9 Tips for Producing High-Converting Testimonial Videos

Testimonial videos are a popular and effective technique for getting new customers on your side. Don’t confuse them with the TV commercials you are bombarded with throughout the day, testimonial videos distributed across digital assets are much more effective and should be an integral part of any video marketing plan.

Why video testimonials?

Testimonial videos appear a lot more genuine, honest, and compelling than most promotional ads – especially when created properly. One thing that consumers love is efficiency and convenience – in both the products they buy and the content they consume. Video testimonials are proven to be a powerful tool in generating trust between a brand and its audience and increasing conversion rates.

It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to creating testimonial videos, especially if you’re a smaller business. Who do you approach? What information should you have them convey? Where do you film?

Let’s use product bundles as an example. If you know how to bundle products effectively, potential customers will be attracted to your business immediately. But, for example, instead of producing a commercial for your bundles, why not have a current customer promote the product instead, through a short and efficient video testimonial that viewers can relate to and trust?

Below we’re sharing top tips for producing high-converting testimonial videos for your business that are sure to boost your sales and drive conversions. 

Source: Pixabay

Use high-quality equipment

You might be tempted to get the testimonial video completed in a hurry and just grab the nearest tools available to you – but don’t. Even if you’re on a tight budget for your video, you should use high-quality recording equipment. 

If there’s nobody on your team who has experience in filming, there are plenty of places where you can rent some equipment. You should get a good digital recorder, microphone, and a tripod to avoid any shaky footage!

Find the perfect customer to provide a testimony

Firstly, make sure you use a real customer and not an actor. No matter how talented the actor, in videos like this, it will always be clear to the audience that they have never used your product or service in their life. By hiring an actor, you’re doing your company a disservice. There’s certainly a customer out there whose professional life has changed for the better by investing in your product or service, so use them.

When looking for this perfect customer, make sure they have a compelling story to tell about their time with you. Take a look at any online customer feedback you have received and see if anybody stands out.

Some customers will have come across your business and simply found you helpful. Others might consider you a lifesaver. Get the latter in front of the camera!

Prepare, but don’t script

Like using a paid actor, it will be obvious and disastrous to script the video entirely. Your audience will know when you, or a customer, are peddling clichés and reading from a script – and they won’t be happy about it.  By making your testimonials free-flowing, you’ll add humanity to your company branding – something that is sure to make your company stand out against competitors.

You won’t know your customer’s exact response either. So make sure you listen to their answer and ask any impromptu questions that fit the situation. 

Keep it short!

With the dominance of mobile in our society now, the way that companies run has to adapt constantly. The impact of cloud technology on supply chain management is one example of this. 

The evolution of technology at first may not seem to have had such a positive impact when it comes to us as people. With the consumer attention span shortening, companies must shorten their video content in response.

Source: JPL Creative

But this can turn out to be an advantage for your business, as it forces you to consider the most critical benefits of choosing you specifically as a customer. 

Viewers might come across your video while waiting for a train, or on a lunch break – you only have their full attention for a few minutes…and that’s if you can keep them interested.  You might assume that you need to explain your product or service in testimonial videos – but if somebody has already found your video, it is likely they don’t need this. 

Let’s say, for example, somebody is giving a testimonial on your business’s POS system offerings. If somebody is looking for and has found such a niche video, it can be safely assumed they know what this software is!  But if you’re someone who hates leaving details out, fear not. If you’re using YouTube for marketing (which you should be!) you can save all the details for your description and hashtags. 

YouTube considers descriptions, comments, and hashtags when it’s choosing content to recommend to users and the order in which to rank search results.

Ask the WHY

As stated earlier, it can be easy to go down the route of explaining the features of your product or service in testimonial videos – but don’t. If the audience wanted to know this, they would look up the product description on your website. 

Testimonial videos need to be answering the why questions. For example: why is this retail store software better than the competitors’ equivalent? 

Edit the testimonial video keeping engagement in mind 

The problem companies are facing with a decreased attention span is the risk of viewers only watching 10 seconds of their 2-minute long testimonial video. Add graphics and text to your video to make sure there is always something new for the viewer to look at. 

One of the downsides to social media videos vs. photos is that many viewers like to watch videos with no sound. So make sure to add captions to your videos to capture a wider audience.  Before you get to the editing process, research visual marketing and consumer psychology, and learn how to crop a video. 

Studies have shown that the use of particular colors and patterns can affect a consumer’s purchase decisions – and what better way to employ this psychological trick than in a snappy video about how great your product is?

Film in a natural environment 

The location you pick to record your video is paramount to how effective it will be.  Does your company sell office supplies? Film the video in an office environment. If you filmed a testimonial video about how your printers have changed the office for a company, it is no use filming in a restaurant. Relevance is key.

As well as making your video look good, filming in an environment that matches the product being discussed will ensure your interviewee is more relaxed. 

Source: iStock

Emotionally connect to your audience

There are plenty of tips and tricks out there to guide you on how to keep customers coming back through emotionally connected emails, but how about potential customers? 

The best way to connect emotionally with potential customers is through your business social media content. 

Although it’s important to get the facts into your testimonial videos about why your product was so great for this specific customer, it’s just as important to let the interviewee demonstrate genuine emotion.

Was the customer frustrated, upset, hopeless about finding a solution before they came across your company? Hearing such a story will appeal to the hearts of any potential customers and, if they relate to the feelings expressed, they might just give you a try.

End with a tempting Call to Action

It’s no good producing a compelling testimonial video and then not letting the viewers know where to go and what to do next. 

Source: CoSchedule

In a world of so much choice, consumers may find it difficult to commit to one provider straight away. This is why free trials and tasters are so successful for any company regardless of what it provides – be it a streaming service, a blogging software platform, or retail store software.

If you offer retail store software, you can invite potential customers to download a free purchase order template as a way of building trust in your services.

Make sure that any CTA you use is just an invitation and people don’t feel pressured to check it out – this will put them off.

Summary

When done right, a testimonial video can convert many potential customers to your business. With a professional recording and a compelling story, you can make your business stand out against competitors. 

Using certain colors, adding captions, and letting a current customer do the talking instead may seem like small and insignificant details, but implementing these tips will certainly go a long way.