What is more powerful and persuasive than your customers selling you and your product? By focusing on the benefits felt by real people, testimonial video brings a certain authenticity and human connection to a marketing campaign.
The Blueprint Film team has several years of experience in producing testimonial film for different companies. How do you create a compelling testimonial video? Scroll on to read our top testimonial video tips…
What do you want to get across in the testimonial video? Having a clear idea of this ahead of time will enable you to get the best possible shoot results.
In general, testimonials should highlight specific case uses for your product or brand and its impact on the client. Create and share a list of questions and topics in advance. These should focus on initial pain points/problems, solutions, benefits (not features!), and emotion. Avoid yes-or-no questions – the list should open up the conversation, not limit it.
A testimonial video does not have to consist solely of the recording with your client. Indeed, if you watch examples of professional testimonial videos, you’ll notice that they often include visual cutaways.
Using cutaways or b-roll gives you the chance to showcase the final product or service being discussed by the client. As well as backing up the testimony, this is a great way to add visual interest to the video. Check out the above testimonial film we made for Meritum Cloud, which uses b-roll of their IT services in action.
Planning also needs to go into the location and shot set-up for the video. Use a location that makes sense concerning the context of the conversation and your brand.
One option is to film where the client uses your product or service – for instance, in their workplace. Ultimately, it should be somewhere the client feels comfortable. Also, the background should be interesting, but not distracting – so stay away from busy areas. Take the time to find the best spot for lighting and sound.
Location is not the only aspect you need to consider when perfecting the lighting, sound and overall recording quality. If you’re using natural lighting, which has the most flattering effect, then the time of day is another factor to keep in mind. High-quality equipment is also important. We’re not just talking camera and microphone quality, but also using a tripod for a steady shot.
The most persuasive thing about testimonial videos is that a customer’s own words are selling your product or brand. Many people make the mistake of having customers follow a script.
As those being filmed are not usually media-trained, scripts will often sound unnatural. Instead, encourage them to tell their story freely and in their own words. Even the list of questions we mentioned earlier should just be jumping-off point. Be conversational and respond to what they say with follow-up questions to make the final video as natural-sounding as possible.
It’s a point that bears repeating. Approach the discussion as a chat that you are having together, rather than a formal interview. Unease is an easy feeling for people to pick up. If the person being filmed is uncomfortable, the viewer will also feel uncomfortable. Ultimately, you want to convey that you have positive relationships with your clients so that potential future clients will be drawn to you.
Sometimes the parts in between the questions can be the best and most genuine moments of the conversation. So instead of interrupting the conversation or the recording, let the camera roll.
Do not worry about length at this point – we will get onto that in the following point. Rather, think of it as giving you more material to choose from later during the editing process. Speaking of…
The editing process is crucial to getting the video you want from the footage and b-roll you’ve collected. It gives you the chance to cut out any slip-ups and repetitive or unnecessary moments.
Chances are, you will have lots of footage from the shoot. But you want to focus on the most engaging and illuminative parts of what has been said. When it comes to length, aim for around 2-3 minutes to maintain viewers’ attention. Still, make sure that the final edit respects the spirit of what has been said.
Adding animations and graphics can help to flesh things out or highlight key points. Graphics can also be a way to insert your branding – with logo placement, fonts, frames and colour palettes. Not to mention that it’s another way to add visual interest to your testimonial video. Watch the above testimonial video we made for Taxi For Email and spot the subtle yet effective ways it incorporates graphics.
It may sound obvious, but we’ve seen many companies spend money on amazing video content only to not get the most out of it.
So once you have your final testimonial film, make sure to share it across your digital platforms. Host it on your website in a place that is easy for potential customers to find. Some websites have entire pages dedicated to testimonials! And, of course, post and promote it across your social pages.
For help with using and boosting your content on social media, check out our social media content services.
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