As a small business owner, your reputation matters more than ever. Your customers are going to sites like YELP, Trip Advisor and Google Maps to explore your credibility through online reviews. And it doesn’t stop there. As video continues to grow and services like Youtube explode, your customers are looking for video and voice before choosing your company over your competitors.
And with quality video testimonials; not only on Youtube, but also in search results, your website and social media – you have the ability to build customer confidence while branding your business and even yourself. More on self branding later.
If you start now, you are still extremely early and far ahead of your competitors, all while utilizing extremely underpriced marketing mediums. I’m talking fractions of dollars compared to Google Adwords.
So why are video testimonials so effective?
Let’s first discuss where a video testimonial appears. When you create your video, you have several places to upload it. It can be shared on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even Snapchat (ALL FOR FREE). And we get asked all the time, where is the best ROI.
I say share it everywhere!
In fact, share different versions of it on each platform with YouTube being priority.
You see when you share a video on Youtube, you have a really good chance of that video appearing in the Google search results and not just YouTube search results.
Example, if you are an HVAC Service owner, your video testimonial on Youtube titled “Sarasota AC Company Testimonial For AC Repair”. In this instance, the video may get picked up by Google for the keyword phrase “Sarasota AC Company” in a top 20 result (maybe even top 10). And customers that are digging for companies by reputation will find this video pretty easily in their due dilligence. Think of that customer who is looking to spend $10,000 on a AC Replacement for their home. They will feel much better about choosing your company if they see someone they can relate to in a video that is praising their experience with their purchase.
After you develop the Youtube version of your video, then you can begin to break it down for platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. The only difference is the video is going to be shorter with a clear call to action in the first 5 seconds.
How To Develop Video Testimonials?
Even if you have truck loads of money at your business, you still need to learn these techniques. As no external agency is going to know your customers and your business as well as you do.
It all starts with a happy customer. Of course your are not going to interview a customer that was not satisfied with their service. You want that customer in which you exceeded their expectations and it is obvious. Simply asking them if they would mind doing a testimonial on video is often all you need to do. In some situations, you may want to offer them an incentive, such as a percentage off their next purchase.
Simply pull our your CELL PHONE. Yes, cell phones are amazing for video testimonials. I love how natural it is. It shows that nothing was really planned and no scripting was done. Now if you are a doctor or lawyer, you can certainly go a step above and get a real crew in place, however I still prefer a natural setting over the obvious setup of the video.
Here’s is an example of our “Tourism Industry” client who does all his video testimonials with a cell phone.
Nothing crazy here. Just a family of four that had a great time while out fishing with the small business. They were happy to talk about it on camera. And now when another family sees this video, especially with young children, you can see how that builds instant consumer confidence.
What Questions Should You Ask?
This is the most important part of building a great testimonial video. Most of your customers won’t just speak on camera or ramble about how great your service is. You have to nudge them into elaborating about their experience with you.
Using the following ten questions will help you build a rockstar video testimonial.
- What’s your name and where are you from?
- What service did you use with us today?
- How did you discover our company?
- What made you choose our company?
- Have you tried other companies?
- What was it like to work with our company?
- What specifically did you like about our service today?
- Would you recommend our service to your family and friends?
- Why would you recommend our service to someone else?
- Is there anything you would add to make your experience better?
With all their replies on video, you will have some great content to take into editing, but you still need a bit more.
What Else Makes A Great Video Testimonial
Always tell the story. Going back to the HVAC company – Customers call an HVAC because they either need an AC replaced or repaired. So tell that story. Get video of the broken AC and show the tech fixing it or replacing it. You only need 10 to 20 second clips here, just to add some weight to the video.
If you are an allergy doctor, jump on camera yourself and explain the allergy season and why this patient came to see you and how you helped them with their allergies. Again, build the content and tell the story.
How To Edit The Video
This is where you have a few options and can finally ask the GENIUSES for help. By hiring a company like SEM Genius, we can provide voiceover and professional editing at a great cost. You see if we were to show up at your company and do the video ourself, not only is it expensive for you, but it’s hardly natural. However, if you provide us with all the video, we can make something that your potential customers can relate to and get it done right.
If you want to keep going on your own, then more power to you! Jump into an easy to use software like “imovie”. If you don’t have a mac, then get one. It will not only make editing videos easier, but managing your marketing easier too.
Underpriced Marketing
And there you have it. In 2018, video is still extremely underpriced! If you are making these videos, then you are way ahead of your competition and just about everyone. And while making these videos you are also growing your social media presence including YouTube which most companies neglect. Remember, YouTube is owned by Google so don’t you part of your SEO strategy should be to grow video content as well?