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Testimonials build trust and authenticity, making people more willing to buy your product or service. Statistics have confirmed that customer testimonials are the most effective form of content, coming in at an 89% effectiveness rating.
What is a testimonial?
A testimonial is a truthful endorsement whereby someone testifies to the quality of a company, product, or service.
What qualities make for an effective testimonial?
Genuineness
The person delivering the testimonial has direct experience with you or your product.
Specificity
The person delivering the testimonial provides the how and the why of their endorsement.
Distinction
The testimonial illustrates how you differ from your competition.
Why use video for testimonials?
Video has the highest engagement rate
Video has the highest of any content engagement, with 55% of people consuming it thoroughly as opposed to skimming. The key to capturing this audience lies in video’s ability to evoke emotion.
Video has a higher retention rate
Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to only 10% when they read it in text. It’s a simple truth: humans process visual data better. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual.
Video has the best ROI
The majority of marketing professionals (52%) name video as the type of content with the best ROI. Marketers who use video content get 66% more qualified leads per year.
Video is preferred by consumers
Video drives a 157% increase in organic traffic from SERPs. And 68% of consumers prefer to learn about new products and services through video. Only 15% favor text-based articles. In addition, 59% of executives would rather watch a video than read text on the same topic.
Video gets shared
People are 12 times as likely to share video than text and images combined. And on mobile devices, 92% of users will share video with others.
Social proof converts
When a potential customer sees a peer endorse a company, they are likely to trust it more. In fact, 93% of consumers say online reviews inform their purchasing decisions, and 82% have made a purchase based on the content of a review.
Video + client testimonials = winning combination
A 56% majority of consumers say customer testimonials are very helpful and are the second most important kind of video a company can promote (the first is how a product is made).
Now let’s talk about how to produce a client testimonial:
Steps to producing a client testimonial
Select a client
Strike while the iron is hot. Recent, happy clients fresh off a project are more likely to remember the specifics of their experience.
Discuss client benefits
At the end of the day, you are asking clients to do you a favor by giving a testimonial. But that doesn’t mean only you have to benefit. Clients should also benefit. Discuss how your client may use the video to promote on social media or embed on their website or that you can add a backlink to their website under the video.
Obtain permission
Present release forms upon verbal consent to produce a video. While the paperwork may take a while to process, it will save you the headache should your client have a change of mind later on.
Here is an example video release form for this purpose.
The form should be broad enough that you can use the footage for any range of purposes in the future. Check with your internal council before using a release form, as they may already have one specific to your company.
Select the right subject
In order for your testimonial to be effective, viewers must find the subject trustworthy. Be mindful of picking someone charismatic who is comfortable speaking in front of others.
To give the video longevity, select an individual higher up in the company that may be around for a while.
Pick a convenient location
Typically, the most convenient location to conduct your client’s interview is at their place of work. Arrange to visit the selected location so you may survey your setup options and perhaps capture some b-roll to complement your storyline.
Trade shows and conventions can be great locations to shoot numerous interviews in one place. This helps lower production costs.
Develop a clear and concise plan
Agree on a date and time for recording and estimate how long it will take. No one is immune to on-camera jitters, so plan for retakes.
Prepare your subject
Giving your interviewees an idea of the questions they will be asked is fine, but don’t ask for premeditated answers. Overly rehearsed answers sound like they are being read from a script and sound inauthentic.
Be ready to go when your client is
Production should be as smooth as possible. After all, your client is going out of their way to help you.
A successful production consists of numerous elements. A quality camera setup requires technical expertise. Effective organization means time allotted to apply makeup and make your client feel relaxed before rolling. And everything needs to be in line by the time your client arrives.
Using video production professionals will ensure you not only a great end product, but an efficient means of getting there.
Elements of a testimonial
Q & A
Discuss a specific project. Ask your client questions such as:
- What problem were you having before you had our product or service? What were the pain points our company helped you with? (Call your company by name when asking questions. For example, “How did Production Craft help you with X, Y, Z?”)
- As you were seeking a solution, what distinguished our company from the competition?
- What was it like working with our company?
- What has been the impact of our product or service?
How do you think others could benefit from our product or service?
Animation/Graphics
Animation and graphics help depict concepts that may be otherwise difficult to visualize. They can also provide visual interest by breaking up the interview shot. Effective animation helps communicate your value and stand out from your competitors.
B-roll
Lifestyle shots (known as b-roll) showing a customer using your product or service in their own environment helps solidify your value and show a different perspective than just talking about you. This supplemental footage is inserted as a cutaway to help tell your story.
Unveiling your video testimonial
Always have your client approve the final video before publication.
Consider the variety of ways you can distribute your video. Showcase it on your YouTube channel or website. Slice and dice it into smaller pieces for snackable social content. Pitch to the press with bite-size teasers.
Video testimonials show your company’s ability to benefit others just like your clients. They should be authentic, evocative, and show the positive impact you made on your clients’ lives.
A solid testimonial will help you build trust, drive more traffic to your site, increase social shares, and ultimately convert more customers.