People buy products and services from businesses they know, like, and trust. Now, thanks to the internet, smartphones, and social media, 67% of the buying decision happens online before anyone picks up a phone to call a business. While online reviews and written testimonials are great at building trust, people know that some are not real. There is only one review that can’t be faked, that works better than them all—the customer video testimonial. A well-produced customer video testimonial will help you build trust with a prospect and close more sales.
Five Best Testimonial Video Services
There are many different ways to create a video testimonial and they vary in quality and in price. You will have to decide which is the best testimonial video service for you. But hopefully this blog will help you understand the differences so you can make an educated decision. Here, I will review the top five (5) ways you can create customer video testimonials.
- Do-It-Yourself (By Customer)
- Do-It-Yourself (By Company)
- Web-Based Testimonial Services
- Professional Video Production Company
- Remote Video Production Service
Thanks to technological advances with smartphones, computers, and digital still cameras, the ability to record 1080P HD video has never been easier. Having easy access to video is great but knowing how to use it properly it is very different. Remember, the end goal of a customer video testimonial is to tell a story that shows how you helped a customer achieve their goals. In doing so, you build trust and demonstrate the value you provide.
Here is the first of two different Do-It-Yourself approaches for creating customer video testimonials.
Do-It-Yourself Video Testimonials (By Customer)
The easiest and most affordable way to create a customer video testimonial is to contact your happy clients and ask them if they would be willing to create a video testimonial using their webcam or smartphone. As much as you don’t have much to do, your client has to do everything. If you have ever asked clients to give you a Google review, you know that asking is the easy part; getting them to actually do it is another thing.
Besides having to wait until your customer makes their video testimonial, you also are dealing with a lot of uncertainty around the finished result. You can get lucky with this approach, but in the end, it might not even be usable. Be sure to let them know what you need and how you want it shot. If the video testimonial isn’t to your liking, there is no going back.
Here are some recommendations to ensure a successful outcome.
- Keep the video testimonial short. No more than 2 minutes.
- They should give specifics about how you helped them achieve their goals
- They should shoot in a well-lit area, not in direct light. Near a window works great.
- They should be in a quiet area with no background noise
- They should shoot horizontally with their smartphone
- Place the camera at eye height
- Look at the camera and not the screen
- Use a tripod when possible to have a nice still image
- Use a microphone when possible. AirPods work great
Here are the pros and cons of this approach to creating customer video testimonials.
Pros
- It doesn’t cost anything
- The customer takes care of everything
- It doesn’t require any company resources
Cons
- Have no control over video and audio quality
- May have to wait a long time
- The content might not be usable
Do-It-Yourself Video Testimonials (By Company)
The second of the two Do-It-Yourself approaches is for your company to create the customer video testimonials. With this approach you eliminate the uncertainty associated with having your customer shoot the video themselves. However, the challenge here is does your staff have the time and availability to visit clients and interview them. Not only that, but do you have someone in your company that is competent in shooting video, interviewing a customer, and editing the footage once it is complete. There are many moving pieces that you have to get right for you to get something that looks and sounds good.
Many businesses are interviewing their customers using video conferencing software like Zoom or Skype. As much as we have all gotten used to using these platforms for meetings, it’s limited when we are talking about high-quality recorded video. We all have been on a video call when someone’s video freezes or they lose their audio. One of the biggest issues is audio-video sync where the audio doesn’t line up with their mouth movements.
If you plan on using Zoom, be must have a paid subscription to enable Group HD that allows you to record in 720P HD quality. Upon request, you can get Zoom to allow you to record in 1080P HD quality. If this is too much of a headache for you, there are other streaming platforms you can use. One I particularly like is Streamyard. You can use it to live stream or to create recorded video content. It has a great camera switcher that allows you to have different camera layout combinations.
So here are some recommendations to ensure the best possible outcome.
- Take a tripod and wired lavalier microphone when interviewing a customer in person.
- You can also bring a daylight-balanced LED ring light to use as a light source
- Come prepared with questions that are going to get them talking about what is most important
- Use editing software to edit the various answers and turn them into a story
- If possible, record some supplemental footage, so it isn’t just a talking head video
- If using Zoom, make sure you are recording in 720P or 1080P HD video
Here are the pros and cons of this approach to creating customer video testimonials.
Pros
- It doesn’t cost anything
- No need for a video production company
Cons
- Requires your staff to shoot and edit video
- Someone needs basic video production skills
- Requires your staff has time
- Quality is limited by staff competency
Web-Based Video Testimonials
Over the last several years, more and more web-based platforms have appeared to simplify and automate the video testimonial process. These subscription-based platforms are great at streamlining the testimonial process, that include form creation and email marketing to get video testimonials and Google reviews. The form makes it easy to create a video testimonial with one click using the built-in webcam from their computer.
