Testimonial videos
Have you ever wanted to buy a product, but there were no reviews or detailed explanations for how to use it, so you didn’t? This example shows that while product photography is incredibly important in making sales, it doesn’t communicate how effective the product is and why you should buy it. Imagine if in that instance of making your purchase there were customer testimonial videos of satisfied customers explaining why they were enthralled with their product, and how they use it.
This would have greatly increased the likelihood of your purchase. This is why as a product owner you shouldn’t just rely on product photography – you should also have customer testimonial videos to demonstrate to your potential customers why your product will enhance their life.
So to help to sell more products, and create more organic growth online, you need to be using customer testimonial videos. To help you understand how to create an effective video testimonial, we will look at:
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- Testimonial videos meaning
- Testimonial video statistics
- Types of testimonial video
- Tips for creating testimonial videos
Testimonial videos meaning
What is the testimonial video definition? Simply put, a customer testimonial video is a video of your satisfied customers explaining why they love the product. This is one of the most powerful and persuasive forms of marketing; as the reviews come straight from the mouths of your bonafide customers.
Testimonial video statistics
Testimonial videos do have sway over your audience. According to WyzOwl:
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- 92% of consumers read online reviews and testimonials when considering a purchase
- 95% of people say that reviews – whether positive or negative – influence their purchasing decisions.
- Reputation makes up over 25% of a brand’s market value
- 47% of people say testimonial videos are effective because they help visualise how a product or service works.
As you can see, testimonials have a real effect on how potential customers perceive your brand and product. Not only does it help to build your credibility and reputation, but it also helps to boost SEO for your company, and create organic growth. According to Zupo, video results are 50x more likely to be organically ranked in Google than text-based results.
Types of testimonial video
What form could your customer testimonial video take? Well, there are several different types of testimonial videos.
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- A video following a case study relative to a single customer
- A video that shows the result of your product e.g. before and after results
- A video that shows the journey of a customer
- A video explaining the concept of your product
- An emotive video that tells a story
- A visually engaging video
All testimonial videos are powerful, but some formats may appeal more to your product or services more than others. For example, if you are promoting a lifestyle company, an emotive testimonial may be an effective means of communicating your brand personality, as it is a brand that improves someone’s quality of life. Therefore, appealing to a consumer’s emotional side may be a good way to get to the heart of your company. However, a company promoting a skincare product that clears skin could also go in this direction, but they may benefit more from a testimonial where a customer shows a before and after of their skin.
Tips for creating testimonial videos
No matter what form of customer testimonial you settle on, there are tips every video should follow.
Your customer testimonial video should clearly state the benefits of your product
The main purpose of your customer testimonial video is to demonstrate how your product or service is effective, and what better way to explain this than by asking the people who use and love it? While getting personal testimonials is great, your video should communicate the unique selling points of your product, why you are better than your competitors, and how your product has made an impact – tangible data which shows this is even better. You can see an example of this style on VocalVideo, a platform that allows you to incorporate customer testimonials into a professional-looking video.
Your testimonials should be authentic
Your testimonials should be authentic. The more authentic your testimonial video comes across, the more likely your customer is to trust your brand and believe in your product. Authenticity is incredibly important to consumers, and they can smell phoney advertising a mile off – therefore you should always use your real customers.
Although you should use real customers, they may not be used to being on camera and talking on the spot. Therefore, you should prep them before by sending them some questions to reflect on which will help them to prepare their answers. You can ask them:
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- Why did you require this product/service?
- How did you come across this product/service?
- How did this product/service help you?
- What results did you see from using this product/service? (Any tangible data would be useful).
Your video should tell a story
To build your credibility, and build trust with your audience, your video should tell a story that effectively communicates your brand message and how your product will make their life better by using it. You should create a storyboard and a script to plan your video. You don’t have to script exactly what your customers are going to say, but you can factor in prompts and responses.
Your questions should be ordered in a logical way that shows the customer journey. The introductory part of the video should be your customer explaining the unmet needs in their life causing them to need your product or service. The central part of the video should explain how they came across the product or service, and what makes your brand stand out amongst the crowd. The conclusion should be your customer explaining how the product or service has helped them, and whether it met their needs.
The story should take the viewer on an emotional journey. If the viewer can connect emotionally with the customer giving the testimonial, then they will take the journey with that person. For example, they will identify with the need the customer had, and feel the wonderment of discovery when the customer describes first coming across your product and the potential it offered. All of these steps are emotional hooks to carry the viewer along and help them experience the feelings for themselves. This is the power of testimonials, and the reason why your reviews should always be authentic.
Your customer testimonial video should be high quality
By high-quality, we are not only referring to high-resolution video quality but the overall production of your video. Your video’s audio should be crisp and clear, your video should be shot well, and edited professionally and there may be a need for motion graphics on the screen to indicate data. The quality of your video reflects on your brand, as well as the content of the customer testimonial video. To express that you are a high-quality brand, it is worth investing in a customer testimonial video service to create an impressive customer testimonial video that is consistent with your overall branding.
If you think your company would benefit from a professional videographer, Splento can assist you in creating a high-quality customer testimonial video. At Splento we provide you with only the best professional, experienced, and vetted videographers to produce your videos. Contact us today to speak with a member of the team about your project.
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