Creating Customer Testimonial Videos
One of the most effective ways to break down barriers between you and your potential customers is to share stories of other customers enjoying what you have to offer. And when you combine this strategy with the engaging and compelling medium of video, you can create a potent one-two punch. Here’s how you can make your customer testimonial videos as effective as possible.
Know Your Most Important Buyer Personas
People don’t want to see just any person talking about unfamiliar products. They want to see themselves on screen – or at least someone they can heavily relate to. This is why you should make sure the person giving the testimonial is representative of your target audience. Applying the knowledge you gain from your analytics to your customer testimonial videos is just one of the many useful applications of defining buyer personas.
Of course, most businesses target multiple demographics, so be sure to create testimonial videos from the perspective of different types of buyers.
Capture the Emotion of the Story
Quality branding is all about selling an experience more than it is about the products or services being offered. In the same way, your testimonial videos should convey the emotion you want your consumers to feel. Obviously, positive emotions will dominate in this space, but the specific tone will vary from one industry to the next. For instance, a customer testimonial video for a company that sells extreme sports equipment will have a high-energy tone, while the same type of video for a physical therapy clinic might have a more heartfelt tone.
Include Strong Visuals
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it can also be easy to focus too much on the customer’s story. While valuable, the customer’s testimonial is just one part of the equation in this type of marketing video.
Think about what visuals will put potential customers in the perspective of the actual customers telling their stories. For example, if you run an interior design business, you can’t make a customer testimonial video without showing dramatic before and after shots of how you transformed their home. And while many make the mistake of compromising on production quality when shooting a customer testimonial video, having a customer testimonial is the perfect chance to make a strong production more effective.
Tell the Customer’s Story from Start to Finish
Even if you plan on making your testimonial videos short, make sure they contain the whole arc of the buyer’s journey. This means the testimonial should include the initial pain points of the consumer, what made your business stand out to them, and why they are glad they chose your company over the competition.
Generally, if a customer agrees to do a testimonial video, they’ll be happy to answer prompts and help you get what you need to tell the complete story, so don’t be afraid to create some structure for the customer.
When you know which types of stories and the buyer personas that will best connect with your audience, and you have the help of a skilled video production team, you’ll end up with customer testimonial videos that make a lasting impression on your potential customers.