One that I particularly like is Boast which starts at $25/month for 240 total responses a year. Remember this platform is used to get online reviews as well as video testimonials so you might need to upgrade to a larger package. With this package you would only be able to get 12 reviews a month before going over.
Another option is Vocal Video which starts at $33/month but their most popular package is $99/month. With the more popular package you do have the ability to download the videos. This is great because you then would have the ability to edit the video testimonials before sharing them online.
These are great options for businesses that are looking to get lots of video testimonials but don’t necessarily care about the quality of the video. Just like with the Do-It-Yourself approach, it is up to the customer to come up with the content and since it goes right to their video hosting platform, the video is unedited.
As much as I like the functionality built into these platforms and having customer video testimonials is better than not having them at all, I question the quality of the content and its effectiveness at building trust with a prospect.
Here are the pros and cons of this approach to creating customer video testimonials.
Pros
- Low cost option
- Great high volume option
- Offers custom forms and email marketing
- Helps get Google reviews as well
- No need for a video production company
Cons
- No interaction with customer
- Requires the customer knows what to say
- Most won’t record a video testimonial
- Unsure of video and audio quality
- Monthly subscription cost
If you truly want the best testimonial video service, you need to work with a video professional. These next two approaches allow you to work with an in-person video crew or a remote video crew.
Professional Video Production Company
If you want the highest quality client video testimonial that not only looks and sounds great but effectively communicates the customer experience then hiring a professional video production company is your best option.
They have the equipment, staff, and experience to produce the highest quality produce. At a minimum you will spend $2,500 but there are companies that have spend $10,000 or more to a customer success story video. These videos not only include multiple interviews but supplemental “B-Roll” footage of the customers in action. These types of videos are the most powerful and effective at building trust and demonstrating the results you achieve for your customers.
Because of the cost, this option is typically too expensive for small businesses who want to do more than one customer video testimonial.
Here are the pros and cons of this approach to creating customer video testimonials.
Pros
- Highest quality video and audio
- Includes interviews and “B-Roll” footage
- Will get the best interview content
- Will be edited to tell the best story
Cons
- Most expensive option
- Cost limits the number of videos you can do
- Requires lots of your time
- Takes the longest to produce video
As much as I have personally produced some professional video testimonials, you can get something that looks comparable and is as effective at building trust and demonstrating your value using remote video production services.
Remote Video Production Services
Thanks to technical advancements in smartphone camera technology, video conferencing, and mobile apps, it is now possible to get high quality video and audio using a smartphone remotely. Because of the pandemic, we have seen an increased number of professional video production companies start offering remote video services but they are few and far between.
What makes remote video production so attractive to businesses is it allows any customer located anywhere in the US or abroad to be interviewed with very little effort and expense. With remote video production, there is no in-person video crew, so their are no travel expenses and very little time is required from your customer. Remember, your customer is doing you a favor so you want it to be as easy and quick as possible. The other thing that is nice is no longer do you have to pay for half-day or full-day rates. You just pay for the time required which is usually about 30-minutes.
The best part is you get all the benefits from the professional production company solution without the expense. This includes having a professional interviewer, it means you also have a video professional that knows lighting, composition, and framing, you have a professional editor who knows how to take the footage and turn it into a short 90-second customer video testimonial that tells a story that builds trust to convert a prospect into a customer.
At Remote Video Testimonials, we offer a fast, easy and affordable way to create customer video testimonials that are interview-based, done by video professionals but without the need for an in-person video crew and can be done in 30-minutes anywhere in the world. If you want a video that is engaging, persuasive, and effective in getting prospects to take action, you want a video testimonial that is interview-based to get the most compelling responses and professionally edited so it can be crafted into a story that sells.
All a customer needs is a smartphone and WiFi access to the internet for us to interview them remotely. Not only do we use remote video production to create customer video testimonials, but our solution is great for corporate communications, video courses, profile videos, video blogs, and so much more. If you would like to see examples of our videos made using remote video production, click the link below.
Here are the pros and cons of this approach to creating customer video testimonials.
Pros
- Fast, easy and affordable option
- Interview a customer anywhere in US
- Shoot takes 30-minutes
- High quality video and audio
- Will get the best interview content
- Will be edited to tell the best story
Cons
- Cost might be an issue for some
- Limited control of lighting
- Only supports Apple iPhones
Well, I hope you found this information helpful. When trying to decide which is the best testimonial video service, you need to decide which option makes the most sense for you and your business. Please don’t wait because your competition is most likely already using video testimonials and it puts you at a tremendous disadvantage. If you want to have a FREE 30-minute video testimonial strategy call, use the link below.