Client testimonials aren’t just another box to check in your marketing to-do list. No matter your industry, all of your marketing efforts should focus on driving three key results: client awareness, trust, and conversions.
Research shows that customer testimonials are one of the most powerful marketing tools used to accomplish all of the above.
What are client testimonials?
Client testimonials are written or recorded statements capturing your customers’ first-hand experience with your product or services.
Marketers often use the terms “reviews” and “testimonials” interchangeably, but they’re actually quite different.
Reviews are statements your customers have the option to leave after working with you, usually through a third-party service like Google, Facebook, or Yelp.
Testimonials are recommendations your company seeks out and gathers from your top clients. You’ll interview your clients, gather quotes, and record anecdotes, transforming them into powerful promotional materials for your website, testimonial page, and content marketing channels. They are authentic case studies, providing more personalized, in-depth details from clients who advocate for your work and know your value first-hand.
Why are client testimonials important?
In the basic marketing funnel, your efforts should stir awareness, nurture leads, and convert them. Customer testimonials play a pivotal role in each of these steps in the buyer’s journey, driving the returns and efficiency of your efforts by increasing web traffic, trust, and conversions.
1. Strengthens SEO & web traffic
Search engines love testimonials — but even more, they love testimonial videos. Testimonial videos help your audience find you.
Studies show:
- Websites with testimonials and testimonial pages experience 45% more web traffic than those that don’t.
- Web pages with video are 53x more likely to be on the first page of search results. This is vital for your testimonial page.
- Consumers spend 12x more time on websites with video content vs. written testimonials and content.
2. Builds trust for B2B & B2C clients
Over 9 in 10 customers check online reviews before making a purchase. It’s now an automatic step in the purchasing decision. By taking control of the narrative with effective testimonials, you can help build this trust quickly.
When surveyed, nearly 3 in 4 consumers felt positive testimonials helped strengthen their trust in a business. Most respondents said they trust testimonials as much as recommendations from their friends and families.
But what about when your consumer is another business? Further research reveals that 97% of customers list B2B video testimonials as “the most reliable type of content,” according to a Demand Gen Report.
3. Increased revenue
ROI should be the #1 goal in your content marketing efforts. Cut past the fluff and create authentic content that provides value to your audience with testimonials.
Since we’re talking numbers, let’s look at the stats:
- Regular use of customer testimonials can boost revenue by 62%.
- Customer testimonials promoting high-ticket offerings increased conversions by 380%.
- After interacting with a testimonial, customers are 58% more likely to convert.
What makes a client testimonial effective?
An effective customer testimonial builds trust with your audience by prioritizing four key components:
1. Visuals
We’re visual creatures. To truly trust, feel, and connect with something, we must be able to visualize it.
Because of this, B2B video testimonials make the biggest impact compared to written testimonials. Nearly half of consumers feel video testimonials work because they help them visualize and see how a company can help solve their problems or reach their goals.
Capture your clients’ testimonials on video, and watch their words speak volumes.
2. Credibility
Effective testimonials aren’t just about you — they’re about your star clients! Interview leadership, and include their rankings or achievements in your video or description. Showcase your clients’ credibility by building up their results, reputation, and ROI, and you’ll amplify yours.
3. Authenticity
Testimonials work because they add a human factor to your brand. They cut past the corporate talk and provide real recommendations from real humans. Encourage your clients to be authentic by creating a professional yet approachable interview environment.
For example: Consider leveraging a remote smartphone testimonial process over elaborate on-site productions.
4. Storytelling
Facts, numbers, and results speak to our bank accounts, but storytelling speaks to our hearts. Storytelling engages with your audience and captures their attention in a powerful, profound way.
Ask questions to uncover the story behind your client’s experience. What’s their ‘before and after?’ What journey did they take with you? Direct a narrative that addresses your prospects’ concerns and builds their trust.
How to create client testimonial videos that build trust
How you ask for, set up, and capture testimonials can make or break your results. Create powerful testimonials for your company by following a targeted strategy:
1. Ask for customer testimonials.
Before you can create the best customer testimonials, you must first ask for them. Your customers are not obligated to take the time out of their schedule to record a testimonial — so why should they? Find an answer to this question, and you’ll be able to build up your testimonial portfolio and get results.
Reach out to your best clients personally, sharing gratitude for how they’ve influenced your business. Give them the option to provide a testimonial, potentially offering any discounts or rewards for doing so.
Most of all, make it easy for them. Using a remote video production strategy, you can get all the information you need for 6 months of content in 30 minutes without interrupting their schedule.
2. Look for customer testimonial opportunities.
If a client leaves a positive review or messages you sharing their gratitude, ask right then if they’d be willing to record a testimonial.
3. Create a customer testimonial strategy.
You don’t need 10 of the same testimonials. Create a strategy to ensure your testimonials cover all of your products, services, or segments, painting the complete picture of your value proposition.
4. Ask the right questions.
Guide your clients in the right direction by asking them the right questions. Be specific.
If you’re all about providing 5-star customer service, don’t just ask, “What did you like about your experience?”
Instead, ask, “How do you feel our customer support staff helped you reach your goals?”
3 Examples of Client Testimonial Videos that Work
Of course, visuals speak louder than words. Here are 3 real-life examples of client testimonials that work:
Why it works
- It’s personal. Lisbeth shares what her priorities and goals were in her unique experience and how TowerHouse fit each of them.
- It focuses on the past, present, and future. It’s not just about a one-time experience but a long-term
- It’s in her home! Authenticity builds trust.
Why it works
- The interviewer asks why they chose and recommended the business. This encourages long-form, detailed answers over general clichés.
- The video captures multiple leaders’ perspectives, strengthening the credibility of the statements.
Why it works
- Jesse shares his experience using a storytelling approach guided by the questions in the interviewer’s outline.
- The prompts focus on a before and after: What it was like before working with TowerHouse vs. after.
- It’s results-driven. The client shares how the company empowered real metrics that prove the ROI of the investment.
Start creating powerful client testimonial videos.
Testimonial videos build a bridge of client trust. They forge connections, create opportunities, and ignite conversions. With Remote Video Testimonials, you can capture high-quality video testimonials anywhere in the world in just 30 minutes without requiring an in-person video crew.
Not only is it an effective way to get video testimonials, but it’s a fast, easy, and affordable solution. Learn more about Remote Video Testimonials here