The Difference Between Written and Video Testimonials and Why You Need Both

By now, you should have no doubts about the value of testimonials for businesses in any industry. In a previous post, we talked about what testimonials are and how they benefit your business. A powerful online reputation management or ORM marketing tool, customer testimonials are written or spoken recommendations from existing customers that establish the value of a brand, product or service. 

A written testimonial or video testimonial is used to promote your business but is also considered an example of a one-to-one peer recommendation. And for 88 percent of buyers, peer recommendations build trust. Numerous studies have said we tend to favor what our family, friends and colleagues say when making purchase decisions.

Further, text and video testimonials work hand-in-hand with online reviews. Because they are typically intentionally crafted and rich in detail, they perfectly complement customer reviews, which are the combination of positive and negative customer feedback left on various sources, such as third-party platforms. 

As we said in How To Request – And Get – A Customer Testimonial, “testimonials are useful for ORM marketing and establishing credibility, while reviews provide the transparency and honest feedback that customers value.” You can even capture your best online reviews and feature them as testimonials on your site and social profiles to maximize the potential of both. 

But there’s one thing testimonials provide that online reviews do not: authentic, data-driven success stories from real customers and complete control over how and where to share them. When displayed on diverse spaces online, they boost your credibility, pushing leads one step closer to converting.

Now that we know a) what is a testimonial and b) what is the goal of a testimonial, it’s time to delve deeper into the two types of testimonials you can leverage: written and video.

What Are Written and Video Testimonials?

Most customer testimonial examples can be classified into a written or video testimonial. Either option can help you build trust, boost credibility and bolster conversions. But what is the goal of a testimonial if you are to view it from the consumer’s perspective? People doing their research about your product or service can learn about:

• Features
• Benefits
• Use-case examples
• Quality
• Performance
• Results

A written testimonial contains the opinion of a customer about the value they derive from your offering. Best practices dictate that this type of testimonial goes with an image, name and business or occupation where possible.

Pros

• Can be easily added to your marketing collateral
• Can be sourced from existing reviews and optimized for better visibility
• Facilitates quick user engagement

Cons

• Text-heavy
• Only fits a limited amount of information

A testimonial video, on the other hand, is a filmed testimonial that allows the audience to see and hear the customer as they tell a story. You can fit a lot of words into a short testimonial video. But you can also convey emotions, facial expressions and body language that can move viewers to choose your offering.

Pros

• Provides the same visual confirmation we experience in face-to-face conversations
• Can fit all the key information you want to convey
• Hard to fake
• Shareable content

Cons

• Requires more resources to produce

When To Use a Testimonial Video or Write-Up

Customer video testimonials are said to be more effective than written ones in terms of information retention and engagement rates. People retain 95 percent of a message transmitted from a video compared to retaining 10 percent of a message received via text. In today’s mobile world, 78 percent also prefer to engage with a video over any type of content, including text placed side-by-side, to learn about a product or service.

In this light, getting a testimonial video is a more effective tactic for promoting your business and offerings. And it applies to both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies. 

However, there are instances where site visitors, social media followers and online prospects would want to read a written testimonial for various reasons. The key is to know your audience. Make sure to ask yourself from the start: What is a testimonial content type that works for your audience?

You can also enlist the help of experts in making the appropriate choice. Partnering with a proficient written and video testimonial service provider reduces errors and enriches strategy creation, saving you time, money and effort during video production and distribution.

What To Include in Written and Video Testimonials

Knowing how to get testimonials effectively is a skill in itself. However, before you start asking for either kind of testimonial, you should be familiar with the elements that make them effective. 

Check out the table below:

How To Get Customer Testimonials

Now, it’s time to gather some tips on how to get testimonials. Keep in mind that generating written or video testimonials can be tricky. But having a plan and knowing how to execute it can make a world of difference.

Here are the essential steps for requesting and getting testimonials:

• Send a personalized customer testimonial request, which includes addressing the recipient by name, stating the importance of testimonials to your business, providing detailed instructions on how they can share their stories and reassuring them answering your customer testimonial questions won’t take much of their time.

• Prepare a list of customer testimonial questions that will serve as their guide. This will help keep their focus on the talking points and structure your video testimonials later.

• Prioritize asking for a testimonial video, presenting incentives like increased visibility across various digital spaces you own, including your website and social profiles.

• When it comes to mastering how to get customer testimonials, sending a time-appropriate request rules. You should be able to touch base with customers during their peak happiness point, which is the moment they’re most satisfied about your product or service and can still recall details of the positive experience. For example, the peak happiness point for a high-volume business such as an eCommerce store is when the customer has received the package and found satisfaction with their recent purchase.

Of course, it is a bit more complicated in instances involving B2B companies providing services with a longer lead time. Approaching high-value clients is a huge opportunity that affords you less wiggle room for mistakes. In such cases, it is more strategic to enlist the expertise of a firm offering review generation services.

Customer Testimonial Examples

Before we wrap up, let’s look at some of the best examples of both written and video testimonials, shall we?

Written Examples

Apple’s Success Stories

The Cupertino-based powerhouse brand is a mainstay on the lists of best marketing campaigns and advertisements. But its in-house or outsourced testimonial service provider understands the assignment and produces written testimonials that speak to the reasons people choose Apple devices to run their business.

Glossier’s Shop the Look

This example straddles the line between text and visual. Here, Glossier lets users upload images of how they applied a Glossier product while prompting visitors to try the same look. The evidence of sweet, subtle soft sell is all there.

Video Examples

Magic Flask

What is the goal of a testimonial video? It’s to elicit reactions and evoke emotions, right? But underneath the immediate response, you also want to engage your audience using reason. Video testimonials allow you to show what’s in it for your audience, just like how Magic Flask makes a pitch for its product in the video below while documenting actual user reactions. 

Source: Magic Flask

Thrive Internet Marketing Agency’s Success Stories

As we’ve pointed out, a video testimonial video has the capacity to answer more customer testimonial questions, especially those pertaining to benefits, quality, performance and results. Here’s an example from Rize Reviews’ sister company, Thrive:

Source: Thrive

Wrapping Up

This blog has taken you through the different aspects of written and video testimonials. We’ve answered What is a testimonial? and differentiated written from video. Also, we’ve put together tips on how to get customer testimonials and some customer testimonial examples to inspire your strategy.

Speaking of strategy, you’ve probably seen the conversion-centric benefits of publishing customer video testimonials on your digital properties. Following in the footsteps of reputable brands like Apple, you would want to showcase a high-quality, engaging video across the board. A video testimonial may be your most potent ORM marketing tool after all – so, why not invest early and invest well?

Whether you require a standalone testimonial video or one that’s integrated into a viable mix of review generation services, you can entrust it all to Rize Reviews. Our team is equipped to craft well-produced videos. And we offer end-to-end production solutions to streamline the process for you. From requesting testimonials and conducting shoots to post-production and publishing, we customize the experience for you and your most valued clients. We also have a straightforward video testimonial creation service integrated into our ORM software and solutions for those who want it light and agile.

Speak to one of our ORM experts to learn more about how you can leverage our tools and solutions to produce conversion-driven testimonial videos ASAP.