Professional Tips for Making Customer Video Testimonials that Your Audience will Love

Think about the process that a customer will go through when it comes to making a relatively high value purchase. First they come to the conclusion that they need or want whatever the product or service is that they’re going to purchase, and then they start researching the options. They’ll find several options, narrow it down to the top 3 or so, and then they begin the hard part – making their final decision. Making customer video testimonials that will influence this final decision on your customers is not something to take lightly. It is, after all, what will likely make or break whether the prospect chooses your product or service, over the competition. 

This is why making customer video testimonials that don’t just attract audience attention, but that truly draw their trust and build their confidence in choosing your brand over the competition is so important. But as a small business owner, if you’re not super creative, or you don’t have a strong background in film production, making customer video testimonials could be something that feels almost impossible, let along making something that is going to come across in a way that converts for your business.

At Beverly Boy Productions, we realize how important professionally produced customer testimonial videos are for your business, and how hard they can be to create. As professionals in the film industry with more than two decades of experience creating corporate video products including expert produced customer testimonial videos, we thought it might be nice to offer up some guidance to get you started off on the right track.

Beyond the point where a prospect has researched the best materials or craftsmanship, reviewed the potential benefits of a brand, and has begun to build up a sense of consideration for one brand or another, the reviews provided by customers are what will drive consumer trust and convert that prospect into your next customer or client. Because at the end of the day, 9 out of 10 people say that they trust what a customer says about a business more than they trust what the business says about itself. So, here’s what you need to do to ensure you’re making customer video testimonials that will hit the mark.

Keep it Real & Genuine

A genuine video, that your audience can sense came straight from the heart of the customer, is going to convert much higher than one that is clearly scripted. If your audience can even sense that your customer testimonial video is the result of a paid relationship or has otherwise been influenced in a way that is not natural, they’re likely to turn and run! Before you post a customer video testimonial, make sure that you’ve taken the steps to ensure the entire review is genuine and comes across as wholeheartedly presented by your satisfied customer – that means, don’t butt in too much!

Your customer testimonial should not only come across as having been worded by your customer, but it should also look and feel authentic. Videos that come across as overly rehearsed as more likely to get lost in the shuffle, they lack value for the prospect that is clearly seeking customer guidance, and uninterested in hearing more about what the brand itself has to say. As many as 86% of consumers state that brand authenticity is vital when they are decided whether or not to support a business. 

If your testimonial appears to have been a paid promotion, or it otherwise comes across as not as authentic as you’re trying to make it out to be, you’re going to lose your audience’s trust.

Look for Customer Reviews that Include Real Results & Benefits

As you’re looking for a customer that you can film for your review, it’s important that you find a past customer that is not only satisfied with your brand, but that can provide real results and benefits associated with their purchase or relationship with your business. You need more than, “XYZ is my favorite brand, I just love them.” The best customer testimonial videos are those that include a customer that goes beyond providing a vague review, and includes key details about the results they achieved with the brand or the benefits that the brand was able to provide in relation to their unique situation or need. 

If you must help your customer to come up with figures that your audience can benefit from, consider asking them to think about and answer the following questions with their review:

• What does this product or service do that other products or services don’t or can’t?
• How is this brand better than others you have tried (and what other brands did you try or consider)?
• How does the product or service specifically serve your needs?
• What results did you have after using the product or service?

These kinds of questions will help your customer to target specific, tangible results that will be necessary for making customer video testimonials that your audience can actually use to help them make their decision.

Use Expert Film Production Techniques for an Expert Video

Making customer video testimonials that your audience will love requires first planning the right customer or customers for the project, and then making sure that your customer is going to share the right details including results and benefits, but the filmmaking is where your testimonial can truly shine or get lost in the commotion of all the other testimonials provided online.

Use these expert film production tips to ensure you’re making customer video testimonials that your audience is going to absolutely love:

• Start with high quality, expert film equipment. If you don’t have it in-house, renting is an option as is hiring a professional customer testimonial video production company, like Beverly Boy Productions, to assist with the project.
• Prepare a simple script, but don’t overdo it. Remember what we said about a video being overly rehearsed or coming across as less than real? You need to have a plan for the order your customer will speak in, and a good idea of what they will share, but the rest should be essentially unrehearsed so that you capture a truly authentic review of your brand.
• Use visuals and your customer on camera to build an emotional connection. The best customer testimonials are those which build a strong emotional connection to your brand. Your customer should resemble your target demographic or audience so that when they watch they think, “Hey, that’s the same problem I had,” and “she/he seems a lot like me.”
• Incorporate graphics and animated features including text overlays to draw attention. Keeping your audience engaged for the entire testimonial is essential to delivering your message. Animated graphics and text overlays can help.
• Use expert filming techniques. Follow the rules of composition and framing. Be sure that your subject appears comfortable on camera, and don’t be afraid to capture plenty of extra b-roll to support the story.

Want more tips on making customer video testimonials that your audience will find valuable to their decision-making process? Give Beverly Boy Productions a call.