If you’re looking for ways to boost your marketing, it’s hard to go wrong with filming customer testimonials. Customers love a brand they can connect with, and video marketing is among the most impactful and effective marketing techniques available. Combining the two creates customer testimonials that stand out and help you attract new business from potential customers.
But in a time where amateur video can make your business stand out for all the wrong reasons, it’s important to focus on producing quality testimonials. To help you get started, we’ve got a few key tips on how to create the perfect customer testimonial video.
Invest in quality equipment
High quality filming equipment is the most important ingredient for every customer testimonial video. The quality of your videos is a reflection of your company, so it’s worth investing in good film cameras, lighting and sound equipment. If you can’t afford to buy those things outright, it’s possible to rent the equipment you need from an A/V hire company. If you decide to rent equipment, then it’s a good idea to schedule multiple video shoots for the same day, to get the most content for the one rental cost.
Otherwise, if you own a modern DSLR or mirrorless camera, those will work just fine for filming a customer testimonial. Combined with a tripod or a nice solid surface, these cameras can produce quality footage that gives your videos a professional touch. But don’t forget the importance of good sound, which may mean buying or hiring a radio mic or boom mic setup.
Help your customers prepare
Having real customers film testimonials can be a huge win for your company. But most people aren’t immediately comfortable on camera, and a shaky or unclear performance can easily spoil a testimonial.
The easiest way around this is to help your customers prepare for the video. For some customers, it might be best to write a short script, or to provide them with brief talking points to help keep their video on track. Otherwise, you can help your subject prepare with a few simple tricks:
- Set up your shoot but engage the customer in a friendly conversation before you begin filming to help them relax
- Structure the filming process as an interview so you can lead the testimonial and encourage certain talking points
- Provide the customer with a list of the questions you’ll be asking and give them a chance to straighten out their thoughts beforehand
- Don’t be afraid to skip a question or return to it later if your customer isn’t sure of what they want to say
- Keep things conversational and be prepared to go off-script or ask follow-up questions
Tell a story
The people who watch your testimonial videos are looking for more information on how you can help them. Structuring testimonial videos as a simple story gives potential customers a better idea of what you do and why they should choose you.
If you are conducting your shoot as an interview process, you can tailor your questions to help draw out the customer’s story. In editing, the footage can be cut together to tell the basics of the story in a way that’s simple to understand for viewers. Most customer testimonials can get away with telling a three-step story:
- The Problem. Have your customer explain the problem they were facing and how it led them to seek out your business.
- The Solution. Here, the customer details what your business did to solve their problem. For example, they can explain the products or the services you provided and how those resolved the issue.
- The Outcome. What was the ultimate outcome? Was the customer satisfied? Would they use your services again or would they recommend you to others? Give the viewers a compelling reason to become customers in their own right.
Encourage authenticity and connection
Using real customers to film testimonials is the best way to form connections with new people. It’s always a good idea to encourage your subjects to be authentic and share emotions that others will be able to empathise with. The most valuable relationships your business can form are the ones that go both ways. Testimonial videos are a great way to let potential customers know that yours is a business that shares in their pains and victories, and that you will go out of your way to provide the services they need.
Looking to film effective customer testimonials? Contact Able Video today!
Directing a film shoot isn’t a simple thing. Especially when you are working with real customers who might not be comfortable on camera, it pays to invest in professional filming. At Able Video Multimedia we’re video production specialists! Our experienced team has the skills and equipment they need to capture high-quality customer testimonials and create videos that will help your business stand out. We tailor our process to ensure the videos we create are perfectly suited to your brand and company culture, and we’re happy to work with your customers and bring out their best. If you’d like to know more about our video production services then don’t hesitate to contact us at any time!
