice or their perception of a brand.
With this step-by-step tutorial in hand, you'll have everything you need to get started in collecting, filming, and editing video testimonials.
When selecting video testimonial software, be sure to answer the following questions:
For more information, check out this comparison of different video testimonial tools.
For video editing software, one of the best options is Storyprompt. It simplifies the process of producing customer testimonial videos and allows you to create compelling, polished clips that can help your company grow.