How to Create Powerful Customer Testimonials Using Video

But what goes into a customer testimonial video? Take a look at this example of a customer testimonial video that Hed Hi created for Marketo: To view this video please consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 Video Hed Hi created this video in an interview style, making sure it had high production value that represented the Marketo brand well. Do you really need to create videos that offer customer testimonials? The one con, however, is that you’re probably busy at your own event, and even if you have a video production team onsite creating these awesome videos for you, you’ll still need to supply one or two employees to help with the process. How can you produce customer testimonial videos? Here’s what you need to do: Step 1: Planning The planning stage involves getting answers for where you will shoot, who will be on camera, who is the crew, when will you shoot, and other logistical questions that need to be locked down before you can press record. That’s the last thing you want in your testimonial video since other customers are supposed to relate to and enjoy this story! Step 4: Distribution This stage of creating the customer testimonial video doesn’t need much explanation. It’s when your audiences get to experience the awesomeness you just created! Distribute your video as necessary on all the right channels to get audiences through the marketing and sales funnel, and close lots of deals!

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Smart companies create customer testimonials. Why? So their potential customers can hear from (and relate to) people just like them. They learn why they should buy a product and how it could be beneficial to solving their problems. Customer testimonials can do a fair bit of the legwork of a marketing and a sales team, helping to convince leads and move them further through the funnel and closer to a closed deal.

But these days, customer testimonials need to be better, more engaging, more interesting than they ever have been before. Attention spans are short (only 8 seconds long!), and audiences want content in a format that they find engaging, human, and relatable.

A customer testimonial video entices your audiences, offers them a human story and a real person to connect with through voice, body language, emotion, and empathy. But what goes into a customer testimonial video? What are the secrets to crafting a strong video?

That’s exactly what Tim McManus from video production company Hed Hi Media spoke about at this year’s Viewtopia, the Video Marketing Summit. The company has created over 230 customer testimonial videos since its founding in 2014, and this experience has given them a lot of insight for you to take advantage of! Take a look at these five key points from Hed Hi’s session:

What is a customer testimonial?

First things first, let’s figure out what a customer testimonial video really is, and how it can be used. As Tim says, this type of video is an unbelievable tool for your customers as they’re trying to explore what your company offers as they progress through the journey. Don’t think you’re limited to using them in only one place or in one part of the marketing and sales funnel; these videos are useful in the early research stages as an introduction to what you do and why you’re valuable, as well as near the bottom of the funnel as a reiteration of your service and what other customers are getting from you. Take a look at this example of a customer testimonial video that Hed Hi created for Marketo:

Hed Hi created this video in an interview style, making sure it had high production value that represented the Marketo brand well. They also included memorable sound bites, and jazzed it up with b-roll footage while highlighting the value proposition of the customer who was being interviewed. The other thing Hed Hi was sure to include was imagery of Marketo software on screen, so viewers would know what the product would look like when they used it themselves. The soundtrack and motion graphics were also used to create a compelling, almost cinematic feel—because when you’re talking to the best marketers in the world, you want a very polished experience and message that matches the level of the software you’re selling.

Pro Tip: The Hed Hi team offered pro tips throughout their session to keep in mind when making your own customer testimonial videos. The first tip is: keep your testimonial video under 2 minutes long. 90 seconds is usually the best and most effective length, with this optimal break-down:

The first 30 seconds should establish who the customer is
The next 30 seconds talking about the problem they faced
During the final 30 seconds, discuss how your product solves their problem

Why is it important to produce a customer testimonial video?

Maybe you haven’t done too much video marketing. Or maybe you only use it on social or for top of funnel campaigns. Do you really need to create videos that offer customer testimonials? Yes! Here are some of the many reasons why, according to Hed Hi:

89% of marketers say video is the most effective content marketing tactic
Using the word ‘video’ in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65%, and reduces unsubscribes by 26%
A great customer testimonial is what most B2B buyers are searching for once they land on your site
65% of your audience are visual learners

Pro Tip: Don’t be scared about creating your own customer testimonial videos! Everyone can start doing it right away—after all, you’re already likely carrying around a camera in your pocket, so start small if you need to. Talk to your customers and test the effectiveness of video for yourselves. Once you get going and want to make your testimonials shine, you can always hire a video production company so they can manage all the things you’re either unfamiliar with or don’t want to deal with. Or, you can even hire a video production expert full-time on your own team; that way they’re always ready to take on interesting, educational, and creative video projects for your company. Just keep in mind: you get what you pay for, so start small if you need to, but consider all the benefits you could get from video experts.

Who should you get on camera?

Now, you may be excited to start creating your own customer testimonials, but don’t jump in all willy-nilly and throw everyone you can get a hold of on camera. You can be strategic about it so you don’t waste your customers’ time or your own (or your budget!). Tim says there are three things to consider when choosing who to get on camera and whose story to focus on:

Choose a customer who has a tangible win with your product, including empirical evidence of what it gained them. It’s easier for your top salespeople to sell your product using your testimonial when there are strong metrics behind the story. If you want to sell to the executive level at any company, they will want to see the ROI of your product, and these metrics can help.