Potential customers are browsing your website, hesitating on whether to make a purchase or not. Suddenly, they stumble upon a heartfelt testimonial video from a satisfied customer who shares their personal experience with your products or services.
In that instant, doubt fades away, and trust takes over. Statistics show that 92% of consumers read online reviews before making a buying decision. And 88% of them trust those reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Now imagine the impact of genuine testimonial videos that brings your brand to life, showcasing real people who have reaped the benefits of what you offer. It’s a game-changer!
But how do you approach your customers and convince them to create those coveted testimonial videos? Fear not!
This article is your ultimate guide, packed with foolproof strategies to acquire testimonial videos from your clientele successfully.
What is a Testimonial Video?
A testimonial video is an audiovisual marketing asset in which a current or former client enthusiastically recommends your service or product.
One of the unique aspects of testimonial videos is that they feature a genuine person who has experienced the same problem as the potential consumer.
In order to interact with customers and showcase their products to the world, B2B businesses are creating more and more video content. Videos are chosen as the primary type of media within the content strategy of most B2B companies.
The best part: these testimonial videos feature the actual words of satisfied customers. This is one of the main characteristics that sets this form of promotional tool apart from others. The reliability of a product can be better assessed via the eyes of actual users by watching video reviews.
ALSO READ: A Comprehensive Guide to Corporate Video Production in 2023
How to Get Testimonial Videos from Your Customers?
Searching and identifying your most valuable clients and having them provide testimonials for your product or services is a task in itself. However, once you find out what problem you solved for them, what feature was most helpful to them, and what kind of results they saw, it becomes a lot easier to ask for a testimonial. Here are three strategies for speeding up the process of requesting testimonial videos from customers:
1. Understanding When to Seek testimonials is Key
Time is of the essence. You must identify the right time to request a testimonial video from your customers. Don’t rush into anything before hearing directly from your satisfied consumers, either in person or online. They may be a brand advocate if they are willing to brag about their positive experience with your firm to others.
Additionally, you should consider how long they have been a customer. It’s better to wait until someone has had time to consider your issue and come up with an answer before asking it.
ALSO READ: 8 Tips For A Winning Instagram Video Marketing Campaign
2. Incentives-Based Approach
Customers may wonder what’s in it for them to provide a glowing review for your business. What’s in it for them if they write a review of your product?
While some customers may feel compelled to express gratitude simply because interacting with your brand has been a delight. The vast majority would appreciate being incentivized in some way.
As we’ve already established, offering them exposure to your business platforms is one incentive. But you can also offer them freebies, a discount on future sales, a gift voucher, or anything else you can think of.
3. Personalize Sample Emails to Ask for Recommendations
Most marketers either use online samples or spend significant time crafting individual letters to each consumer to request a testimonial.
Neither of these methods is optimal due to:
- In general, response rates are lower when templates are used as written. The recipients of your bulk email request will quickly realize that they are not required to respond.
- It can be time-consuming to handwrite dozens or even hundreds of invites.
So what to do?
The optimal strategy is on the spectrum between the two extremes.
Investing in a highly personalized approach with your most loyal clients (the top 1–2%) has been shown to yield excellent returns. But in the long run, that won’t provide you with what you need at scale. So you’ll need to adopt a less labor-intensive method of customization instead.
Your email copy should be clear and compelling, inspire confidence, and connect with the reader on an emotional level.
An intriguing email subject line that highlights the customer’s experience is the first step. Here’s a sample template to get you inspired.
TEMPLATE
| Subject: We’d love to share your story. Dear [Your Name], We hope this message finds you well. We have been following your remarkable work with [your organization name] and are truly amazed by your impact. Your story is an inspiration, and we believe it deserves to be shared with our vibrant community. We would be thrilled to create a short testimonial video featuring your journey. This video will not only highlight your experience with [your organization name] but also serve as a source of motivation for countless others. The entire recording process will be effortless and take only 5-10 minutes of your valuable time. Rest assured; you can record the video conveniently from your phone or laptop. Are you available within the next two weeks to record the video? If you’re keen, drop us a line, and we’ll promptly send you a link along with a set of questions. Warmest regards, [Your Name][Your Organization Name] |
4. Give Them Some Rules To Follow
If you want the customers to be willing to record testimonial videos for you, it’s important to give them some standards to follow.
When asked to provide a testimonial, many consumers may feel flustered or unsure of what to say. Providing clear instructions will help them understand what you want, enhancing the process.
An easy way to provide detailed instructions is by making a QR code that leads to a document with all of the guidelines needed for customers to record their videos
As the old saying goes by, “A confused mind says no.” There are a lot of unknowns for someone who has never given a testimonial video before, including:
- What do I even say?
- Where can I find the guidelines for installing the camera?
- How’s the quality?
- Where am I going wrong?
- Is it going to cut it?
- (And still beyond…)
The more doubts they have, the less likely they will act without your direct supervision.
ALSO READ: How to Make Animated Marketing Videos That Engage Customers
Examples of Great Testimonial Videos
How can you find the motivation to make your own testimonial videos? Take a look at some professionally done, high-converting videos already out there.
Good for you. We’ve compiled a short list of brand examples that vividly demonstrate the impact these testimonials can have.
DROPBOX – Business Testimonials via User Reviews
Dropbox took an innovative tack with its testimonial videos advertising to outline the benefits of the service. Rather than using a single client’s experience, they compiled testimonies from many happy customers.
Because of this, the testimonial highlights an obvious message: Dropbox provides such remarkable service that it can help people from many walks of life and different fields.
SLACK
Do you want to hear a great story about satisfied customers? This group produced a commercial for Slack that details their previous experiences switching between various forms of communication (email, chats, Whatsapp). And after adopting the excellent team communication platform.
And they executed it in such a humorous way that you nearly won’t notice that it’s a staged testimonial.
This form of advertising relies on testimonials, which are meticulously prepared and rehearsed so that the moments feel natural and authentic rather than forced. That’s a common issue with fabricated customer testimonial films.
Airbnb
Featuring a Croatian couple as hosts in a testimonial video was a smart move on Airbnb’s part.
Landscape images and interior shots of the hosts’ home help set the tone for the brand, which is all about experiencing life as a tourist in a local’s home.
Want to know the secret to their successful testimonial video? Throughout the entire video, the hosts’ voices serve as the narration. This, without a doubt, bolstered the credibility of the testimonial video.
Data also supports this idea: a survey found that 75% of consumers valued a conversational tone in a video’s narration.
Wrapping Up
A well-developed testimonials page is a great way to increase your site’s trustworthiness. Customer endorsements are vital to the social evidence that drives more business.
Gathering reviews from elsewhere on the web and displaying them in one convenient area on your site is the quickest and easiest technique.
It’s a good idea to check out social media like Facebook and LinkedIn. Other helpful options include expert review sites, online directories, and maps.
Getting feedback from happy customers is a great way to propel the business to the next level. So, throw out those dull written testimonials and shift to videos.
Author: Joy D’Cruz, content marketing specialist at SaSHunt
