Video vs Written Testimonials: Which Works Best?

Word of mouth has always been a powerful marketing tool. Hearing about someone else’s success with a product or service helps to convince us that we will too. Often, it’s the deciding factor in making a purchase. That’s why all businesses, whether they’re selling sneakers or insurance, covet glowing testimonials and product reviews.

While written reviews can certainly help with conversions, there are many reasons that video testimonials are becoming more popular. Not only are they more effective than written testimonials (we’ll explain why later), but they’re not as costly as you might think.

‍Video testimonials used to demand fancy camera crews and big budgets, but with platforms like Vouch, capturing them is easy and cost effective. This puts video testimonials back in the reach of teams of all shapes and sizes.

But it’s not just the cost factor. If you’re still only investing in written testimonials, rather than video testimonials, there are a number of benefits you could be missing out on.

Why video testimonials are more effective than written testimonials

1. They’re more engaging

When you’ve gone above and beyond to make your customers happy and they’ve agreed to leave you a testimonial, the last thing you want is for it to be ignored! With animation and audio, videos engage more of our senses so are more likely to capture our attention than a block of text. On social media and on your webpages, video testimonials stand out and are more likely to stop a scrolling thumb, ensuring your glowing review can’t be missed. 

2. They’re more shareable

With more marketing channels to fuel than ever before, most marketing teams are looking for hard-working content that can be repurposed across multiple channels. Video testimonials are perfect for this. Once you’ve satisfied your sales team with a library of content to fuel their sales conversations, share them in your marketing channels. They make engaging social posts, awesome hype reels and with transcriptions automatically generated on Vouch videos, the blog posts practically write themselves! 

3. They’re more believable

We’re all less trusting these days. We read brand promises with a discerning eye and according to a Havas study, consumers deem less than half (47%) of brands trustworthy. Cater to your cautious customers by delivering a video testimonial that feels inherently trustworthy. A real customer, sharing their own experience, in their own words. Not a faceless written testimonial. For new brands looking to build trust, this is particularly powerful.

4. They build a better connection

Video testimonials are an amazing way to share the genuine excitement of your customers at that moment, in a way a written testimonial never could. Even with an excessive use of exclamation marks. This emotion helps build a connection between your customers and the viewer, making it more impactful and memorable. Jess Cook from Marpipe described this benefit when she said video testimonials had “really helped me humanize Marpipe content in a way that I just hadn't been able to do before.”

5. They highlight the diversity of your customers 

If you have a wonderfully diverse customer base, video is the perfect way to show that off. Whatever someone’s background or location, if a testimonial is written, they will all look the same. But if you show off the diversity of your users or customers, prospective buyers are more likely to find someone who they can identify with. And the more they can identify, the more that testimonial will resonate and the more effective it will be.

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How to collect high quality video testimonials

1. Choose the right moment

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. 

2. Ask open-ended questions

Avoid asking your customers questions that could be answered with a simple yes or no. Open-ended questions give them room to tell their story in their own way. 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.

3. Automate to save you time

Setting up always-on testimonial campaigns can take the leg work out of the collection process. You can set up automations that trigger Vouch requests when customers leave a five star review, or send reminders every couple of days on your behalf. Our integrations can help with this, bringing your video collection process into the tools you use everyday.
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Like to try Vouch?

Loved by companies like Canva, Nike, Cisco, Stryker, HubSpot, Amazon and more, tools like Vouch make leveraging video in your business remarkably easy.

Be sure to book a Vouch demo today and chat with a video content expert.