Are you thinking about dipping your toes in the world of video marketing for your business?
Then you’re making a great decision!
Time and again, research shows that investing in video marketing pays off. For example, according to a Wyzowl study in December 2020, 84% of people have been convinced to purchase a product or service after watching a business’s video, and 69% of people prefer to learn about a product or service by watching a short video.
If you’re new to video marketing, it can be hard to know where to start. After all, there are so many different types of marketing videos you could make, including product videos, company profile videos, or videos specific to your industry.
That’s why we wrote this blog, to explain what your very first video for your business should be – and why!
The power of testimonial videos
If you’re ready to make your first business video, then you can’t look past testimonial videos.
Testimonial videos are one of the most powerful types of marketing video you can make.
There are a few reasons for this.
To begin with, testimonial videos are always relevant, which makes them “evergreen” content. Testimonial videos also offer powerful “social proof” by helping to establish your business as credible and trustworthy. And they’re versatile, as they can be edited for use on every platform – your website, YouTube, and social media.
Let’s look at all of these factors in greater detail below…
Evergreen content
In the northern hemisphere, evergreen trees offer a stark contrast to their deciduous cousins during the colder months. That’s because while deciduous trees lose their leaves every autumn and are bare through the winter, evergreen trees are green and vibrant year-round.
Marketers use the analogy of “evergreen” content to describe videos, blogs, infographics, images, and other marketing materials that are always relevant.
Think of an infographic explaining how to use a product. It can be just as useful today as it was three years ago. By contrast, think of a meme you create for your business that taps into a current trend. While it may be timely now, your meme may not be relevant six months later. After all, when was the last time you saw a “one does not simply” meme?
Evergreen content that will remain relevant is a smart investment because you can reliably use it to promote your business over time. And nothing is more evergreen than a testimonial video!
When you make a testimonial video, you can use it to promote your business on your website for years to come, which is pretty great ROI. You can also post it on social media again and again over the years. So, if you’re going to invest in video marketing, it makes sense to start with something as evergreen as a testimonial video.
Social proof
If a friend recommends a product or service, you’re far more likely to consider using it, right?
This is part of the phenomenon described as “social proof”, whereby people choose to follow the actions of others whom they consider to be similar to them.
Social proof is at its most powerful when a recommendation or endorsement comes from a friend, family member, or someone else you know. After all, you already trust them.
But complete strangers can also evoke the power of social proof when they share their honest experiences with a product or service.
Testimonial videos offer a powerful way to build social proof for your products or services, as they’re literally an endorsement from another person. As such, testimonial videos establish your business as credible and trustworthy. They also humanise your brand in a way that no other kind of marketing can, as someone watching your video can relate to the person speaking and put themselves in that person’s shoes. After all, if your product or service solved a problem for someone like them, surely it can solve their problem, too!
Versatility
Another great thing about testimonial videos is that they’re incredibly versatile. That’s because they can be edited for use on all your channels and platforms, including your business’s website, your social media, and your YouTube channel.
While some business videos are best suited to a single channel or platform, testimonial videos can work on all of them.
For example, you can take snippets from your testimonial videos to use in ads on social media. Or, you can post the full video or a shorter version on your social channels as a regular post rather than an ad.
Testimonial videos can also be used on your website on your home page, about page, a testimonials page, or on the product or services page/s relevant to that video. When using a testimonial video on your website, you can choose to add it to the most relevant page or pages, or you can use different edits on different pages – for example, creating a compilation video of several snippets from testimonials for your home page, but using the full video of each testimonial on an associated product page.
This versatility means you can milk your testimonial videos for maximum ROI, as they make great content for so many applications.
Tips for a great testimonial video
If you’re ready to make a testimonial video (or videos!) for your small business, then it pays to get it right. So, here are some tips to help you create awesome testimonial videos you can use on all your platforms for years to come.
If possible, shoot the video at a location relevant to your client, rather than a location relevant to your business. So, if you sell products used in homes, shoot the video at their home. If you provide services for a business, shoot the video at their business premises. This helps to subconsciously reinforce to people watching your testimonial video that it really is authentic.
Keep things conversational by asking questions and having your client answer them. You can tell them the topics you want to cover beforehand, but don’t share your specific questions. This ensures their answers sound natural, not rehearsed.
Consider instructing your client to answer your questions by mentioning the content of the question. For example, if you ask “Why did you choose to work with our business?”, you want them to answer with something like “We chose to work with [Your Business Name] because…” This way, you don’t have to include your questioning in the final video if you don’t want to.
You can also ask your videographer to capture plenty of “B-roll” footage. This supplementary footage covers things that aren’t the key focus of your video – for example, capturing you saying hello, shaking hands, or laughing together as opposed to simply capturing the content of the interview. This B-roll footage can be used to round out your testimonial video, enhance its authenticity, and humanise your business and your client. And you never know when you might capture a valuable gem from your B-roll that forms part of the testimonial itself!
Are you ready to get started?
If you want to take the plunge into video marketing with a testimonial video for your small business, Starlight Media can help.
We love supporting clients like you to get the best possible testimonial videos for your products or services, so you have content that offers evergreen social proof on all your platforms!
To learn more about how we can help you create professional testimonial videos for your small business, contact Starlight Media today on 0418 738 086 for an obligation-free chat.