Customer testimonial videos are an amazingly successful marketing asset for your company. Done well, they can win over the trust of your audience and convert up to 40% more leads. But what makes a high-converting customer testimonial video? Our experts over at the Small Films HQ have compiled their ultimate guide to creating a compelling testimonial video.
What is a testimonial video?
Let’s kick off with the basics; what is a testimonial video? A testimonial video is your customer (or employee) on camera talking about working with your business. They talk about life before your product, why they chose to work with you, what life is like afterwards and why they would recommend you. Video testimonials tend to be more in-depth than written testimonials, and as they feature your customer on camera, they’re a great trust builder.
Video testimonials close deals faster
92% of consumers read online reviews and testimonials
when considering a purchase. (Vendasta)
Customer testimonials have the highest
effectiveness rating for content marketing at 89%. (Social Fresh)
9 out of 10 people say they trust what a customer says
about a business more than what that business says about itself. (Wyzowl)
Why should you use customer testimonial videos?
At Small Films, we believe that customer testimonial videos are like word of mouth on steroids. Your customers will always be able to sell your services better than you ever could. That’s because they’re real people talking about the success of your service/product. Therefore, they will always win you more leads and close more deals.
I bet you’ve already got written testimonials from happy customers that are probably buried somewhere on your website, or they sneak into your quotes and proposals as an afterthought. Unlike text, video is much more eye-catching. It helps to engage the viewer far better as you can tell a story. Plus, it can’t be faked like written reviews.
Customer testimonial videos can be leveraged in so many ways, from working as a sales and marketing tool on your website to your social media, email and even paid ads.
How to film your customer testimonial video
Once you have an idea of which customer you’re filming and the questions you’re going to ask, you’ll need to think about how you will film the video. The interview should always be the primary focus, but it’s worth including other shots (such as the product/service/office etc.) to help bring everything to life and add another layer to the content on screen.
It’s always a good idea to create an extended version that can be used as a case study, plus shorter edits that can be used across your social media channels. Always remember to keep it authentic. Make sure you’re using genuine customers who are keen to highlight their positive experiences with your brand, plus try to add examples of results that help to add weight to your video.
You want customers to express their positive opinions, explaining how you helped them solve their pain points on camera. Try to get them to talk about the “how”, where they paint a picture of the challenges they had before your company’s support and then have them explain how it has been better since they used your product/services.
How do you film a good testimonial video (our top tips)
- Decide on the style and format before you start filming?
- Prepare your questions in advance (send to your customer before the shoot)
- Do a warm-up run through with your customer
- Choose a good backdrop (such as yours or your client’s offices)
- Ensure there is good lighting
- Choose high-quality camera kit
- Use branding effectively in the backdrop
How to ask your customers for video testimonials
It might feel like a tough gig to ask a customer for a video testimonial. Will they say no? What if they didn’t think the service/product was worthy of a review? Therefore, we’ve pulled together the below considerations to help maximise a positive response from your customer.
- Choose candidates for your video testimonial that are familiar with your business.
- The longer they’ve used your brand, the more likely they’ll be an advocate
- Provide previous examples, if possible, so they know what to expect
- Consider approaching via email, allowing them time to think about the offer
- Be completely transparent (what’s required from them, expected end result and timings)
Testimonial videos – should you script them?
At Small Films, we always recommend not having a strict script for your testimonial video. This is because you want your customer to look as natural as possible on camera. If they were to read out a pre-rehearsed answer, it might come across as robotic and uncredible. However, it is beneficial to script the questions you will ask and share these with your customer prior to the interview. This will help to maximise the amount of content you’re able to gather during the session.
Adding in a call-to-action to your testimonial video
It can be easy to spend time and money on a customer testimonial video but forget about the action you want a user to take after viewing it. Choose a CTA that fits the page/place where the video is hosted and where the user is on their journey. If the testimonial video highlights the exceptional support of your virtual assistant services, consider having the CTA as ‘virtual assistant fees’. If the testimonial video highlights the performance of a product, the CTA can be to ‘buy the product’.
