Adding a testimonial video to any marketing endeavor will guarantee an increase in conversion rates.
Thinking about creating a killer testimonial video? As a business owner who wants to see your product or service develop brand recognition and grow consistently, a customer testimonial video could be just the thing you need.
A testimonial video for your brand is one of the knockout ways you can illuminate your products and what your company has to offer in an authentic, sincere, and not blatantly self-promotional way. And one thing it does for sure is separate your product from similar competitors, helping widen the gap between you and others in your industry.
But what exactly is a customer testimonial video and how do you create one that will help move the needle forward? We’re breaking it all down and giving you a few resources to get you started.
What is a customer testimonial?
A customer testimonial video is essentially a positive review from a happy customer where they go in depth about how your company helped them and what their experience was like working with you. It’s highly personal and very honest and plays a huge role in increasing your conversion rates.
These videos are especially powerful because people trust the opinion of other people – even strangers! Getting a glimpse into the life of real customers who actually endorse what you have to offer provides authentic social proof, a major contributor that takes users from the nurturing phase to the conversion phase of the buyer’s journey.
Just think about Yelp. Whether or not you like Yelp, its popularity is driven by the fact that all the reviews are from real people offering their real feedback. Users typically log on right before they make a purchase decision – that’s when these reviews are the most impactful.
How can I make a good customer testimonial video?
The key to creating an emotional, impactful testimonial video is keeping the message centered around the positive aspects of your brand. This gives your product or service credibility in the eyes of a consumer who has never tried it.
Focus on having the person being interviewed answer a few questions: Why did they choose your brand or product? What are the benefits of using your product? Why should someone else try your product?
Avoid simple, “yes” and “no” questions – those won’t get you any solid answers and definitely won’t spark that emotion needed to help the viewer connect.
In addition to sparking an emotional connection, there are two different types of testimonial videos that work best in capturing the heart of your business.
Testimonial Compilation
A testimonial compilation includes quick, positive sound bites from several different customers. This opens the floor for multiple talking points and highlights a variety of different personalities and demographics. These are also great because the multitude of perspectives lends more credibility to your brand.
Testimonial Highlight
Testimonial highlights are videos that include one longer interview with one of your customers. These interviews go a little further in depth than compilations do, and help communicate a deeper understanding of why your brand, product, or service is so exceptional. Usually, these testimonials have a stronger impact and can often touch on special benefits or features you offer.
Why do I need a customer testimonial?
You know you need a way of zeroing in on prospective clients – maybe they’ve checked you out already, but they aren’t convinced they need your product or service specifically. How do convince them otherwise?
Video content is a powerful tool that helps attract, engage, and nurture users toward a sale, but a customer testimonial is key in actually helping prospectives convert. Just take a look at some of the numbers:
- Customer testimonials are the most effective form of content, coming in at an 89 percent effectiveness rating.
- Brands that inspire a higher emotional intensity receive three times as much word-of-mouth as less emotionally connected brands.
- Fifty-six percent of users say customer testimonials are helpful in the decision-making stage.
- Of consumers surveyed, 72 percent say positive reviews and testimonials make them trust a business more.
- Eighty-four percent of people say they trust consumer reviews just as much as they would trust a recommendation from a friend.
These are the numbers, sure – but think about it for a second. How do you feel when you’re researching a company or product and see a testimonial video for yourself? Whether it’s a product review posted organically by an unaffiliated content creator, or a brand-sponsored testimonial video like the one below, doesn’t seeing this content make you more certain about the quality of a company?
Providing this social proof helps increase your conversions across the board – and the more natural and authentic your video is, the better.
3 Places to Use Your Customer Testimonial Video
What exactly can you do with a testimonial video once you have it? That’s actually part of what makes these videos so great – unlike other types, like how-to or FAQ videos, customer testimonials can actually be distributed almost anywhere.
1. Website
Depending on the structure of your website, there are tons of places you can naturally embed your video testimonial. The homepage is a great place to start. You don’t necessarily want a testimonial to be the first thing a visitor sees, since they’ll need a little more context before being drawn in, but presenting your testimonial further down on the page can provide the social proof a user is looking for and increase their overall time spent browsing.
You can also add your testimonial to other pages, like your How It Works page, your About page, various places on your blog, and even your ecommerce pages if you’ve got them. Embedding them on ad landing pages, like the ones you might use for search or social ads is also essential – someone who has clicked on an ad of yours is showing interest in your company. Using a testimonial video to hook them will not only help them convert, but add to your overall credibility.
2. Social Media
Though social media videos are typically short and a little more visually bold, a customer testimonial that tells a good and engaging story can also be a great performer on social. There are the usual channels, like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, where you can organically reach fans who are already following your page. Here, you can use captions to captivate users who may be scrolling quickly and listening without sound.
You can also run ads on these channels to reach a new audience. These channels are great for retargeting users who have already visited your website, providing the second touch point for them and driving your branding home efficiently.
Finally, you can also upload your video to other platforms, like YouTube (the world’s most popular video hosting platform), Quora, or even Reddit or Slideshare via a presentation. These are less thought of platforms that still have amazing reach in certain niches and industries and can drive an unexpected amount of brand awareness.
3. Email
Finally, customer testimonials are a great piece of content to share with anyone you have on your email lists. Besides providing the social proof that may re-engage them, emailing out a video testimonial is a great way to spice up your email content. Use it in a regular weekly or monthly newsletter, in your next promotional email, or even your sales or customer support emails!
Pro Tip: Include this testimonial video in your regular email signature so everyone you email personally gets a chance to see it.
Conclusion
Video Testimonials are powerful pieces of content with endless uses. But remember: the one crucial element of any good customer testimonial video is an engaging customer with a great story to tell who also does well in front of the camera.
Check out 11 Powerful Customer Testimonial Videos Done Right.
If you’ve got a client willing to share their experience, take advantage of it! Your best bet in acquiring the perfect testimonial from a customer is just by asking. Create an email or social media template requesting feedback and ask if they’d be willing to share that feedback on camera. Then, with the perfect video production agency, you can bring that testimonial to life.