Testimonial videos have to be one of the most powerful and underutilized marketing tools right now.
Let’s face it, when it comes to characterizing your product’s strong points you’ll always have a hard time not seeming at least a bit biased in the eyes of your potential customers.
After all, you do have a vested interest.
But when that message comes from other customers like them, then it’s another thing entirely. Those are their peers! And therein lies the power of these videos.
Being able to put forth such favorable messages through a perceived impartial third party does a fantastic job of bypassing a prospective customer’s natural aversion and mistrust to an advertisement.
It’s the same principle that makes positive reviews so powerful.
Online, these reviews and clients’ scores are the best alternative to the lack of hands-on interaction your prospective clients would otherwise have with you and your product prior to a purchase.
Client testimonial videos, then, are just an ideal medium to combine the benefits of positive customer reviews, with the compelling and persuasive features of visual storytelling.
When done right, testimonial videos synergize their component parts into a mighty marketing tool, capable of delivering your message just the way you want to a much more receptive audience.
And while a lot can be said about the right steps to make a compelling testimonial video that nurtures your sales funnel and helps you convert more often, there are three guiding principles that should be part of every testimonial your company decides to use.
There are principles that directly influence the effectiveness and impact these videos have on your marketing strategy.
So, let’s discuss them a little bit and make sure you are both, aware and actively incorporating them in your video productions.
Addressing Prospective Clients’ Concerns
The first principle I want to discuss is the importance of addressing prospective customers’ concerns as an integral piece of any testimonial video.
Yes, you are showcasing an existent client’s opinions, experiences, and satisfaction with the products or services you gave them.
Yet, as you work on your pre-production questionnaire, and more importantly, once you hit the editing floor, you should aim at prioritizing dialog and imagery that anticipates and addresses your viewers’ concerns.
It might be that a prospective customer doesn’t entirely trust your company, your product, or its capabilities. A particularly common challenge to overcome when you are starting out and brand recognition isn’t yet a thing.
Then there’s the issue of uncertainty, that is, when a customer trusts and believes in what you are promising, but remains undecided as to whether or not to close the deal right then and there.
While you don’t have to be overt about it (and in fact, shouldn’t) you do need to keep these considerations in mind as you advance the completion stages of your testimonial video.
Testimonials are uniquely equipped to draw in a viewer’s attention to build brand trust, and all that potential should not go to waste. Make it a priority to anticipate and assuage such viewers’ concerns subtly and naturally, maximizing your video’s effectiveness.
Draw Direct Correlations
Illustrating the direct line between the on-camera client’s satisfaction and your company’s services is one of the most valuable assets a testimonial video brings to the table. Yet you’d be surprised by how many drop the ball in this regard.
Portraying your company, brand, and product in a positive light is a no-brainer goal for any testimonial. What a lot of people miss is that your videos also provide an ideal stage to inform your potential customers of the how’s of your products and services.
Whatever the industry, your aim is to solve a particular need your clients have. Your marketing success or failure often depends on how effective you are at making people see this connection and understand exactly what it is you can do for them.
Listening to your customers discuss the ins and outs of, not only how satisfied they are with your services, but also how you actually managed to solve their needs, has a powerful compounding effect that is much more likely to bring about the conversions you are after.
When testimonial videos limit themselves to merely having someone talking you up and saying how happy they are with your product, they run the risk of coming off as flat and phony.
Adding a bit of content where clients share the details of how it was that you helped them makes the whole thing feel more genuine and authentic.
And you also get the added benefit of illustrating your product’s effectiveness and functions to your potential customers, even if it is for a few seconds.
You can accomplish this in several ways, but the easiest one goes back to your questionnaire. You are in charge of interviewing your clients and helping them arrive at the topics you want to cover during filming, so it is your responsibility to include these topics in there.
Adequate preparation is an essential element of the production and planning stages for testimonials. You need to be able to cover as much ground as possible in order to get everything you want on the first try since most of the time it will be your only chance.
So, plan ahead and make sure to include at least a couple of questions that encourage your interviewee to explore these answers in a bit of detail. What your company did for them and how you did it. And you’ll be well on your way to creating a testimonial video that works.
Make It Charming, Cheerful, and Human
Lastly, let’s go over what is arguably the most important mark you need to hit with any testimonial video: Humanizing your brand
Testimonials are all about connecting with your customer base, and there’s no better way to do that than to put forth an image of approachability, friendliness, and charm.
Yes, testimonial videos have to look pristine and professional as far as quality and finish, but they should also feel approachable and rather informal as far as their content goes.
The goal is to showcase a candid conversation with one of your current, satisfied customers to have your message heard by potential clients more easily.
The intention of humanizing your brand and making it approachable should permeate every stage of production, especially the interview process. You want to get genuine, warm reactions from the people you are interviewing, and for that, you can’t be anything less.
This sort of attitude (and more importantly, lack thereof) comes through during the filming, and it’s almost impossible to be added artificially in post-production, so it behooves you to attempt to achieve it naturally from the get-go.
You should not fear to come off as a bit informal in these types of videos. Yes, your company might work hard to maintain a big corporate image, and that’s all well and good. But warmth and charm when dealing with people trump that in the eyes of your customers. Every. Single. Time.
Do not trouble yourself so much with appearing professional and competent through formality. This will become self-evident as long as the people handling your testimonial video production are competent and skilled.
Let the editing and post-production be evidence of your professionalism, and the interview and content showcase your approachability. Only then will you have a flawless testimonial video that can turn hesitant or incredulous potential customers into loyal consumers.
I hope you find these insights on the topic useful, and as long as you keep them in mind whenever you are using this tool as part of your marketing strategy, you’ll enjoy a head-and-shoulders advantage above any competitor.
About the Author
Víctor Blasco is the founder and CEO of the explainer video company, Yum Yum Videos. He is also an audiovisual designer and video marketing expert. Aside from running the business, he loves studying Chinese Philosophy and is a real geek for science fiction films and comics!
