Video testimonials are a great way to quickly establish brand awareness and product or service confidence in potential clients. Arguably better than a text-based review is a person visibly and audibly defending their position on your products or services. In this post, we’ll cover five tips to help you produce new testimonials or polish your older videos, with the best return on your investment in mind, from start to finish.
#5 Research
Before launching into a video testimonial project, take a moment to resolve some critical details. What product or service are you highlighting in this video? What do you wish to gain by having someone speak on behalf of your product or service? How does this content integrate into the larger picture of your brand? Do you clearly understand your brands’ aesthetic, message, mission, purpose, and values? Where will this video end up? Will it go on a landing page? Social media channel? Your current or potential clients’ inbox? What customer persona or audience are you targeting? What stage in the sales process or marketing funnel will your audience watch this video? Are there any video testimonials you’ve seen that spark inspiration that you can use as an example?
These are a few questions you can ask yourself to get started. Notice we aren’t asking logistical questions just yet, such as whom you can interview or what your interview topics will be. It’s best to get a clear picture of what your company needs to serve its goals before entering logistics.
#4 Develop a strategy and a script
After you’ve developed background information on your topic, a strategy, followed by a script, is next at hand. How do you create a plan for a video testimonial?
Take a moment to think about what is most important here – that a potential customer can see the value of your brand, product, or service and how it applies to them. Write down the top values you wish to portray and use this as a starting point for questions you may want to be answered on screen.
For your script, you don’t have to write a narrative. All it will take is a series of questions that will provide the editor with enough material to make your case for a sale when asked. Not familiar with scripting or writing interview questions? Hire a pro!
#3 Use professional services
This tip might seem like a cheap sales pitch coming from a video production services company. Hear us out – DIY has its place, as demonstrated in many scenarios such as the B2B case for user- and influencer-generated social stories. But it would be best if you had a strategically-balanced mix of professionally produced content and user-generated video. Providing potential clients with a window into other clients’ viewpoints of your products and services should be as sharp, clear, clean, and professional as your budget allows.
Credibility
First, it is easier for professionally produced video content to garner instant credibility. While you can argue that user-generated content also lends credibility, there is a difference between the two. Professionally built video content makes it easier to break through the noise by offering a polished, on-brand look. Most user-generated content that is considered credible requires thousands of views as well. You can achieve this by either involving a pricey influencer or scripting a risque viral plot. This content could take even more time in pre-production brainstorming, and planning such a feat for a business brand. That isn’t to say low-brow content doesn’t have its place among your content. It is in striking the right balance that will achieve your best results.
Brand Cohesiveness
Second, professional services opt to use branded content within your video, such as branded animations or following your video production brand guidelines. Producing a branded piece will ensure that customers instantly associate this content with your brand.
#2 Be Present and Improvise
It’s ok to go off-script. During the interview process, you may find yourself coaching the interviewee to stick to your well-formed script. Meanwhile, also sweating about running out of time and going over budget on your big production. As well-meaning as this can seem to the project’s health, it only prevents you from remaining in the moment. Being present in the moment is where all of the best work often comes from.
Being in the moment means you might hear a comment or find a thread to follow in the interviewees’ answers, leading to some fascinating discussion. Think about your interview in terms of solely as a conversation. Remember a time when you might have been sitting across from someone at a restaurant, hearing an incredibly engaging story, or having a deep discussion. This moment can feel like that and turn a good interview into a great one.
During the interview, try to imagine there are no cameras, no lights, and no one else but you and the interviewee. Remember that great conversation you were absorbed in at a table in a restaurant? You probably stopped paying attention to the servers rushing around, the clanking of dishes, the sharp conversational sounds and occasional laughter of people at other tables, the color of the carpet, or the lighting fixtures. You were focused. You’ll want and need that focus now. You need them to get to the heart of why they believe in your company, your product, or your service on camera.
And remember, some of the best content produced was off-script, ad-libbed, and improvised. For example, the infamous scene – Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sword Vs. Gun – was wholly unscripted and came about due to Harrison Ford’s bout with dysentery on set. He even discusses this in a Reddit AMA.
#1 Build a System
Does your company have a system for capturing reviews after a sale? Whether your company sells products, services, or even subscriptions, determine the most optimal time in the sales cycle to approach a client about “leaving a review” on camera.
Research your client base to reveal when this target timing might occur. Prepare your annual marketing budget to produce content filmed at these ideal times. Get estimated production timeframes from your chosen media production company, and build this into your content calendar. This will enable you to have fresh content throughout the year. More recent reviews will also tend to lend more credibility to the viewer.
You can alternatively opt to send in a professional who will be able to act as a buffer between you and your client. This person can help remove the awkwardness of confrontation to get earnest feedback from your client – good or bad. You won’t want to post your bad reviews. However, seeing and hearing a client complaint on camera and sharing with your internal staff is a great way to bring issues to light. Some of which you may never know you had.
