A customer testimonial promotes your product via the customer. Rather than telling everyone how great your product is, let your customer do it for you!
Why use Customer Testimonials?
You’ve heard the idiom “straight from the horse’s mouth“. Think of the customer as the horse. Maybe not the most flattering analogy, but an accurate one. The customer has reliable, firsthand knowledge of your product. They can speak about their experience with confidence and authority, which translates to a personal endorsement.
You can promote your business by more direct means, but a customer testimonial is sincere and believable. I can tell you I’m a nice person, but that statement carries more weight if you hear it from a person who knows me. A testimonial from someone who doesn’t have a stake in the company demands attention.
Using real people to sell your product makes it easier for potential customers to imagine themselves having the same success. Examples of how your product is used every day enable the viewer to envision their own experience. It’s a tangible way to demonstrate why your product is so great!
A good customer testimonial conveys emotion. They had a problem and you solved it. By using your product, a customer’s work life was made easier. In it’s simplest form, the customer testimonial is a video thank you.
Making a Good Customer Testimonial Video
Put the customer at ease. Many people are nervous on camera, so let them know what to expect. Prepare questions ahead of time, but don’t be too specific—you want a genuine reaction at shoot time. Better to have a candid conversation than a canned answer.
Ask the right questions. You know the benefits you’d like to promote, so bring them up. Use questions that elicit an emotion or a reaction. Does the customer have an impactful story about using the product? If so, encourage them to share that tale!
Format
Customer testimonials are best when they’re short and sweet. Try to aim for one to three minutes total. Start with a bang, using a blooper or sound-up or other clip that grabs viewer attention right away. Then segue to why your product is so great. Don’t waste time on filler.
Even with short videos, b-roll is a good idea. You want the testimonial to really show off your product, so use some footage that illustrates what the audience is hearing. Plus, a variety of shots make your video visually more interesting and help with pacing.
Make Your Own
At Key West Video, we know all about customer testimonials! Contact us today and let’s discuss how best to use your customers as advocates.
