Video Testimonial: What is it & How to create one? (With examples)
Harvey Mackay, a popular businessman once said, “You can't buy a good reputation; you must earn it.”
This statement is very true, especially in business. Brand reputation is more important than ever to win customers' trust.
To earn it, more businesses are investing in video testimonials to show authentic product experiences to new customers.
Why? Because according to statistics, 72% of customers trust a brand more if it has video testimonials.
But what is a video testimonial, and how to create one?
What is a Video Testimonial?
A video testimonial is a recording where a happy customer talks about their experience and achievements using your product or service. It’s similar to a case study or success story but in video format.
The customer can record the testimonial video themselves through their phone or computer.
Ev Chapman, for example, used this method to record a testimonial for Famewall, a video testimonial tool.
Some businesses also prefer to shoot video testimonials by buying expensive equipment or hiring agencies.
For example, Oscar recorded a testimonial of Jamie, General Manager of a Korean BBQ restaurant.
In short, a video testimonial is important because it features a real person sharing their experience with your business and recommending it.
But let’s look at more practical reasons to invest in video testimonials.
Why Do You Need Video Testimonials?
It would be best if you had video testimonials because they
- Build trust and credibility for your brand
- Improve brand awareness
- Improve user understanding
- Boost conversions
Let’s look at each point in more detail.
1. Build Brand Trust
Video testimonials give you social proof and encourage potential customers to trust your business. They influence what people say and think of your brand.
In fact, research shows that 81% of consumers need to trust a brand before they consider buying. So, use customer testimonial videos in various sections or pages of your website.
For example, at Famewall, we show video testimonials on our homepage.
We also have a dedicated testimonial page showing video, text, and social media testimonials.
2. Improve Brand Awareness
Creating and sharing a customer testimonial video on various platforms can help retain current customers and attract new ones.
For instance, ClickUp uploads their video testimonials to YouTube.
They also publish short video testimonials on Instagram.
And, of course, your website is the best place to display customer video testimonials as that converts website visitors into customers.
3. Improve User Understanding
Customers learn more via video than text (eBooks, articles, etc.).
It is no surprise that 44% of customers prefer to watch a video to learn more about a product or service than read a publication.
This is why customers prefer to turn to video testimonials; not finding any will sway them away.
4. Boost Conversions
People make purchase decisions based on what they want and the brand’s reputation.
In a survey conducted by Wyzowl, a video marketing company, 82% of customers were convinced to buy a product after watching a video.
And another statistic shows that using testimonial videos on sales pages increases conversions by 80%.
At Famewall, we believe so much in the power of testimonial videos that we also added them to our own pricing page.
How to Create a Video Testimonial?
In this section, we’ll learn how to create a customer video testimonial in 4 steps:
- Select the best customer
- Draft a script
- Record and edit your video testimonial
- Publish your video
Let’s cover each step in more detail.
1. Select The Best Customer
The first step to making a video testimonial that will turn viewers into customers is to choose your customers.
Simply put, you must pick the right customers with a story to tell. You can think about customers who have high order value or purchased bigger plans on your website.
A video testimonial is a chance to show how your product or service works and what it can help potential customers achieve.
But how do you know which customer to choose?
You simply need to study your current customers’ activities and choose the ones who have gotten the most value out of your product/service.
In a way, they'd share great video testimonials explaining why your product or service works for them and in another way they'd be open to spend some time to record a video testimonial
In fact, our internal study showed that 32% of our users are freelancers in SEO, content marketing, and more categories.
To attract more freelancers, we invited Kuba, one of our power users, to share a video testimonial.
Pro Tip: If your customer is a company — not a solopreneur like a course creator or freelancer — request to interview 2-3 C-level employees and make a video testimonial.
Check out some samples in our list of the best video testimonial examples.
2. Draft A Script
You have picked up the perfect customer. Do you just start recording a video or ask a customer for a video testimonial bluntly? No way!
The output will be catastrophic. You first need to ensure that you have the questions you want your customers to answer in the video testimonial.
Draft the questions for the video and send it to the customer. Sending it in advance gives them enough time to prepare the best answers.
What questions should you ask? We’ve created two question templates for you:
Video Testimonial Question Template 1
1. Introduce yourself and your company/occupation
2. Discussion
- What problem or challenge were you facing before using [product/service]?
