Nowadays, most customers require reassurance before doing business with your company. If they don’t trust you or your brand, they’ll just go someplace else.
That’s where great testimonials step into the spotlight, speaking volumes about your company’s credibility and your product’s effectiveness through the word of mouth of other satisfied customers that are happy after doing business with you.
The thing is, creating testimonial videos that truly convert isn’t as simple as recording an interview, editing some inserts, and uploading them to Instagram. There are some tactics and video marketing principles you need to lean on to create professional-looking testimonials—just like pro-level video agencies do—if you want to captivate your audience, spark interest, and get those coveted conversions!
No idea what those tactics are? No problem. That’s precisely what you’ll be learning about today. Let’s jump right in.
Tip #1: Pick a customer that got fantastic results
Imagine this: you are looking for a solution to a problem you’re facing. You come across a testimonial that shares someone’s groundbreaking success for that exact problem.
Wouldn’t you be intrigued to check that solution?!
Of course, you would! And that’s exactly how your potential customers’ buying journey works: a jaw-dropping video testimonial can work like wonders, which is why you need to select a *star* customer for your company’s testimonial video.
But how do you figure out which customer is the ‘star’?
Well, do some digging! Ask your team to go through customer reviews on your website, social pages, lead management software, or on other platforms like Trustpilot (if you’re listed there). Find a customer story that makes you go that’s amazing; that’s what we’re all about!” and you’d have found one that will resonate with others as well.
Reach out to those customers and ask them to be a part of your testimonial video. To encourage participation, you can even offer them an incentive like a free gift card, voucher codes for their next purchase, or even products or subscriptions to what you offer. Just make sure they understand this is an incentive to participate and nothing more, so it doesn’t come across as you bribing them for a great review.
A lot of people out there would be happy to share their incredible stories and inspire potential customers to do business with you. You just need to create the right conditions for them to do so.
Tip #2: It’s OK to “script” your testimonial videos
Script testimonial videos? Isn’t authenticity the best practice?! Shouldn’t they be unscripted?
Well, hold your horses; I know you have a LOT of questions right now. So first, let’s be clear on what I mean when I say “script” your videos.
You don’t have to force your customers into saying specific things that they might not even believe in. You don’t have to make them follow a written script word-by-word either; the last thing you want is a robotic monologue.
However, your star customer might be camera-shy, or they might struggle to aptly express their thoughts once the cameras start rolling. So, giving them a scripted reference document that captures their story’s essence and includes some of the questions you’ll be asking during the interview is great for communicating exactly what you and that star customer want and can save you a lot of headaches come recording day.
While genuine reactions are spontaneous, there’s nothing wrong with having reference material that guides the customer to express their experience perfectly.
You don’t have to be rigid with this reference, either. Think of it more like a starting point. Give your customer key points or structure to follow, and also give them the freedom to go off-script if they feel like it as well.
Tip #3: Ask relatable questions to inspire potential customers
When writing your interview questionnaire, write questions that are likely to resonate with your potential customers and make them think, ‘Hey, that sounds just like me!’.
Put yourself into your audience’s shoes. Consider writing questions that address their objections, fears, and desires at different stages of the buying journey.
For instance, you can write questions like:
- What problem or challenge did you experience before finding our solution?
- Were there any doubts or objections before trying our solution?
- What did you feel when you started using our solution?
At the end of the day, the goal of your testimonial video is to motivate other potential customers to do business with you, so addressing their objections and needs can enhance the impact and effectiveness of your video.
Tip #4: Craft a relatable story using the HERO’s Journey framework
You see, we humans are hardwired to connect with stories that follow a familiar narrative. So incorporating the same storytelling method in your testimonial video can help you connect with your potential customers deeply and motivate them to do business with you.
Marketers commonly use the HERO’s Journey framework to incorporate storytelling elements in their digital marketing efforts. Here’s how you can use it in testimonial videos:
- The call to adventure: Introduce the initial challenges or struggles your customer faced. Paint a vivid picture, jot down specific details, and use supportive overlay visuals to bring that emotional appeal.
- The refusal to call: Highlight the doubts, fears, and objections your customers had initially. Explain why they used to refuse potential opportunities (like your product) to fix their problem.
- Taking the plunge: Show how your customer finally decided to take the plunge and gave your product a try. Illustrate the moment or the event that inspired your customer to purchase from you.
- The reward: Illustrate how your solution transformed the life of your customer for the better. Paint a vivid picture again; show how their life looked like before and how amazing it is now—after they tried your solution.
With this framework, your testimonial video becomes more than just a collection of positive sentiments; it becomes a relatable story of overcoming challenges, trusting the solution, and finally achieving the desired result. The precise journey you expect your viewers to follow!
Tip #5: Showcase concrete evidence to boost credibility
When it comes to creating a robust content marketing strategy, showcasing concrete evidence will enhance your credibility and ultimately add to the conversion factor of your testimonial videos. Bring out data, pictures, videos, facts, or anything real-world that supports what’s being said.
You see, consumers are naturally skeptical, so even when you’re showcasing a real customer sharing their experience, you’ll still want to provide as much additional evidence as possible.
Do it right, and you’ll leave no chance of objections in the viewers’ minds and therefore increase the chances of that testimonial generating conversions.
Tip #6: Don’t forget to add strategic CTAs
The strategic use of CTAs can be a game-changer in driving engagement and action across your video marketing strategy, and testimonials are no exception.
Here are a few ways you can use them in your customer testimonial video:
- Seamless integration: Add CTAs seamlessly and naturally to maintain a smooth viewing experience. Avoid abrupt overlays or interruptions that might distract viewers.
- Strategic placement: Identify the most opportune moments within the video. Consider adding CTAs at points where viewers are most likely captivated, convinced, or emotionally engaged. By doing this, you can capitalize on the viewers’ heightened interest and sell them your solution without being too forward.
- Relevant messaging: Tailor your CTA’s messaging according to the specific content of the testimonial video. Most of the time, you’ll want to save your testimonial’s CTA to the end, so a great way to do this is to ask your interviewee if they’d invite others to check out your solution and why.
Remember that CTAs in your testimonial videos aren’t just there to push for immediate sales or sign-ups. Consider them as strategic brand interactions that invite viewers to explore further, engage deeper, or take a step to at least check out more about your product or service.
Tip #7: Don’t cram multiple customer stories into a single video
If you’ve been in the game for a while, chances are that you’ve got a bunch of amazing customer stories—and you’re eager to share them all.
Stop: Don’t make the mistake of trying to cram everything in one single video.
Here’s the thing: Each customer story deserves its own spotlight. When you squeeze multiple testimonials in a single video, you’re most likely not giving each customer the time it deserves. Each story has juicy details that are stand-alone. When given separate attention, they can encourage even more brand interactions and purchases.
By highlighting individual customer stories this way, you can effectively showcase the unique experiences that lead to customer satisfaction and further engage potential customers.
Wrapping up
Crafting high-converting customer testimonial videos requires a strategic approach and the implementation of specific tactics.
By selecting the right customers who have experienced great success with your product, scripting your videos for clarity and impact, asking relatable questions that resonate with your target audience, embracing the HERO’s Journey framework to create compelling narratives, showcasing tangible evidence, and incorporating strategic calls-to-action, you can create testimonial videos that captivate viewers and drive conversions.
Good luck!
