Testimonial Video Production

The Power of Customer Stories

“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.”

Not our words, but those of scriptwriter Robert McKee back in his 1997 book. Regardless of when this was written, there is a universal truth in this.

Storytelling is an unbelievably powerful way of sharing thoughts, ideas and messages.

Since the dawn of time humans have been telling stories, it’s what we do. Whether it be paintings on cave walls or 3-hour epics in Hollywood, we’ve long had an obsession with a good story.

Stories are compelling for a number of reasons, but for the most part, the fact that a good story evokes a range of emotions in us when told well is why we are so drawn in by even the most obscure of tales.

The world of filmmaking and literature is a testament to how the world over we endlessly long for another story, something to captivate us and fill us with new thoughts and emotions.

Another essential element of a powerful story is that it has to be delivered by another person. This human-to-human connection that exists between the storyteller and the receiver is where the strength of that bond is really felt. We’re wired as humans to seek connections and we feel content when people can see our viewpoints or we are offered an insight into theirs.

When a story successfully creates that connection between the teller and the receiver, the content of the story will resonate so much more strongly than if it were shared in a strictly informative or instructional way.

Testimonial Video Production

Harnessing the Power of Customer Testimonials

When it comes to sharing business messages, the greatest storytellers out there are customers with genuine tales to tell of how much they loved their interaction with your brand or business.

Customers can talk about your business in a way that you can’t. You will never be a customer of your own business. Your customers provide a unique insight that no one else can offer. They have already felt a genuine connection with you and your business.

If you can harness that genuine passion your customers have and capture the human emotion of their story, you will be left with a piece of content that will powerfully resonate with potential future customers.

Why? Because we all love a good story.

Marcus Johnson & Matt Green from Glacé Media

Why Choose Testimonial Videos?

Stories are powerful. We’ve established that. But what form can these customer stories actually take?

We appreciate you aren’t about to sit a bunch of potential customers around a campfire as you trot out various different individuals to wax lyrical about how great your brand is.

In the absence of easily accessible fireside seating, video content is the next best thing. If a customer or client is being filmed talking about their experience with your brand or business then we have what’s known as a testimonial video.

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The Essence of Testimonial Videos

The Essence of Testimonial Videos

A testimonial video is essentially the style of content most commonly used to tell customers’ stories. Classic testimonials may come in a written form, but what any good testimonial contains is the story of a customer’s interaction with your business and why it was such a positive one.

In its very essence, a testimonial is a story. A customer is sharing a specific past experience that is related to your business. Keeping in mind the power of storytelling, we have immediately integrated a technique of capturing an individual’s attention straight within a piece of video content. Immediately we’re on the same path that makes films and TV so captivating. You guessed it, the story!

The Power of Social Proof in Testimonial Videos

On top of this, we are adding in the psychological notion of social proof. The idea of social proof suggests that we as humans make decisions and fulfill actions based on what other individuals do. Furthermore, if others believe a certain way of acting or behaving is a good thing to do, then we are more inclined to follow suit.

When it comes to marketing, this notion is very important. The more we are exposed to other individuals’ positive experiences with a brand or business, the more inclined we are to begin believing that engaging with that brand or business will be a positive experience for ourselves.

This is why we see so many reviews on e-commerce websites, we will react more favourably to a suggestion if we are confident in the belief that others have reacted favourably to it too.

When we look at testimonial videos, social proof is at their very heart. Customers talking about how great their experience was is exactly what we want from an effective piece of social proof.

When we combine this with the deeper captivating connection of good storytelling, then you can see why testimonial videos can be so powerful at persuading potential customers that engaging with your brand or business is a good idea.

The content itself is relatively simple at its core. All we need is some willing and enthusiastic customers to talk openly and passionately about their experience. The key here comes in the preparation and identifying the right individuals.

But, once this has been established and a good quality video or series of videos has been produced, you are left with a very strong piece of video content that can tell your customer stories all across your desired digital platforms, connecting with potential clients and customers throughout your chosen target markets.

See the Power of Testimonials in Action

When it comes to strong examples of testimonial videos in action, the US running shoe retailer Road Runner Sports has produced a great series of videos that show just how effective even a simple testimonial video can be.

In this short collection of 30-60 second testimonial videos, customers were quite simply put in front of a camera within their store and asked to talk about their positive experiences with the business.

This was then edited together with b-roll footage of them interacting with staff and wandering around the store.

Simplicity in production

Simplicity in Production and Authenticity

From a production perspective, this is all very simple to film. All you need from each customer is a little time in front of the camera talking earnestly about their experiences with the business and then some footage of them engaging with the business.

In this situation, the individuals are wandering around the store and carrying out some of the activities they are talking about. However, this interaction can be as simple as customers speaking with staff in a way that is relevant to the context of your business.

The point we’re making here is that simplicity of production is absolutely fine when it comes to producing testimonial videos. As we can see from this example, it’s all about the story the customer is telling.

The customer in this video is passionately sharing positive experiences linked directly to her interaction with the business. This is relatable and the example she is giving is a real-world one. But it is also clear how her positivity and satisfaction in the tale she recounts is linked directly to the business.

Testimonial Videos as Powerful Marketing Tools

Testimonial Videos as Powerful Marketing Tools

This shows that the actual production of video content like this is by no means a barrier. A simple setup can be very effective. The area to focus most of the attention on is allowing the customers to open up and authentically and relatably share stories that cast your brand or business in a good light.

This video series sat on YouTube, allowing the content to be reached via the vast search capabilities of YouTube and Google. It also acts as a prime platform to host the content on when embedding it within landing pages on your website or within email marketing campaigns.

