Video content is revolutionizing the way people absorb information. Visual and fully immersive experiences are highly effective for keeping people engaged, and while online reviews have always been valuable, video testimonials leave an even stronger impression on your target audience. Of course, you can expect to work harder to acquire and benefit from customer testimonial video content – but it’s worth it!
Nearly 80 percent of people have watched a video testimonial to learn more about a company, product or service, and two out of three people said they’d likely make a purchase after watching a testimonial video on how it helped others like them (Wyzowl).
People trust online reviews on sites like Google and Yelp because they serve as social proof – they’re honest feedback from customers who have tried out your product or service before. Customer testimonials in video format provide an additional layer of credibility because viewers hear directly from the person (and, in your potential customer’s mind, it’s a lot harder to fake).
So, what is a testimonial video? Read on to find out and learn more about how video testimonials benefit you. We also cover:
• What is testimonial advertising?
• Testimonial advertising examples
• How to acquire more testimonial videos for your business
Understanding Video Testimonials
Today’s technology has paved the way for exceptional video capabilities, and we see video content widely used for many different purposes. Businesses are finding out that many consumers prefer watching something to reading it. Combining the power of video to captivate and the power of client testimonials to influence purchase decisions can drive profitable results for your business.
What Is a Testimonial Video?
A testimonial video features a business’s past or existing customer talking about their positive experience with a product or service. The best testimonial video examples typically include your customer’s background, the nature of their engagement with your business and how you’ve helped them.
The Power of a Video Testimonial
A video testimonial represents a story, and it’s a lot easier to connect with stories when you combine audio and visual elements. Adding a human element to your business this way makes your customer feedback serve its purpose better.
How Testimonial Videos Help Your Business
A testimonial video serves as social proof – it eases your potential customer’s purchase decision because someone else has vouched for your product or service. Featuring your video testimonials is a social proof marketing tactic proven to increase your conversion rate.
What Is Testimonial Advertising?
Testimonial advertising is the practice of featuring your best customer feedback on your online channels to increase trust and drive conversions. Some testimonial advertising examples include your customer’s recommendation in a social media post, displaying your customer feedback in a website section or boosting a video testimonial through a paid advertising campaign.
6 Proven Tactics To Generate More Customer Testimonial Videos
Since 72 percent of people prefer video over written content when consuming information (HubSpot), you can expect to receive great engagement and reach with the right testimonial advertising strategy. You need customer testimonials, but one question remains: how to ask a customer for a review specifically in video format.
Here are six expert-approved tips on acquiring video testimonials from your customers:
• Handpick Your Customers
It only makes sense to send a request to someone happy with your services. Courtney Quigley, a reputation consultant at Rize Reviews, strongly advises against “send-to-all” requests and recommends asking your best or long-time customers for a video testimonial.
Apart from sending requests to a targeted few, Quigley recommends adding a review widget tool on your site. This gives your site visitors the opportunity to leave traditional business reviews on third-party platforms, with an added option to leave a video testimonial.
• Plan How You’ll Ask
Paying attention to when you’ll be asking is just as important as who you’re asking. You want to target peak happiness times, such as when you’ve fulfilled a service and helped solve a problem for your customer or when you’ve seen your customer rave about your product online.
Most people will leave a written review if you ask, but you need to put in more effort for video testimonial requests. Your customers will likely reject the request if they can sense the task will be time-consuming, so ensure you craft your message well before proceeding with your request.
• Take the Bulk of the Work Away
Your customers have busy lives and better things to do, so you want to make leaving a testimonial seem like a quick task with specific instructions. Simplifying the process gives you the best chance of getting your customer to agree to your request.
Provide testimonial video examples to make them understand the task, offer guide questions to shorten their thinking process and ensure uploading their video testimonial can be done in the least number of clicks possible.
• Consider Interviewing Them
Since heavily edited video testimonials might feel scripted to some, client interviews would be a great addition to your customer testimonial video content. Interviews will feel more natural, and it helps give a face to your brand when your potential customers watch them.
When asking to interview your customers, you should commit to a time limit and send your questions in advance to allow them to prepare. These questions should bring out their experiences with the products or services on your website.
• Display Your Testimonials on Your Website
Your website is your potential customer’s primary source of information about your company, products and services. Having your client testimonials displayed on your site is a social proof marketing tactic that is both reassuring to your potential customers and can encourage your existing customers to share their feedback with you.
What’s more, a review widget tool can simultaneously display your video testimonials and offer a quick way to leave a video testimonial on your website. This significantly contributes to making it easy for your customers to leave a video testimonial.
• Thank Your Customers
Asking for client testimonials (especially in video format) requires customers to go out of their way, and the best thing you can do is express your appreciation to those who do. Considering how much a video testimonial benefits your business, sending over a gift is a simple but meaningful way to thank your customer and show you value your relationship with them.
In fact, it’s also necessary to respond to your online reviews (positive or negative), because nearly everyone who reads reviews also reads a business’s response. Your customers want to know you care enough to keep up with what is being said about you online.
How To Get Customer Testimonials the Right Way
“It’s important to note that the way to leverage social proof marketing best practices and request video testimonials will depend on the business’s unique positioning,” said Tim Clarke, senior reputation manager at Rize Reviews.
He added, “Sometimes sending automated requests works, while other times a personal or verbal request works better. Some businesses would only need one to three videos for their website, calling for highly personal video requests; others might need a steady supply of video testimonials to refresh their website and use in their marketing strategies.”
Some industry best practices on how to get customer testimonials effectively:
• Send video testimonial requests tactically
• Analyze testimonial advertising examples from your direct competitors
• Remind business owners they can benefit from the brand exposure
• Offer a simple gift for customers who leave video testimonials
Applying these best practices on how to ask a customer for a review will go a long way, but it’s a customized, overarching review generation strategy that will help get you the results you want to see. Reputation management professionals assist you in exploring testimonial video examples that work best for your products or services and create a results-driven strategy to get them.
Rize Reviews is a reputation management company helping businesses of all sizes generate text-based online reviews and video testimonials. Our reputation management software increases your review request efficiency by automating video testimonial requests through SMS or email and alerts you of new video testimonials for your review.
Our 100 percent done-for-you services include:
• Managing your customer database for personalized requests
• Creating a dedicated landing page for your customers to upload video testimonials
• Installing a review widget on your site and embedding your video testimonials
• Making recommendations to boost your testimonial advertising strategy
Contact Rize Reviews to learn more about getting your customers to leave video testimonials and leveraging them to achieve your unique business goals.
Leave a Reply