When shopping around for a new service or product, many people rely heavily on the recommendations of others. Before the invention of the internet, word of mouth was the fastest and cheapest marketing strategy for business owners. However, depending on their location and influence, the audience reached through referrals from family, friends and other customers was at times rather limited.
The reach of video testimonials is unlimited and the benefits far outweigh what you need to invest. After all, each video testimonial can have a unique perspective and offer numerous ways to portray your business and the advantages and benefits that your products or services can bring to a prospective customer.
Why video?
In the age of Google reviews, blogging and social media, you can easily use the traditional word-of-mouth-strategy to grow your audience exponentially and tell people around the globe about how your product or service can provide the solution to their specific problem.
However, a real face is perceived to be more trustworthy than a few written words, therefore video testimonials can be the final push someone needs to take the next step from looking at your business to becoming a lifelong customer. In fact, studies have proven that content with video does not only attract more attention, it is also more than 40 times more likely to be shared on social media.
Video testimonial guide
There’s more to creating a compelling video testimonial than just putting someone in front of a camera and letting them talk. The following tips will ensure your video testimonial really helps boost your business and ultimately your sales by providing potential customers with valuable content from someone they can identify with. The ultimate goal of a video testimonial is to convince someone during their decision-making stage that what you have to offer is the best solution to their needs.
Keep it real
Focus on the people. With your target audience in mind, choose someone who is credible, enjoyable, pleasant to watch and who is able to create an emotional connection with potential viewers.
Make a connection
It’s a great idea to give viewers a bit more information about your testimonial that will allow them to connect with the person on screen. Rather than filming the testimonial inside the person’s living room, choose a geographic location that they identify with and which may also be identified by others. It will increase the credibility of your testimonial and further help establish a trusting bond with viewers.
Prepare and be prepared
A testimonial is like an interview. The better prepared you and the person to be interviewed are, the better the interview will go and the happier everyone will be with the result. Write your questions down beforehand, plan out the interview in your mind and anticipate possible answers so that you can react on the spot and dive deeper into the discussion. Send the questions to your testimonial in advance to help them prepare as well. After all, they are investing their time for your benefit.
Set the scene
Creating a video gives you the chance to appeal to various senses of its viewers, and therefore needs to be composed accordingly. Think about the stage or scene you want to set, which location(s) are suitable, backgrounds, music and the context that is most likely to convey your message.
Describe the problem
Before your testimonial gives their statement of how amazing and incredible your products and services are, let them talk about the situation they were in which led them to you in the first place. What were their needs or problems? This will further help your viewers identify with your testimonial, make that connection and built up trust.
Be patient
No matter how well prepared your testimonial is, they will still need time to think about their answers. Remember that being in front of the camera doesn’t come easy for everyone. Give the interviewed person time to elaborate on their answers before jumping in.
Don’t over-edit
There is a fine line between making a video compelling and losing credibility. When editing your video, make sure that you’re not using the testimonial’s answers outside their original context, but that you stay true to what has been originally said.
Video testimonials have a huge impact on people’s decision to make a purchase. If you think video testimonials can help boost your business but are unsure where to start, get in touch with the friendly team at Energise Web today.