Testimonial videos are perfect to slide into blog articles and web pages as they very quickly bolster claims you are making on your website. Hubspot has found that including relevant video content on a landing page can increase conversion rates by as much as 86%. Now those are stats not to be sniffed at.

Repurposing Testimonial Videos Across Platforms

Repurposing Testimonial Videos Across Platforms

On top of these, edits can be produced that are optimised for all your other social media marketing channels. The fact that testimonial videos like this are short and get straight to the point means they lend themselves beautifully to social media adverts.

Yet another way to harness the power of social proof by re-purposing video content across your platforms.

Keeping that thread of social proof alongside your other marketing content ensures you aren’t overloading your customers and clients with direct communication from your brand. You are allowing the customers to do the talking. These are the people you are trying to attract, so let them hear from each other.

How To Create Authentic, Effective Testimonials

Ok, so after this wonderfully compelling insight into the joys of video testimonials, you’re now fully sold by this style of content.

But the next question is, how do you create video testimonials?

Firstly and most importantly it all comes back to our good old friend storytelling. Before you even think about getting the cameras out and setting up a Hollywood-level lighting rig, you need to get the story right.

As much as you might want to channel your inner Spielberg and begin penning our generation’s next classic, save yourself some digital ink and pause for a moment.

In order to be effective, these stories need to be authentic. In order to be authentic, they need to be told by real customers and clients who have had positive experiences with your business.

At this stage, you want to focus all of your time and effort on lining up customers who are eager to talk openly about their experiences with you.

Get reaching out to customers you know have had a really positive experience with your business (hopefully there will be loads to choose from), then consider who you think will be confident in front of the camera when it comes to expressing their joy at working with you.

Don’t worry, you don’t need a super slick star in the making. That would in fact be counter intuitive, as remember we’re looking for authentic customer insights, not those of actors.

Just people who are going to be happy to talk extensively about your business without feeling that the camera is going to gobble them up in an instant. Speaking in front of a camera isn’t a natural experience so it is fully understandable that many customers won’t want to put themselves forward. Reach out to a wide group and then narrow down to a few who are keen and who are great at having a good old natter.

Once you’ve got your on-screen talent lined up, there are many different directions you can take the actual filming of the videos in. There is a whole separate article to be written about these styles, but to strip it down to its most simple form we’re looking for video footage of your customers talking about your business whilst they are in a setting relevant to what they are talking about.

For example, if you have fitted a new conservatory for a customer, have them sat in it. If you’ve given legal advice, have them in your office. We appreciate not all businesses have a distinct setting that links to what they do. As long as the setting isn’t ridiculously different to what they are talking about then you won’t be unnecessarily confusing the viewer.

A happy customer who has just bought a vintage football shirt from a specialised retailer is probably going to look quite out of place sat in a sewage treatment plant. You get where we’re going with this?

To further reinforce this connection, wider b-roll footage can be cut together with the interview footage. This is footage that further shows the customer in a relevant situation away from the interview setting. For example, the hypothetical conservatory customer could be filmed relaxing on the sofa in their conservatory or dusting the window ledge. Any footage that reinforces your business offering while giving an extra bit of depth to the video.

Although not strictly necessary, this extra footage lifts the level of the production. By doing so you’re presenting the audience with a more visually appealing piece of content, increasing their likelihood to consume it and therefore take in the core message.

Why Trust Us With Your Story

You’ve come this far, eager and ready to start producing your own video testimonials. Even though we’d always recommend diving in with whatever equipment you have and capturing the thoughts and feelings of your customers, even if it’s only on your smartphone, we appreciate that the task is a little bigger than it sounds on paper.

If you are looking for support in getting the ball rolling or want to instantly start producing testimonial video content that is a cut above, team Glacé are always on hand, ready to dive into the production of some tip-top testimonial videos.

The benefit of working with a production company like us is that you can instantly dive into the production of these videos. We have the practical production set-up ready to roll the cameras, switch on those lights, and let the good times roll. But even more importantly, we know how to capture those stories.

Why Trust Us With Your Story

Full Support and Professionalism Throughout

Yes, you’ll know your customers well, but we know the specific elements of their interviews that will cut through and connect with the audience. Whether that be in the interview process that we orchestrate and execute or as we tease out the narrative in the edits, we’ll ensure that the story sings through and the audience is instantly connected with what your customers have to say.

Furthermore, video production is a time-consuming process. If you’re going to commit the time and effort to lining up customers to be on camera and then book out the days to film the content, it makes sense to go that step further and ensure they are filmed to a top standard by a team that has walked this path time and time again.

We’ll support all the way through the process, giving you the insights needed to make sure all is in place for those killer testimonials to be captured. But also, to support with the practical elements that you may not internally have the capacity to work on.

If this does feel like a route that would work for you all you have to do is give us the nod.

Full Support and Professionalism Throughout

See the Difference: Examples of Our Work

If you’re still thinking, “who are these chancers?” and “why should I trust them with the production of our precious testimonial videos?” then here are a few examples of our previous work to show that we both talk the talk and then subsequently walk the walk as well.

Lancashire County Council

Snug Conservatory Solutions

Surbiton Dental

Get started with us

There we have it. The world of testimonial video production and how you could dive into it to benefit your brand or business.

If you’ve been inspired by this electric piece of writing and want to take the next step to producing testimonial videos for your business, the Glacé team are ready and waiting to get you going on this journey.

Just drop us a message telling us a bit about your brand and business and any initial thoughts and ideas you may have and we’ll be back to you to take this conversation to the next stage.

Before you know it, you’ll have your very own series of testimonial videos winging their way across the internet showing potential customers just how great a time they could be having with you and your business.

We may be a little biased, however our customers aren’t.

Our many clients are a testament to the amazing feats we’ve achieved, and we want you to come on board.

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