Everyone likes to feel as if they're making a good decision. Whether we’re choosing a job, product or service, a little confidence boost goes a long way.
While as a brand you can offer some of that reassurance yourself, there’s nothing quite as impactful or trustworthy as a testimonial. They’ve always made us feel safer and more secure in our decision making process. There’s a reason ‘word of mouth’ is one of the most enduring marketing tactics.
Although the role of the testimonial has remained unchanged, the delivery of them has evolved. They no longer need to resemble a stuffy infomercial, or worse, a bland block of text. They can be engaging, shareable, authentic, and get to the heart of what your customer needs to know.
Why are video testimonials so powerful?
If you want someone to respond to - and remember - a message, then video is the best way to deliver it. Call us biased (you know love a video at Vouch!) but the stats speak for themselves. Nearly nine out of ten people say they want to see more videos from brands, and the amount of online video they watch has almost doubled since 2018, according to Hubspot.
Marketing teams are responding by pouring more investment into video marketing. More than half of brands are set to increase their video budget by 5% or more this year. And while creating video-based testimonials used to be painfully expensive and time-consuming, platforms like Vouch simplify the entire process. So you can collect video testimonials at scale, and still have enough budget left for your other video projects.
The seven key benefits of testimonial videos:
1. They capture their delight in a way words alone never could.
2. They’re more memorable because they engage multiple senses.
3. They build a connection, sparking an emotional response with viewers.
4. They’re more believable vs words that could have been written by anyone.
5. They’re more engaging, helping your testimonial stand out amongst text.
6. They’re super shareable, helping busy teams fuel their marketing channels.
7. You can make them focus on the specific pain points of your customer.
Keep reading to learn more about each benefit.
1. They capture customer delight
We're all familiar with the expression: ‘It was written all over their face’. When we’re truly happy or excited, it shows. And when your customer feels that way about your product or service, it’d be a crime not to capture their delight. Video testimonials are an amazing way to share the genuine excitement of your customers in the moment, in a way a written testimonial never could. Even with an excessive use of exclamation marks.
Vouch’s tip: Timing is everything. Try to give your customer enough time to experience your product or service, but not so long that they lose any of that initial excitement that’ll make the testimonial pop. Automating the testimonial collection process is a great way to make sure you get it right every time.
2. They’re more memorable
The more senses engage in an experience, the more memorable it becomes. When we can see and hear someone speaking, it stays with us longer than simply seeing something written. Storytelling is also an effective and memorable way to help people retain information. So if you can structure a testimonial with a customer facing and overcoming a problem, it has a better chance of sticking in people’s minds.
Vouch’s tip: Many viewers will watch with the sound on, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add closed captions to cater for those that don’t, or to help with accessibility. Vouch automatically generates transcriptions, to help you speed up the process and ensure that message lands.
3. They build a connection
People like people. We respond well to faces and identify with those we can relate to. By seeing someone talk about a problem we also face, and hearing about the way they dealt with it, we build an emotional connection with them, and by proxy, with that brand. This is particularly valuable for SaaS companies, or brands without a spokesperson.
Vouch’s tip: Scale is key. The more relatable, individual stories you can capture, the more customers you’ll be able to connect with. Aim to build a bank of video testimonials that cater to all of the customer personas you target, in every region.
4. They’re more believable
Authentic video testimonials aren’t perfect. Maybe your customer doesn’t use exact terminology, or maybe they stumble over their words. But the great thing is, they don’t have to be! It’s those very human mistakes that prove there’s no script and amp up the authenticity. With customers becoming more discerning, a video testimonial is much more likely to be believed than a block of text on your website. This makes them an important asset for new brands, building trust with customers.
Vouch’s tip: Open-ended questions are the best way to give customers space to tell their genuine story. A final “Is there anything else you’d like to tell us” question can also lead to some delightful, unexpected responses. Find our list of recommended questions here.
5. They’re more engaging
Among a sea of written emails and text-heavy websites, videos make a welcome change and can help you stand out in an increasingly noisy landscape. With sound and movement, video testimonials are instantly engaging and much harder to scroll past than a written testimonial. And if you’ve gone to the effort of securing one, the last thing you want is for it to be ignored!
Vouch’s tip: Use Vouch’s in-platform editing tools to get the very best from your video testimonial. Trim the clip to hone in on the magic, so you can capture the attention of your audience in the first few seconds.
6. They’re super shareable
A video testimonial makes for an engaging social media post, a compelling email and a welcome addition to almost any web page. Their ability to bring life and personality to every channel makes them a valuable and versatile asset for marketers who need hard-working content to share across an ever expanding range of channels. The Vouch platform makes sharing simple with easy embed codes and customizable social cards.
Vouch’s tip: If you’re sharing your Vouch testimonials far and wide, make them feel polished by incorporating your own logo, colors and branding. On Vouch’s Starter Plan, you can customize the entire process, from the initial request to the final share.
7. You can make them focused
Testimonials can help prospective customers overcome barriers at each stage of the sales cycle. With Vouch’s Q&A platform, you can add the specific questions you want answered. This helps to keep your customer focused on the specific pain points you want to address, and stops them going off track. This gives you a new level of control over your testimonials so they deliver on your objectives.
Vouch’s tip: If you’ve asked all of your customers the same question, a Vouch Playlist is a great way to hone in on those insights. You can showcase a range of your customers answering the question in their own way.
If you're about to start collecting video testimonials, Vouch can help. Simply sign up for free and set up a campaign in a matter of minutes. You’ll be building a valuable bank of video testimonials before you know it.
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