How long should a video testimonial be?
Shorter is always best when it comes to testimonial videos. Aim for 45 seconds with a max of 1 ½ minutes. Pack a punch in the first few seconds of the video, so users don’t switch off.
What should be in a testimonial video?
What should be in a testimonial video is very dependent on the service your company offers. You might be a university filming a student testimonial video, a large corporate filming an employee or a tech company filming a customer. Each style of video will have different objectives and therefore require different elements to be covered. If you’d like help with the questions to ask in your testimonial video, then check out our list below.
Customer testimonial video questions to ask
So you’ve got customers onside and ready to tell the world about your brand. That’s great! But there’s still a little way to go. The last thing you want to do is press record and have them (possibly) waffle on. Instead, you want to create a tightly-knit video that hits all the main points to make your brand stand out.
Therefore, you need to be ready with the right questions to ask. Think about the problems you’re trying to solve with your products or service and what it was about the experience with your brand that made it stand out for the customer.
Also, think about what made them happiest about using your company. Was there a particular thing that you did, or was it the overall experience? By getting customers to answer these questions, you can paint a picture of your brand and give the audience more insight into your company. Think also about the picture you’re trying to paint to new leads and what it is that you’d like new customers to know.
The questions you ask your customer need to relate to their experience and your product/service directly, but here are some guide questions which can be edited to fit your company better.
- Tell us in a couple of sentences what you do
- In your role why is our product/service valuable?
- What made our product/service stand out?
- How did you discover our brand/company?
- What was the challenge you were looking to solve with our product/service?
- How long have you been using our product/service?
- What have you enjoyed most about working with our company?
- What have you been able to achieve since using our service/product?
- How has your business improved since using our product/service?
- Do you have an example of how our company went that extra mile?
- In one word, describe your experience working with us.
Employee testimonial video questions
- What is your role at xyz company?
- Tell us about a typical day working for xyz company
- What do you most look forward to when coming to work
- What stands out for you about the culture at xyz?
- How long have you been working with us?
- How would you describe the team at xyz?
- What is one of the most interesting projects you have worked on?
- Where in the world have you travelled to you in your role?
- How does your job at xyz compare to previous jobs you’ve had?
- What one word would you use to describe us?
Customer testimonial video examples
At Small Films, we’re well versed in shooting customer testimonial videos. Here is a snapshot of our favourites.
Freshbooks
ToucanTech
Direct Agents
Infabode
Quantock
Fox Restaurant Concepts
Moulsford School
HubSpot
In-house or using external testimonial video services?
The filming and editing of a testimonial video can differentiate between a high-performing piece of content and one that misses the mark. If your company is experienced in video, you may want to keep it in-house. However, if you don’t have the right talent, we recommend turning to a video production company that specialises in customer testimonial videos.
Whilst producing the film in-house will likely always be cheaper, you want to make sure you’re showcasing your company in its best light. Aim to choose a video production company that has a back catalogue of testimonial videos under its belt. This will mean you can hit the ground running and have the best chance of creating a high-converting video.
A round-up of our top testimonial video tips
1: Choose the right customers
2: Choose the right case study
3: Script it but don’t script it.
4: Nail your storytelling
5: Choose the right location
6: Set dress the back of the shot
7: Coach a good performance
8: Keep it short
9: Use motion graphics
10: Include a call to action
11: Leverage your customer testimonial videos effectively
Why use Small Films, a testimonial video company?
At Small Films, we’re a team of videographers, editors and animators who have helped hundreds of brands create fantastic content. As a leading video production company in London, we develop the best creative video ideas for our clients and then deliver them to the highest quality. We know what works and what doesn’t. And because we also put a considerable focus on strategic video marketing, we always make sure all the content we create will do the job it was meant to. If you’d like support with your testimonial video project, then do drop the team a note.
