Video testimonials work like a short documentary. There’s interviews with key people, there’s supporting footage and there’s a story. In this case, it’s the story of how effective your product or service is. In this post, I’m going to share with you how a video testimonial works and why they’re a powerful marketing tool for anyone considering your services.
Visual Proof
The visual proof of showing what you’ve done for your customers and how good the outcome was is more effective than a couple generic sentences about the final result. This is because a video gives the viewer the full story of how your product or service has actually made a difference. It gives the whole situation context and it puts a real human face to the endorsement. This means that viewers will be able to relate to the story and therefore find it far more persuasive. Physically seeing a person, especially with supporting footage of the service or product in action is very compelling evidence.
The Power of Video
In this day and age, images, animation and video are the preferred medium of taking in information on the web. This is because of the way we’re thinking when we’re browsing – we usually don’t want to invest a lot of time reading text so if something exists as a video then we’ll take that option. Smart businesses know this and they’re staying ahead by giving people videos to watch. A quick word of advice though, many people are choosing to view videos without sound so it pays to add captions or key phrases so that people can still get the message without turning on the sound. Take a look at the testimonial video we made below for Dream Engine and you’ll see what I mean. You can also click here to read more about subtitles in videos.
Authenticity
The other side to a video testimonial is that it doesn’t come across to people as a ‘hard sell’. Somebody genuinely talking about a positive experience they’ve had can cut through a viewers marketing skepticism like nothing else will. But the important point to remember here is that you need to have people speaking genuinely in the video. It can’t be pre scripted or read by actors, your audience will know straight away and you’ll lose credibility. Capturing your audiences genuine experience is the key to authenticity. For anyone interested in your service, but not quite ready to commit themselves, using this video is a great way to get them over the line. Seeing the story of somebody else in a similar position that has been positively impacted is a very effective proof element because it shows that you can deliver on what you’re promising.
Producing a video testimonial isn’t as straightforward and easy as just having a written one. But the payoff is proof, credibility and authority and therefore makes the investment worthwhile. At Dream Engine, we have over 15 years of experience in creating testimonial videos for clients, so if you’re planning a testimonial video or have questions about how to get started creating one, get in contact with us today.
Ryan Spanger is one of Melbourne’s most respected and sought-after video production professionals. Ryan founded Dream Engine in 2002, and specialises in helping medium to large corporates, government departments, and the non-profit sector to connect with their audience more effectively by using video.
