Supercharge Your Marketing with Testimonial Videos

Supercharge Your Marketing with Testimonial Videos

January 9, 2021

We have all heard that satisfied customers whisper about their experiences to a few friends while unhappy customers shout their dissatisfaction from the mountaintops. What if you could flip those proportions so your target audience could learn how your services have helped businesses just like theirs?

Testimonial videos do just that and more. Customer story testimonial videos, or case study videos, tell a story from a satisfied client’s point of view, lending an air of authenticity to your promotional campaigns. Featuring a current client also shows prospective customers how your products and services solve real-life problems and allow them to connect on an emotional level with real people who have overcome similar challenges by engaging your team.

Ten years ago, Forbes reported that 59 percent of business decision-makers would rather watch a video than read a report containing the same information. In the decade since that report, society and commerce have become even more visual. Progressive B2B organizations have responded by presenting professionally created testimonial videos as critical components of their marketing strategies.

Testimonial Video Structure

While there is room for customization and tailoring to fit specific projects and industries, effective customer testimonial videos often follow the story telling narrative below.

First, the customer explains the problem that your product or service solves. This should incorporate specific pain points the client was experiencing, which most likely will include issues that will resonate with other business leaders. In the example above, the Adobe/Black Diamond testimonial video addresses the problem of how to help its sales team present its outdoor products and apparel to buyers at trade shows. (30-45 seconds).

Next, the customer discusses ways he or she tried to solve the inefficiency in question. Black Diamond’s spokesman discusses using printed catalogs, which cannot be updated quickly to reflect changes in colors, SKUs, or other details. This step may include a variety of in-house options and researching your competitors. They may even have hired a competitor, who could not solve their dilemma (20-30 seconds).

Then the client explains the factors that contributed to their decision to hire your company, order your product, or engage your services. Reasons may include your reputation, experience, service level, price, etc. In our example, Black Diamond chooses Adobe because the solution is scalable and flexible, updatable in real time, and has the power to incorporate video to show how the products perform and the apparel looks (45-60 seconds).

And to wrap it up, the customer concludes the video by revealing how you solved their problem, how the working relationship evolved, what they like about working with you – your professionalism, courtesy, customer service – and how they will continue to call on you whenever a similar problem arises. The Black Diamond video explains that the Adobe solution facilitates one-on-one salesperson/buyer interaction, allows for immersive product presentation, and can be adapted to each salesperson’s style (20-40 seconds).

Pre-Production Planning Your Testimonial Video

A great testimonial video can be used in nearly all your marketing efforts. Screen it in customer service areas and trade shows, incorporate it into prospecting emails, and, of course, post it on your website and social media channels. But for it to be effective, you need to comply with some best practices and carefully plan the marketing video’s content, format, and “feel.” Here are some guidelines:

  • Keep it short. As noted in the formula above, testimonial videos should be no longer than three minutes. 90 seconds to 2 minutes is ideal.
  • Choose a company that has benefitted the most from your services, and has a compelling story to tell.
  • Identify one or a few people in the client company to tell the story. You probably will want to hear from the CEO, for a high-level perspective. Depending on the services you provide and the results achieved, you could also interview the heads of IT, finance, marketing, HR, or other departments. But limit the interviews to three or fewer.
  • In collaboration with your creative agency pre-interview the interviewees to put them at ease and give them an idea of what you expect. You can feed them keywords or concepts you want them to emphasize, but avoid coaching them or scripting their responses.
  • Work with your creative agency to decide what visuals you want to incorporate. During the location scout, your production company will help choose your interview location, background, b-roll subjects, photos, graphics, etc. in advance so that you have a solid game plan and can move effectively, making the most of a day’s video shoot.
  • And finally work with your video production company to develop shooting, editing, review, and revision schedule so everyone agrees on the schedule and scope of work.

Studio B, a video production company in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been helping companies tell their stories through testimonial videos for more than twenty years. With meticulous pre-production planning, creative direction, and skilled editing, we capture the essence of your clients’ challenges and present your solutions in the most positive light. We would be happy to discuss how a testimonial video can transform your marketing and highlight your company’s advantages. Contact us to get started.