Video as part of a planned strategy will help draw your customers into your “web” and start to know, like and trust you.  But tipping them over into becoming paying customers needs an extra push, and that’s where video testimonials come in.

Testimonials act as social proof, a recommendation that the service or product your customer is considering buying is the right choice for them.

But even more powerful are video testimonials.  Why – because:

  • Video grabs attention, is engaging, builds emotion and creates connection with a potential customer
  • Seeing actual customers makes your brand more relatable
  • Video testimonials from real live customer talking about your service or product in a positive way on camera is perceived as far more genuine (and harder to make up) than simply a written testimonial

In other words: an effective way to give that final nudge potential customers need, in order to happily on the dotted line with you!

And to inspire and explain, here are some testimonial videos created by our team.

Project 1:  Little Big Dairy 

The Challenge:

LBD is a premium milk brand who produce milk from their single-source farm in Dubbo’s Macquarie Valley.

They wanted to increase sales of their product direct to hospitality businesses for an agency-backed digital marketing campaign.

Recognising there were some barriers to purchase for cafe owners we decided to use the experiences of current customers to convince potential new customers that making the switch to LBD would benefit their business.

IFD were commissioned to make a 10 part series of long and short for videos with each video featuring a different customer and their experience with LBD products.

https://vimeo.com/480155673/99b8e4229a

Why the video works: It delivers a powerful emotional connection with the brand.

The emotional force of this video story is undeniable this type of testimonial will strongly resonate with viewers.

Bec strongly believes in the future of food, sustainability and the health and well being of her customers and hearing her story delivers “feels”.

That she chose Little Big Dairy on her journey is not only a great endorsement but extends those feels to our clients brand too.  The video creates an emotional connection with the audience that centres around Little Big Dairy’s values rather than the product.

Production Insights:

  • Considerable research was done to find / identify a customer like Bec who not only had a very engaging story but was incredibly articulate about her beliefs.  Bec was one of many customers the client identified as possible subjects for filming and we spoke to everyone before filming to determine who would be best.
  • This pre production, meant everyone was well versed on expectations, timing and logistics of the filming day.
  • This was part of a series of videos for the same client, each video was highly stylised with “what’s in it for me” introductory statement from each customer.
  • We captured many many product in situ shots with multiple cameras to help tell the story.
  • On the day of filming we had to prompt the staff – and customers – to look happy and animated; like 99% of people we film candidly the temptation is to be serious and subdued which is not a vibe we want to portray for this client.
  • We spend considerable time selecting music (as on all our projects) to create a punchy intro track to the cafe’s vibe.

Project 2: Milestone Academy

The Challenge:

The Milestone Academy offers online training courses to business owners.

To set out their point of difference – simplicity and affordability – we proposed creating a testimonial video with a happy customer.  Cue Pete from Buck and Simply Architects, big fans of the course.

Why it works: Viewers can easily identify the benefits of this product to make their lives easier.

“Doing this course meant that we didn’t have to spend as much time doing the books as we know what we’re doing is one the right track.”

Those words are extremely powerful. Who doesn’t want to spend less time on the finances but also know that they’re doing the right thing.?

Hearing from the likeable and relatable Pete, clearly demonstrated how this course had made his business – and his life – not only easier, but more financially secure.

This video is very clear about the benefits of the product. The Milestone Academy could tell you about the format of their training videos or the number of businesses they’ve helped, but by framing the benefit as one that frees up people’s time to concentrate on the rest of their business – and life –  they appeal to viewers’ hearts.

Focusing on benefits instead of features is even more important in testimonials than it is in the rest of your marketing.

Production Insights:

  • We chose a simple white backdrop to focus attention on the subject and what he is saying.
  • Use of second cutaway camera shows a more candid side to his interview and appears more believable.
  • Pete is a “regular” guy in casual clothes and a bit dishevelled:  he’s just like the rest of us.
  • We avoided the obvious visual imagery associated with learning and finances:  there’s not a computer or a spreadsheet in sight.
  • In lieu of office shots of Pete’s architects practice (we were mid-lockdown and the office was closed!) we used some stills and added limited motion to these.
  • We spoke to Pete in advance of the shoot to work out his story and then used targeted questions to record answers that weren’t just “they are great” fluff, but tangible problems and solutions to the product.

Project 3: Amire

The Challenge:

Digital Marketing Agency Amire wanted to clearly explain how their services can help businesses sell more stuff through a digital advertising campaign to generate more leads.

We were asked to create a short punchy testimonial that showed Amire as a Digital Marketing Agency more than capable of working with a large  brand to deliver positive business results.

Why it works:  Using a big name customer (Electrolux) delivers trust and confidence for your brand.

I found their team were absolutely able to deliver strategies on how we could build conversions for our product.

Because Jen so clearly describes how Amire helped her with her challenge, the company is immediately positioned as an expert in the space. The fact that their client is an awarded member of their target audience helps, too.

Production Insights

  • This was a reversion project, using footage originally shot for a brand video a very different project.
  • The challenge was there was very little B roll footage of the client because the intention had been to create a 30” sequence within the main brand video.
  • We reverted to use of stock footage to demonstrate the impact of Amire’s involvement.
  • We also used motion text:  not only to ensure that the message was clear for a sound-off audience, but to accentuate key words associated with the positive experience (these were emboldened and increased in size to better stand out).

