Capturing Trust: Step-By-Step Guide to Crafting Convincing Testimonial Videos

Nine out of ten people trust what a customer says about a business more than what a business says about itself. That’s how powerful testimonials are.

No matter how much you perfect your video marketing content, nothing beats the word of mouth of your happy customers. If you wish to leverage this trust, it’s time to start making convincing client testimonial videos.

In this post, we’ll discuss the psychological power of video testimonials and actionable tips to help you make your own. Let’s dive in.

The Psychological Power of Video Testimonials

While written reviews are easy to whip up, video testimonials take significantly more time, energy, and money. Why bother then?

Well, because video testimonials are more powerful and effective than words can ever be. Here are some statistics from Wyzowl to put things into perspective:

• 77% of people say a brand’s testimonial video has convinced them to buy their product or service.
• Two out of three people say they’d be more likely to purchase after watching a testimonial video showcasing a business, product, or service.
• 47% of people say testimonial videos are effective because they help visualise how a product or service works.
• 42% of people say testimonial videos are effective because they showcase an actual person and help the viewer understand their story.
• 37% of people believe testimonial videos are effective because they’re more authentic than a business’ pitch.

Testimonial videos feature real-life customers that viewers can see, hear, and trust. By engaging multiple senses and using trust signals like voice tone, facial expression, and body language, a video speaks to your customers in a way text never can.

What’s more, video testimonials significantly improve conversions and drive revenue. Research shows that 72% of marketers realise an ROI of 50-500% from testimonial videos.

Pre-planning: Laying the Groundwork for Authenticity

Before you jump into filming, it’s important to plan your testimonial video and identify clear goals you want to achieve.

Remember, a testimonial is not meant to be a commercial video about your brand — it is a way to build trust with your audience. When planning, keep these tips in mind:

• Create a detailed storyboard that tells a compelling story. According to Headstream, 55% of people are more likely to buy a product if they love the brand’s story.

• Stay authentic. Customers are smart — they can see through scripted and paid recommendations, so try to create authentic testimonial videos that come from the heart.

• Identify the right participants for your video. Don’t chase after customers who refuse to give you time. Find someone who has genuinely been positively impacted by your brand, and feature them in your story.

• Ensure your video highlights clear results and benefits. A smiley customer saying “it’s a good product” isn’t enough — the testimonial should identify why your product is better than your competition and highlight tangible results your audience is looking for.

The Interview Script: Balancing Authenticity and Marketing

Once you’ve laid down a solid plan, it’s time to get to video-making.

The first step is finding the right customers to feature and creating the video script. When asking customers for a testimonial, keep these things in mind:

• Don’t ask too early — you don’t want to hound a brand-new customer and scare them off. Find people who’ve stuck around with your brand for at least a couple of months.

• Don’t send mass emails to your entire customer base. Wait for a client that genuinely loves your brand and invite them individually.

• Wait until the customer has given you positive feedback, and ask them over email or phone. Share all details about your video plan with them beforehand.

• Never offer customers an incentive in return for a testimonial. The last thing your video needs is biassed feedback.

Once you find a willing customer, prepare your interview script. Often, customers might have glowing reviews to give but are still wording them in the same cut-and-dry way.

This means when asking testimonial questions, you must probe them in the right direction without manipulating the conversation.

Here are some core questions every testimonial should answer:

1. What problems were you trying to solve with our product or service?
2. What made you choose our product or service among other options?
3. How did this product or service help make your life easier?
4. What have you liked the best about using our product/service?

It’s also important to set up the environment to make the participants comfortable. Get their written consent to be featured in the video, inform them where you plan to publish it, and tell them what they are expected to do.

You should also give them suggestions on where to look, how to speak, and what to wear, and check in on them regularly while you’re shooting.

Elevating Your Testimonial With High-Quality Production

High-quality production is essential to a convincing testimonial video. As part of building trust, you want to show your audience that you care about every minute detail and your production quality should reflect that.

Make sure your visuals are crisp and clear, and the sound is perfectly audible with minimum background noise and distractions. Have a clutter-free set and add in transition effects to ensure your video flows smoothly from one shot to another.

You also want to invest in professional-quality equipment if you can afford to, but a smartphone camera, a stand, and a quality microphone should be just fine, too.

Finally, a recent study reports a 40% increase in views for captioned videos, so consider adding subtitles to your video to make it even better.

The Value of Professional Video Production Services

While a smartphone and basic editing knowledge can get you started, nothing quite compares to the value of professional video production services.

Enlisting the help of experts like Ivory Media can significantly enhance your video content and overall brand image. Here are three things professional video services offer that a DIY approach never can:

1. The guarantee of high-quality production. Professional teams are equipped with high-resolution cameras, professional-grade audio recording, and lighting tools. They possess the technical knowledge of the best angles, shooting techniques, and lighting to capture a visually striking video.

2. Creative concept development. They also possess a deep understanding of storytelling techniques, visuals, and pacing. They can help you develop a strong narrative structure, select appropriate visuals, and incorporate elements like animation or motion graphics to take your testimonial video to the next level.

3. Post-production magic. Expert editors possess the technical knowledge and artistic flair to transform raw footage into a seamless and polished final product. They have access to state-of-the-art editing software to enhance your video with audio mastering, colour correction, and special effects.

While professional production services may cost you more upfront, the value they bring to the table is well worth the investment. Professionally produced videos have the power to captivate viewers and keep them engaged for longer durations in a way that DIY videos cannot.

The Editing Suite: Cutting for Impact and Credibility

No matter how great your video content is, your message will be lost if the quality is poor.

This is where post-production editing becomes essential. Once you have your films ready, go back and edit out any parts that are repetitive, unnecessary, or incorrect.

You could leave in some bloopers to reflect your customer’s humanity, but ensure the final product is a clean-cut customer interview.

Too many gags or lengthy answers can take away from your video’s convincing power. Slack’s testimonial video is an excellent example of a humorous video that showcases personality without distracting from the message.

The editing suite is also where you cut your video down to its optimal length. We’ll talk about that more in the next section.

Optimal Length: How Long Should a Testimonial Video Be?

95% of customers believe testimonial videos should be under two minutes long.

Aim to make your testimonials between 60 seconds to 2 minutes (and even shorter if you can). This is especially important if you’re posting on social media sites like Instagram and TikTok, where viewer attention spans are notoriously short. For these platforms, cut down your testimonials to 30 to 45 seconds.

When posting on video platforms like Vimeo or YouTube, you can feature longer testimonial videos, but we’d still recommend staying within the 3-minute benchmark. Edit wisely to ensure you feature the best interview moments without making the video feel rushed.

Amassing over 13 million views, this testimonial video from Codecademy does an incredible job of centering a customer’s story in under 3 minutes.

Now You Know How to Make Convincing Testimonial Videos!

Video testimonials are a powerful marketing tool to showcase how much genuine customers love your brand. Unlike overused written testimonials, video testimonials are authentic, engaging, and incredibly effective in establishing trust with your customer base.

If you have the budget, consider outsourcing video production to a video marketing agency like Ivory Media. With over 40 years of combined industry experience, we can help you create compelling video testimonials that your viewers will love. Get a quote today!