Video testimonials: Why they work & how to get them

Ah, social proof. One of the best ways companies, individuals and brands can ensure that they have an effective presence across the digital landscape. Social proof comes in many shapes and forms, for example, influencer endorsements, reviews and ratings, and most importantly what we’re going to focus on in this article: video testimonials. 

Testimonials are some of the most important and influential forms of marketing today. Testimonials in video format capture and illustrate the emotion, essence and experience of a satisfied individual in a truly powerful and immersive manner. This guide will unpack exactly what makes video testimonials so compelling and what you can do to make the best use of them. Let’s dive in. 

What is a video testimonial?

As the name suggests, a video testimonial is simply an endorsement in video format. In testimonial videos, the viewer is given a first-hand account of a positive experience that a satisfied customer or an employee has with your brand. 

Video testimonials can be created in multiple formats and with different goals in mind, including:

• General praise of a company or brand
• Specific comments about a product or service that a customer has used
• Compliments to a particular member of staff or number of employees who the customer interacted with
• An emotional connection that a customer or an employee has with your brand, and how or why they are loyal to your company

4 reasons why video testimonials are so powerful

If you’re looking for a full return-on-investment (ROI) on your video testimonial spend, then that might be reason enough. 

Here are 4 more reasons to put video testimonials at the forefront of your marketing strategy:

1. They build trust and credibility 

Word-of-mouth is an effective marketing tool. Use video testimonials to take control of what people are saying about you while assuring viewers that they are interacting with real humans. People are more likely to believe other real people they can relate to, rather than a corporation making a sales pitch to them. 

Written testimonials do the job, but think just how much deeper you could go when a face is attached to what you are trying to say. This brings us to the next advantage of video: tapping into the viewer’s emotions.

2. Videos trigger an emotional response

Videos combine words, sounds and visuals to provide viewers with a 360-degree experience of the media they are consuming. A customer’s video testimonial that describes how your brand made them feel, solved their problem or helped their life in some way has the power to convince a potential customer that they could benefit from the same experience.

3. They are cost-effective

A video testimonial can be recorded and shared by anyone with a smartphone. As long as the images are not distracting, the audio is clear and the testimonial gets the message across, there’s no reason why you should spend a lot of your marketing budget on them. You can post video testimonials on your social media and website, and encourage your customers to share the videos with their network. 

People love sharing their opinion and love it even more when others take them seriously. Use client testimonial videos to reach a larger audience and to increase the visibility of your brand. And with the benefit of 100% ROI, they are definitely worth every penny you spend on them.

4. Video testimonials are a great source of content

Customers, employees and clients who give you video testimonials effectively act as your company’s brand ambassadors for free. This video content can also be shared across multiple platforms such as your website, social media channels and even in email marketing. 

Client testimonial videos provide regular people with the chance to be content creators. When user-generated content videos are combined with brand-authored content, consumer engagement can increase by more than 25%. Ensure that your videos are small enough to be shared and viewed through mobile devices, and can be streamed easily ‘on the go’, so no one misses out. 

How to get video testimonials using Seenit

Now that you know why you need video testimonials in your marketing strategy, let’s look at how you can start incorporating them. Start by making a list of happy and satisfied customers, clients or employees you can approach. If they have a unique story or you helped them in a special way, then that’s even better. Some people might be shy on camera or would not know what to say. Offer to interview them on the phone, online or in-person to ease their nerves. 

At Seenit, we have made it easy and quick for you to collect User-Generated Videos from your community in minutes. Seenit can be accessed by anyone, anywhere so you can conveniently plan, collect and edit your video from one place.

Use Seenit for testimonial advertising to:

• Invite your customers to share their stories from wherever they are
• Use our capture app on iOS or Android devices for easy organisation
• Apply your own terms and conditions, licenses and waivers for optimum security
• Provide clients with an accurate shot list and brief to ease them into the recording process
• Enhance, format and correct videos to make them perfect for publishing on any of your chosen platforms 
• Collaborate with creators, offer feedback and stay in touch through messages throughout their video testimonial creation process
• Catalogue, archive and store a library of all your customer video testimonials for future use

Take your business to new heights using video testimonials

Whether they are for marketing purposes, sales or recruitment, video testimonials can bring some real credibility to your brand and bring it to life. So, make sure to identify who your raving fans are and give them the chance to express how you made them feel as a business or an employer.