- How did [product/service] help you solve that problem?
- What were the benefits you experienced using [product/service]?
- Would you recommend [product/service] to others? Why?
3. Close with a thank you and shout-out
Video Testimonial Question Template 2
- Introduce yourself and your company/occupation
- What were your initial thoughts or feelings about the [product/service]?
- Can you describe a specific challenge that [product/service] helped you overcome?
- Did you experience any unexpected benefits from using [product/service]?
- Did the [product/service] yield a good return on investment (ROI)?
- Would you recommend the [product/service]?
You can notice answers to the questions above in this video testimonial from Slack. The video features four employees in different departments of South by Southwest.
3. Record and Edit Your Video Testimonial
The customer can record the video testimonial using their smartphone or computer webcam.
However, if you intend to shoot videos yourself, you will need the right equipment.
I’m talking about quality cameras, microphones, video editing software, filming and editing skills, and other general videography equipment.
You can skip all the hassle by simply using Famewall to get video testimonials from customers
Check out this video from Alex Zarfati to learn more.
Of course, buying your equipment is expensive, and you will spend weeks learning filmmaking and video editing skills.
A cheaper, but still quite pricey, option is hiring a filming agency (studio) to shoot the video. It might be more affordable, depending on the agency's pricing plans.
These two problems were one of the reasons why I created Famewall. With Famewall, you can easily collect video testimonials using a collection page.
Your customers can simply record the video using their phone or laptop.
Finally, you can access the video in your dashboard.
4. Publish Your Video
Now that your video is ready, where do you publish it?
You need to publish your video testimonial in an appropriate place where potential customers are likely to see it and convert into a customer: YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook, and website.
For example, Zoho has a “Customer Stories” playlist on YouTube where we can watch testimonials.
Marketing 360, on the other hand, displays video testimonials on its website.
Social media is also a place that deserves your time and energy.
According to Hubspot’s report, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have a high ROI.
Tips for Making Effective Video Testimonials
1. Narrate a Story
The video testimonial must capture the viewer’s attention. You must invest time into asking the right questions and encourage the featured people to be natural and genuine.
A testimonial is always more effective and convincing when the interviewee tells a true life story and how your business helped them.
Look at how Susan and Dr. Ladd narrate their story in this video testimonial from ForeseeHome.
- Susan talks about herself and how ForeseeHome helps her keep being herself
- Dr. Ladd also spoke about how ForeseeHome shapes the patient’s life.
2. Mention Relatable Facts
When someone watches a testimonial video, they want to hear relatable facts.
For instance, leads visiting a website that sells testimonial software want to know if the tool will
- Help them collect and display testimonials,
- Have the features to manage reviews,
- Improve their brand image,
- And more.
David Canes, Founder of Wellprept, mentioned relatable facts in his Famewall video testimonial.
- He assured Famewall gives you the social proof you need
- He collects testimonials and updates existing testimonial walls
- He can collect testimonials according to different use cases
- He commends the CEO for the incredible customer support
3. Make It Short
A video testimonial is not a documentary; it should be short.
In fact, according to best testimonial practices the average video testimonial length is 90 to 120 seconds. So, try to fit your video testimonial in this range.
For example, Asana, a project management tool, has many testimonial videos that last less than 2 minutes.
4. Vet Your Output
Asking a colleague to vet your video testimonial is an excellent way to improve it. But the most crucial vetting comes from the customer.
After you have edited the video, let them see it.
The customer should not think you thwarted their words or used them in some dishonest publicity. Be open, show them the final video (if you edited it), and then post it.
If you have not edited and posted the video on social media, don’t forget to tag them with their social handles.
If you post their video on your website, you can add a link to their social profile or website.
Use Video Testimonials to Make More Sales
In this article, you learned what a video testimonial is and its benefits. You also discovered how to create a compelling video and some pro tips. Finally, we shared a lot of testimonial video examples.
You can buy filmmaking equipment, hire an agency, or use a tool like Famewall.
If you want to learn more about our testimonial and review tool, check out these guides:
Try Famewall for free to collect testimonials from customers & add them to your website in minutes without writing a single line of code!
