**** THIS POST WAS WRITTEN IN 2016 AND MENTIONS A PRODUCT THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE ****

Video testimonials are a great starting point to increase customer engagement without blowing your budget. More and more marketers are now focusing primarily on consumer engagement and personalized messages, and what better way to provide this than with video testimonials.

According to a survey by Marketing Land, 90% of consumers say online reviews influence their purchase decisions. So what exactly is a video testimonial and how can you use them to effectively boost your customer engagement?

What is a Video Testimonial?

Video testimonials are given by satisfied customers, who record themselves giving a recommendation or confirming the quality, performance or value of a product or service. Video testimonials carry more weight than written testimonials as potential consumers have the chance to see, hear, and experience your product or service from a real customer.

As humans are visual beings and process videos 60 thousand times faster than text, it is clear that video testimonials make for compelling tools to engage and convert your consumers.

During the purchase process, a consumer will look for immediate answers about products or services in order to categorize your business as a possible solution provider. Gaining the trust of consumers is paramount in order to convert, and video testimonials help to obtain that trust. You can use our collections of business videos.

According to Search Engine Watch, video helps persuade 73% of people to buy a product or service, and the combination of visuals and audio stimulate the consumers’ senses, encouraging message absorption.

If you are wondering how to start your own video testimonial collection for your business, take a look at the following tips.

Top 6 Tips to Collect Video Testimonials

Clipchamp It

Make it easy for customers to leave reviews by using Clipchamp’s products. Start by going online to clipchamp.com and setting up a Clipchamp Video Request. Share your unique video collection link with your audience and let them record and upload their video testimonials.

Alternatively, using Clipchamp’s video API technology will also allow you to embed a button on your website that your visitors can click to instantly record a video or upload an existing recording of their testimonial.

With Clipchamp’s technology, the video files are compressed and converted to the size and type most suitable for your business. The files are all transformed on the consumer’s computer using only HTML5 before being uploaded directly to your cloud storage, dramatically reducing your server- side video transcoding costs.

The ease of which a client can record their video testimonial will be directly linked to the number of testimonials your business receives. By integrating the Clipchamp API into your landing page or using the Clipchamp Video Request to collect videos through your social media and email, you will increase the ease and reduce the amount of time needed for consumers to leave a video testimonial. Be sure to include a call-to-action and brief step by step instructions to make the process even simpler.

Consider your target audience

Potential customers will identify with video testimonials that are given by people who fit the same buyer personas as them. Consider the industry, demographic and psychographic characteristics of your target audience. Strategically select the client testimonies that best match the description of your target audience and feature them on your website.

Ideally aim to feature at least one testimonial video for each buyer persona that your business targets. Effective video testimonials will consider the concerns and aspirations of the target audience and list the main benefits of the product or service (Adhere).

Provide an incentive

Give your customers a reason to record their video testimonial today. Video contests are the easiest way to increase engagement and generate testimonials that fit a clear set of guidelines. Giveaway competitions can encourage customers to submit a video testimonial in order to receive free products or services.

Alternatively, give away a few of your products or services first and allow consumers to use them provided they submit a video testimonial afterwards. For example, dental company HiSmile sponsors social media influencers by giving them a HiSmile teeth whitening kit to try out and review. They then take the positive video testimonials and turn them into advertisements by posting the videos to Facebook and using paid promotion.

Keep it fresh

Remember to constantly search for new submissions and upload to your website and social media periodically. Customers are more likely to make a purchase after hearing current and accurate testimonials, so it’s best to keep track of your reviews daily. The accommodation and travel industry particularly rely on current testimonials about the state of the room and the quality of the service in order to win over customers.

Instead of asking customers to rate your service on a questionnaire, why not ask the customer to take a video of themselves in the room or around the hotel and have the chance to be featured in your next post.

Be upfront

Tell your loyal customers about why you are seeking a testimonial from them. Explain that video testimonials are the most effective way of telling the world about your brand and that their personal experiences are important in spreading a positive word-of-mouth message. Telling consumers that their videos may be posted to your businesses’ website, social media pages, or make up part of an online ad can even boost customer engagement.

Levi’s “Live in Levi’s” campaign is a great example of creatively incorporating customers’ video testimonials into an advertising campaign. Levi’s takes user generated content from young creative professionals and focuses on their experiences and how they live in Levi jeans. Videos are posted to their website and subtly encourage purchases through their ability to shop the testimonial’s featured looks.

Respond

Don’t forget to respond to your video testimonials. If they have uploaded a raving review, thank them. If the feedback you received was negative or your customer was dissatisfied in some way, it is important that you respond by offering an apology and also a solution to the problem. People like to know that their voice has been heard, and responding to negative feedback could turn those unsatisfied customers into an evangelist for your brand. You wouldn’t walk away from a customer complaining to you in person, and the same goes for video testimonials.

In summary, video testimonies are becoming increasingly popular in digital marketing. They are more effective than most traditional forms of review such as surveys, as they give other consumers the chance to see and hear others using the product and can therefore better decide whether they wish to take the next step and purchase.

Who knows, maybe video testimonials will take over TripAdvisor and change the way we shop on Amazon. The possibilities really are endless.