Being a video production company with roots in direct response television, we understand the value of good video testimonials. This is a powerful marketing tool and there are so many reasons why you see all manner of “real people” on late night infomercials or early Sunday paid programming, telling you how great the product or how important the charity. It’s because they work… and if you haven’t noticed, the more emotional the story, the better.
So here are my top 3 reasons why video testimonials work and why your business needs to use them:
Ben’s Top 3
1. Establish Credibility
Credibility is essentially a perception, on which we can build trust. Think of it as your brand advertising. It is merely a symbol of your company and your values. Ideally you want potential new customers to see your brand as a name they can build a relationship with, for reasons they may not even know. How do you create that perception? With customer testimonials of course! If I see that someone else put their trust in your company and they had a great experience, then it’s going to add a lot of credibility to your brand in my eyes, and that’s going to have a lasting effect.
2. Build Trust
It is possible to appear credible but not be trustworthy like someone who talks a big talk but doesn’t follow through. That’s the beauty of customer testimonials. When done right, they can establish credibility and build trust all in one short video. The best scenario is a customer who maybe had slight hesitations but took a chance and their expectations were exceeded. Because at the end of the day, we all want to be that success story, to know we put our trust in the best brand, product, or sales person and they did not disappoint.
3. Make An Emotional Connection
People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. This is the main idea from one of my favourite Ted Talks from Simon Sinek titled “Start With Why”. In his great talk, that you can watch here, Sinek points out that we as consumers can understand product features, benefits, facts and figures but what drives behaviour is pure emotion. When advertising can connect emotionally, we are speaking directly to the part of the brain responsible for making the decision to buy. That’s why when it comes to those infomercials, it’s always the most heart wrenching story that makes the cut. Every single time.
The best thing is that testimonial videos don’t need to be long either. In fact, like most video advertising, the shorter the better. So things like quick little sound bytes, catch phrases, or even outtakes can be incredibly powerful in hitting those 3 points. Nor do they have to be overly expensive. The key is to be genuine and a simple production can be just as effective as a large budget production.
So the only question is, who are those customers that have had such great experiences that you simply need to share?