Project 4:  EzyCollect

The challenge:

Ezy Collect is a financial software company with a range of products on the market.

The product is awesome, but brand awareness was pretty low.  Ee were asked to create a raft of videos to change that including a customer testimonial video about one of their accounting clients to communicate the transformation that Ezy Collect has made to that business.

Why it works: A great customer testimonial sells the benefits, not the features.

This video has a “problem – solution” structure by clearly setting out the problem that Deb has with her business (other clients finances) and how Ezy Collect solved this for them.

This is an extremely effective way of showing your audience how your product or service could work for them.  By putting into context how it can be used but most importantly nails the single biggest challenge that their customers face, recouping overdid invoice payments.

This video doesn’t just sell the product, but gives business owners a solution to one of the trickiest parts of being a business owner.

Camera filming testimonial

Production Insights

  • We chose a simple white backdrop to focus attention on the subject and what he is saying.
  • Use of second cutaway camera shows a more candid side to his interview and appears more believable.
  • Pete is a “regular” guy in casual clothes and a bit dishevelled:  he’s just like the rest of us.
  • We avoided the obvious visual imagery associated with learning and finances:  there’s not a computer or a spreadsheet in sight.
  • In lieu of office shots of Pete’s architects practice (we were mid-lockdown and the office was closed!) we used some stills and added limited motion to these.
  • We spoke to Pete in advance of the shoot to work out his story and then used targeted questions to record answers that weren’t just “they are great” fluff, but tangible problems and solutions to the product.

Project 5:  Surfrider Ocean Friendly Certification

The challenge

Advocacy group Surfrider Foundation wanted to encourage more hospitality businesses to sign up to their Ocean Friendly Scheme.

To avoid the risk of worthiness overload in the sector (you must do this because the world deserves it), we decided to film testimonials with businesses who had been accredited, to explain the process and inspire more take-up.

https://vimeo.com/itchyfeetdigital/wheelerheights

Why this video works: It clearly demonstrates what steps are needed to receive certification and how easy it actually is.

This a strong testimonial because many businesses approached were sceptical at the time and effort involved.   This video clearly overcame those objections as well as leaving viewers with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Production Insights

  • Pre-production meant we were able to interview and brief Shereen about the video and what her story was.
  • We scheduled filming outside main school hours to avoid issues of noise and disruption yet requested some children on set to capture B roll.

Project 6:  Greycliffe Property

The challenge

Property Manager Stephanie Grey wanted to clearly set out the point of difference in her business Greycliffe property.  Her approach is personal and she builds long term relationships with clients for whom she is managing their financial future.

We recommended filming a video testimonial with a long term and happy client to create a series of punchy social videos.

Why it works:  The video is short and punchy whilst demonstrating that Greycliffe Propery is trustworthy and reliable

Production Insights

  • Location for this video was key – by putting our client in a premium home, it conveyed a message that the company works with high end clients.
  • We took time to set and light the interview beautifully whilst also capturing visually pleasing B roll to further enhance her story.

Project 7:  Belrose Children’s Center

The challenge

Belrose Children’s Centre provides specialist care for pre-schoolers with physical and learning difficulties.

They needed a way to  communicate their specialist skills and approach to parents and decided testimonials with current clients would help do this.

PLAY VIDEO

Why the video works: The quality may be low, but the message is nevertheless strong: your child will be safe and happy here.

Don’t let the low-fi nature of this project deter you: any business or organisation can create testimonials if the customers have something impactful to say.

Production Insights:

  • The footage was shot prior to our involvement by staff on phones:  footage had relatively poor sound quality and framing and there was very limited B roll.
  • With post production we were able to mitigate the quality issue, tighten up the answers and create a useable video that delivered to brief.

Project 8:  Little Big Dairy  

The Challenge:

LBD is a premium milk brand who produce milk from their single-source farm in Dubbo’s Macquarie Valley.  LBD wanted to increase sales of their product direct to hospitality businesses for an agency-backed digital marketing campaign.

Recognising there were some barriers to purchase for cafe owners we decided to use the experiences of current customers to convince potential new customers that making the switch to LBD would benefit their business.

IFD were commissioned to make a 10 part series of long and short for videos with each video featuring a different customer and their experience with LBD products.

Why the video works: Clearly sets out the business case for choosing this product.

This a strong testimonial because many of Little Big Dairy’ potential customers face the same barriers to using their product as Jo did: price.  And does it make financial sense or not to use their products?

Viewers see exactly how they could benefit from Little Big Dairy Product. Better taste, improved customer experience, higher sales, better profit and a better supplier customer service experience.

When you film a video testimonial, make sure you’re addressing customers’ real concerns.

Production Insights

  • Considerable research was done to find / identify a customer like Jo who would clearly communicate how using the product had improved her business from a financial perspective.
  • Talking to her at length prior to filming ensured on the day our interview was targeted ti get the exact answers we needed, she and her team were  well versed on expectations, timing and logistics of the filming day.
  • This was part of a series of videos for the same client, each video was highly stylised with “what’s in it for me” introductory statement from each customer.
  • We captured many many product in situ shots with multiple cameras to help tell the story.

Regardless of the size of your company, the product or service you sell, or the marketing budget you’re working with, you can use the principles in these video testimonials to guide your own efforts.

And if you want help, then we’re on tenterhooks to hear from you: we love creating testimonials to help drive business success!