How to Create Customer Testimonial Videos for Social Proof
Customer testimonials are important to 9 out of 10 customers, particularly when it comes down to deciding whether or not to purchase from a business or brand. Many customers will not move forward with a decision to make a purchase unless they have seen several customer testimonials first. Others have an underlying need to hear with past customers have to say because they trust testimonials from customers more than the trust what a brand has to say about themselves. That’s why learning how to create customer testimonial videos is so important to the business and to developing a sense of social proof for your brand.
At Beverly Boy Productions we work with clients regularly to produce customer testimonial videos that guide their social following and build credibility, authority, and social proof for their brands. Here’s how we go about creating customer testimonial videos that are credible and ideal for sharing on social media.
Step 1: Prepare Questions for the Client Ahead of Time
While it’s generally best for the customer testimonial video to be unrehearsed, we do like to prepare client testimonial questions ahead of time. By preparing the questions for the customer ahead of time, you can share them with the client so that he or she can be prepared to provide a response. This will help the customer to feel more comfortable on camera, even when a script isn’t in place.
Think about the questions that you’re going to ask. They should not be closed end questions that will garner a simple “yes” or “no” answer, but instead they should be questions that provoke thought and that will draw out the story behind the customer’s relationship with your brand.
Step 2: Choose the Ideal Customer for the Testimonials
You might want to have more than one customer testimonial video which means you need to come up with a plan for how you will choose the ideal customers for the project. Generally speak, you need more than just a satisfied customer if you’re going to create high quality customer testimonial videos. You need a customer that is happy with the relationship that you have created with them, has had success with your brand, and has targeted examples of real world results that they can share about your business. Ideally they are comfortable on camera, and they have a demographic that is similar to your target or ideal audience.
Step 3: Plan the Shots & Compositional Style
This is where it often becomes time to hire a professional to assist you. While you might immediately think that it’s best to film a customer testimonial from a single camera, or that the camera doesn’t matter much, there are profound benefits that come from learning how to create customer testimonial videos from multiple camera shots. Ideally, you’ll have at least two cameras set when you film the customer and you’ll plan your shots out.
Consider a close up, as well as a shot that adds depth of field allowing the background to come through into the video a bit. It’s important that you plan your shoot location so that it relates to your brand but isn’t a distraction. You don’t want moving cars, busy walkways, or other areas where there’s a lot going on as this could disrupt your shots.
Step 4: Let the Camera Roll, and Roll, and Roll
When filming the customer testimonial videos you need to get into the habit of allowing the camera to roll for the duration of the shoot. You might ask different questions, if you’re filming the testimonial interview style, but allow the camera to roll in between the various questions so that you can capture any additional thoughts the customer may have in hindsight or when they are sure the camera has stopped rolling. Sometimes, this is the best footage you’ll have and it makes for a great addition to your story.
Step 5: Use Professional Editing Techniques
Once the footage has been captured, you can use professional editing techniques to ensure the customer testimonial videos that you create are as powerful and engaging as they are professionally fun to watch. Consider the use of text overlays, animated features, and special effects to make your customer testimonial more interesting for your audience. If you’re not familiar with expert crafted editing techniques that are commonly used by the professionals, you might want to consider hiring a professional to assist you with the customer testimonial videos at this time.
Beverly Boy Productions works with clients worldwide who are interested in learning how to create customer testimonial videos for social proof that is going to skyrocket the trust and credibility that they have for their brand. If you’re new to the idea of using customer testimonials to help your business grow, consider giving our team a call so that we can teach you about the many powerful benefits that come along as a result of your decision to create expert testimonials for your brand.