When was the last time you made a major purchase decision, without first checking out reviews for that product or service?

Online reviews have become essential to today’s customers and video takes their impact to the next level.

Why are testimonials, reviews and case studies so important?

According to the 2019 BrightLocal Consumer Review Survey, 82% of people say that they check reviews before buying, while the average consumer reads 10 reviews before they’ll trust a business.

The message is clear – in today’s marketing savvy world, a business without customer reviews or testimonials will really struggle to win new customers.

Why is this?

We all know that businesses will use their marketing to say how great they are, so we approach these messages with a healthy dose of scepticism. What we really want to see is reviews and testimonials from genuine, recent customers.

According to the BrightLocal survey, 76% of us trust online reviews as much as recommendations from our friends and family (a figure that skyrockets to 89% for consumers aged 35 to 54).

The power of testimonial videos

Who better to sell to your future customers than your current happy customers?

People want to hear honest, unscripted opinions about your products and services from someone who doesn’t have anything to gain from encouraging them to make a purchase.

I’ve mentioned just a few stats above that show how influential reviews are (the BrightLocal Survey includes a lot more). Video testimonials, reviews and case studies take this influence a step further.

Video testimonials are more effective than written reviews because the human brain retains 95% of what it sees in a video, compared to 10% of what it reads.

There’s also an emotional connection that comes from seeing and hearing someone speak about a product or service. The mannerisms and expressions of a genuine customer add a layer of authenticity that simply can’t be achieved with text.

It’s known that the human brain is full of mirror neurons that fire either when we do something or when we see someone else doing it. If we watch a video of someone feeling happy, relieved or thankful, for example, those mirror neurons tell our brains to feel the same emotions too.

A testimonial video taps into this, inviting the viewer to step into the shoes of the happy customer and imagine how they will feel when things work out well for them too. This is an integral part of the brand story and how you can use your marketing to guide your audience to a successful outcome.

Video reviews, testimonials and case studies are also a powerful way to humanise your brand, even if the potential customer hasn’t come face-to-face with anyone from your company yet.

They see and hear someone who is just like them – someone who is struggling with the same challenges or who has the same aspirations – and it creates a feeling of connection and familiarity and the promise that your company will do its best by them too.

These feelings are essential to building credibility and trust.

Social proof is a powerful decision-making factor, so the fact that you have people who are so pleased with their customer experience that they’re willing to talk about it on camera is a huge vote of confidence.

Creating testimonial videos for different stages in the customer journey

Testimonial videos are incredibly versatile, meaning that they can be pitched to different stages of the customer journey. For example, you might want to use short testimonials that focus on emotional experience for the Awareness stage but release in-depth case studies highlighting measurable outcomes for the Conversion stage.

A really effective approach is to film an in-depth case study but pull out shorter snippets and soundbites to use as testimonials or to include in your company’s brand story. This is a great way of repurposing your content throughout your sales funnel and making the most of your video marketing budget.

This tactic also helps to take the potential customer on a journey with the existing customer. For example, someone might watch a short testimonial just as they’re becoming aware of your company but be more willing to watch a longer case study when they’re seriously considering a purchase. The viewer might think, “This was the person who said they were happy with this company. Now I want to know what made them happy, in particular. How did they measure the outcome?”

Another benefit of video testimonials is that they are ideal for sharing on your website, social media or via email, boosting the visibility of your brand across multiple platforms.

The case for case studies

As we’ve seen above, a cost-effective and strategic approach is to film in-depth case studies and then use snippets from these as testimonials.

According to the Content Marketing Institute’s 2018 benchmarks study, case studies are ranked as the second most effective content marketing tool behind ebooks and whitepapers. Pre-produced videos were the third most widely used type of content marketing after social media posts and case studies.

Knowing that case studies and video are both ranked so highly, it makes sense to bring them together.

Case studies give you room to take an in-depth look at a customer and why they needed a product or service that you offer. You can then draw out the benefits that came from choosing your company over your competitors.

How to use video testimonials

Once you’ve found suitable customers to feature in your videos, you’ll need to think about how you’re going to use the testimonials and where they’ll fit in the customer journey. This will help you pinpoint the kind of soundbites you want to pull out.

Testimonials are the ideal way to convey your authority and expertise as well as your connection with your customers in a way that makes the customer the ‘hero’, the one who has triumphed with your help.

Here are a few ideas for soundbites you can look for when collecting testimonials:

• Overcoming objections – Look for testimonials that address the reasons people may be worried about buying from you, e.g. “I was worried that the service would be expensive but I saved over £500 by getting professional advice”.
• Solving problems – Aim to get soundbites that highlight the customer’s problem and how your product or service provided a solution, e.g. “I needed a proper contract that I could send out to my customers. Acme legal created one for me, covering issues that I hadn’t even considered”.
• Adding value – Look at how testimonials can help you take potential customers past the payment threshold by focusing on how much value they received, e.g. “I have received bespoke support as well as lifetime access to expert resources so it really is tremendous value”

Summary

Testimonials are all about highlighting the benefits of choosing your business from the customer’s perspective.

They answer the customer’s question, “What’s in it for me?” and provide a strong motivation to buy.

The tremendous power of the video testimonial means you should be looking for ways to use them wherever it makes sense.  This is why, in a previous post, I listed the testimonial video as one of the 7 effective ways to use video in your business marketing.

They are easily filmed and you can use them across a variety of different marketing campaigns.  Surely, there can’t be much other content that offers a better bang for your buck?!

Developing a strategy for using video in your marketing mix can be confusing if you haven’t worked extensively with video before.

If you want to make video a profitable part of your business, it’s important that you have a video marketing strategy that extends beyond your normal digital marketing or content marketing strategy, and maximises the impact of the videos you get produced.

Don’t know exactly what you need?

Get in touch for some free advice and discover:

• What videos will have the greatest impact on your bottom line
• The best way to have your videos produced, based on your needs and budget
• The video marketing channels that will deliver the greatest reach and engagement for your brand