• More recognition
• More credibility
• More leads
• More sales

You’re welcome. 

Maybe you’re saying to yourself, “But Tracy, I already collect written testimonials!” To that, I say “good for you” mostly because I’m a very supportive and upbeat person. But it’s not enough. Written reviews can’t hold a candle to the weight of a single video testimonial. Here’s why:

Right now, with the rise of AI, we live in a world where attitudes toward marketing range from slightly skeptical to wholly untrusting. A recent Forbes Advisor Survey shows that 60 per cent of consumers are concerned about the use of AI in product reviews. 

And even if you do have genuine reviews on your website, unless they were written by a professional writer they tend to lack the emotion needed to motivate a potential customer to take action. 

Enter the video testimonial. 

The video testimonial

A well-crafted video testimonial evokes emotion and creates immediate brand trust. They tap into the very core of feelings and human behaviour. When you watch a real person talking about a problem that you have or a result that you want, you feel a genuine connection with that person and trust them. This translates into an inherent trust in the business they are talking about. That’s you! 

Now, here’s the thing. Not all video testimonials are created equal. There are three core elements that make video testimonials great. 

1. Comfort 

Your client should appear comfortable. Now, I don’t mean doing a video testimonial lounging on their favourite Lazy Boy. I mean, they appear at ease on camera. 

If you’ve ever tried to collect video testimonials, you know it’s a big ask, and most people don’t respond (or if they do, it’s unusable). 

Don’t take it personally. Your clients love you, but they are afraid of saying the wrong thing, bumbling and making themselves (and you) look bad. They don’t love video.

If they feel like they can’t screw up, however, the results are magical. So, rather than creating insecurity and frustration around video testimonials, make it easy for them to get it right. Interview them. Set them up for success by letting them know it will be more like a conversation. Help them look and sound great. Ask them for a mere 15 minutes of their time, and then pop down to the second core element and ask amazing questions.

2. Asking the right questions

Too many times, even when trying to collect written testimonials, I see people make two critical mistakes:

1. They ask the same questions to everyone
2. They ask too many questions

For your video testimonial to make an impact, you want to think about what a dream client would need to hear and feel to say yes. Then, craft your questions. It’s the difference between getting people saying, “Tracy is great!” and “Tracy’s video coaching has changed the trajectory of my business. I started showing up, and eureka! The calls came flooding in”.

Which one is more compelling?

Put some thought into what you need your super fans to say, and then craft questions that will evoke those answers. 

3. Trust

And the third core element is trust. Audiences are more likely to watch content that feels real and raw and highlights the humanness of the person they are watching. Audiences don’t connect with a video that has a bunch of stock footage and a lot of slick editing because the believability factor goes way down. 

Research shows it’s more important that a marketing video be authentic and relatable than polished with high-quality video/audio.

The goal is for your current clients to convey a feeling of trust. You want your viewers to feel like they are sitting right there, part of the conversation.  

It’s a wrap!

In general, video should be at the foundation of your marketing strategy. Adding video testimonials to that strategy will help you build brand trust while bringing in dreamy clients.