Who better to vouch to your future customers than your current satisfied ones?
Who better to vouch to your future customers than your current satisfied ones?
Testimonials are a powerful way to encourage new customers and to build your brand identity. Yet they have to be done properly to be effective.
Testimonial videos that feel rote, generic, or coached are not going to inspire trust in your brand — quite the opposite. If you want to create testimonial videos that customers really listen to, you need to improve your techniques.
Choose your testimonial subjects very carefully. Look for customers who have already brought other customers on board through a referral program or word-of-mouth. They likely have good things to share about your business.
It can be tempting to bring anyone to a testimonial when you’re trying to build up your content. However, a single unique, insightful, and funny testimonial is going to be worth much more than a few bland, generic ones that don’t adequately convey how your company is different.
10 Tips for a Great Testimonial Video
#6-10
#6. Scout Your Location Beforehand and Choose Wisely
Take a walk around the place to look for the best spot in terms of lighting and frames. Make the frames clean, interesting but not distracting, and also choose a spot that feels familiar to your interviewees, so they’ll feel comfortable.
A testimonial takes a while to shoot. Find a brightly lit area that doesn’t have a lot of traffic or a lot of background noise. Practice shooting ahead of time, so you can figure out whether there may be any issues with the angle you’re shooting, or with the amount of noise from passersby. A bright, outdoor area is often preferred: it’s professional, lively, and engaging.
#7 Record in High Quality or Hire a Professional Video Production Company
Your testimonial needs to seem authentic, but that doesn’t mean it can be shot on a cellphone. It’s important to invest in high quality recording equipment, which can be either purchased outright or rented by the day.
The higher quality your shoot is, the more professional the end result will be. A professional testimonial video is going to feel as though it has far more authority.
There are some advantages to hiring a professional video company rather than attempting to shoot on your own. It can be less expensive; a professional video company has reduced overhead because they already own all of the relevant equipment and have staff standing by to assist.
A professional video company can also streamline the process of optimizing and editing your video, as they can do this all in-house from the shots they filmed.
And, of course, you usually have as much control over the process as you’d like. You can advise the company regarding your vision for the testimonial as it is shot and edited.
#8. Structure Your Testimonial As A Story
Your primary goal is to tell a story. All engaging videos have a storyline. In this situation, you’re telling a story through your customer. All stories have a beginning, middle, and end.
For a testimonial, the beginning is defined by their problem. What issues were they experiencing that led them to seek out your solution? What impact were these problems having on their life?
Next, you get to the middle part, which is the hunt for a good solution. How did they find our solution? What were their primary concerns moving forward? Did they buy your solution immediately, or did they need to think about it? Did they buy from someone else and have a less than desirable experience? Why did they ultimately decide to commit to your solution?
Finally, explore the ultimate impact your solution had on their problem. What were the things they expected — and what were the things that they didn’t expect?
#9. Include some pain points of your clients
What were the issues your customer was struggling with when they found your product? What was their problem, and how did your brand and your product help them solve it?
Identify and include some pain points of your clients, as they will probably will be the same pain points of your general personas. This way, your customers will identify with their story: “Hey, I’ve got the same problem! They can help me as well!”
Difference is the key: Any company can provide a product or service. The customer needs to know why they should choose your company.
#10. Edit! But Do It wisely.
During the editing process, you’ll be glad to have some extra footage to choose from. When editing, choose the best takes of your interview to create a video with good rhythm and of a correct length for web usage, but always stay faithful and honest to what was said in the interview.
Include the insert takes and b-roll you planned during the layout to make a dynamic and interesting video.
Key Takeaways
Case studies and testimonials are doubly engaging for today’s consumers; not only do they prove your competence and reliability, they promise a solution that’s been vetted by other customers. They shine a light on possibilities and allow customers to envision a more efficient, successful future for their business.
Of course, once you have a customer testimonial video, the next question is “What do I do with it?”
That’s where working with Houston Video can be an incredible boost. Not only do we understand the intricacies of filming and editing engaging video, we know know how to deploy video on your website and social media so it generates the most views.
Views, engagement, and converting prospects to leads and sales is the ultimate measure of any videos success. It’s important to work with a team who knows how maximize your success.
Have a question about putting together a compelling testimonial video? Reach out and get a free consultation!
