What is a Testimonial video?

We’ve all been there: close to making a purchase decision but stuck wondering if we’re making the right choice. The first thing we do is ask our friends and family if they’ve used the product, and if they don’t have answers then we tend to seek the opinions of those who’ve already taken the plunge. Just look up “product review” on YouTube!

This is where Testimonial Videos come into play. Testimonial videos show one of your customers talking about your brand, product, and the experience of working with your company. If your prospects are close to making a decision of buying your product or service, they most likely are looking for reassurance that they are making the right decision.

The fact is though, they don’t want to hear it from you, they want to hear it from a third party, and this is where customer testimonial videos enter the picture. Testimonials videos can illustrate positive experiences of past clients, to encourage your prospects to take the final step and make the purchase.

Why Use a Testimonial Video?

• Video testimonials are one of the most powerful marketing and sales tools you can include in your marketing strategy.

• Testimonial videos attract attention to your brand / product / service

• Testimonial videos explain the benefits of your brand / product / service

• Testimonial videos build trust through third party endorsement

• Testimonial videos inspire action to convert leads into sales

When to Use a Testimonial Video?

Testimonial videos help a lot when you need to build brand trust, and they educate your target audience as to how great your product is! These videos work great in the bottom funnel, the decision stage, as they are meant to close deals. 

85% of consumers look for reviews online before they buy a product, so testimonial videos work perfectly to appeal to people looking for review type of content. Businesses use customer testimonial ads to build trust, so they should be a must in every video marketing strategy.

Where to Use Testimonial Videos?

We’ve discussed what Testimonial Videos are and when to use them, but where should we specifically employ this? Below is a list of effective places to use testimonial videos:

• Website: Landing Page, Home Page, Blog Post, Testimonial Page, Case Study, Side Bar, Sales Page

• Social Media

• Video streaming sites such as YouTube & Vimeo

• Use as a Case Study

• Newsletter

• Email

• Webinars

• Video Ads 

Best Practices for Producing Testimonial Videos

Although testimonial videos fit well into several stages of your video marketing funnel strategy, you should be focused on using them during the decision stage of your buyer’s journey to help convert them into customers.

Whether you’re shooting the testimonial video in a store, in a vineyard, or an office, make sure to include some context. Film them where they would naturally be using your product or service — it will add more realism to the story you’re telling.

It's good to give your interview subject a general idea of the topics you’ll be covering though not specific questions — reason being as they tend to rehearse their answers, which usually leads to a more robotic and unnatural interview.

It’s important to prepare your questions for the day of filming in advance, but listening to the responses you get is probably even more important. Use your prepared questions, but do relax and let it become a comfortable conversation. By listening to what your interviewee is saying,  you can then ask pertinent follow up questions and this generally is where you will film the best content.

What were the issues your customer was struggling with before they found your product or service? And how did your brand / product / service help them solve it?

Let your subject speak freely, and try not to interrupt them. Your goal is for the interview to be as conversational as possible. Getting personal insights is what ultimately drives conversions. Drawing out emotion from your subject can be very compelling. If your audience can connect with the emotions of your subject, then you’ll have a very powerful marketing tool.  

Scout the place you’ll be filming to find for the best location in terms of lighting and framing (clean and interesting but not distracting). Try to choose a spot that your subject is familiar with and comfortable with if possible.

Make sure to film related B-roll — as talking heads can often be rather boring. Inserting footage related to what the subject is discussing will render a much more engaging video and adds a sense of realism and more visual interest to the interview,

Similarly, include your customer’s pain points in the video because these will likely resonate with your audience. Doing this will help them more easily relate to the problem and the solution being offered.

It’s easy to chat with a customer for an hour or more about how your company has helped them. And at this point it is mission accomplished. At the end of the day though, the video should be around two to three minutes..

Adding graphics, animated overlays, text, and other visual elements is a great way to not only add visual interest, but they can add to the overall professional look of your testimonial video.

Now Go Make Your Own!

Testimonial videos are a powerful marketing tool that can convert people who are on the fence into paying customers. You’ll get a lot of bang for your buck with this content because of how many purposes it serves.

This might feel daunting, but just think of it as giving potential customers a second opinion to listen to. Use testimonial videos to attract attention, build brand trust, and call people to action.

Groove excels at testimonial video production that drives responses.

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