51 Quick Video Testimonial Tips

We did it again.

Y’all loved our 50 rep management tips article.

This time we’ve turned our sights to our latest love affair, video.

And we’ve upped the stakes.

Introducing, 5…1 video testimonial tips. (I just gave my coworker a Tom-Cruise-in-Top-Gun Hi-Lo five for that one)

As the article title suggests, let's pour some vinegar on this one and get to it.

1. Be an early adopter. Video social proof is what’s next in digital marketing. If you haven’t started seeing user-generated content in marketing assets yet, you will soon. 
2. Cater to consumer trends. Video watch time has increased 249% in the last 5 years.
3. Videos boost conversion. In fact, Eyeview’s research indicates that including a video on a landing page can increase conversion by over 86%
4. Don’t waste your time. The biggest barrier to video production is a lack of time. Automate the video collection process to eliminate this friction.
5. Foster trust in your business. Video testimonials will help build trust in the purchase process and in your business.
6. Prospects prefer video. Compared with text content, video ad conversion rates are 27x higher.
7. Videos show you in a new light. This format captures additional information about products and services that descriptions and photos don’t normally capture.
8. Buyers will imagine themselves in the shoes of the reviewer. More effective than text-only reviews, video allows prospective buyers to picture themselves in the buying scenario.
9. Parallel social and review platform trends. Social platforms are supporting video content more and more.
10. Get customer insights. Customer feedback in a testimonial can provide your business helpful feedback that would have been hard to get from a text review or a customer satisfaction survey. 
11. Let your customers be creative! Video reviews enable customers to express themselves and play with lighting, background, outfits, and music. 
12. Ask. Every. Customer. It's a numbers game. Take advantage of every opportunity for content. 
13. Use SMS. Send your customer a text with the link to record and submit their videos. It’s best to ask on the device they’d record on– their phone!
14. When you ask influences the content. For experience/service content ask soon after the customer interaction ends. For product reviews give the buyer some time to use the product.
15. Reconsider the value of a professional camera crew. Customer-recorded content is perceived as authentic and will blend in better with surrounding content on social platforms. In today’s market, highly-produced content can’t shake the patina of bias.
16. Incentivize your request for a video review. Offer a reward to increase video review participation. Unlike text reviews, this practice is A-OK for videos.
17. Use technology to get more reviews, more frequently. You may be fast, but technology is faster. You have better things to focus on.
18. Work a legal release into the submission process. You need permission to use customers’ videos in your marketing. But don’t let this be a barrier to entry for your customers. Make it easy to sign a permission form. 
19. Let them know what to expect. When they’re in your store, give your customers a heads-up that they’ll be receiving a link for a video testimonial. 
20. Personalize the request. This leads to higher conversion.
21. Ask a specific question. Video reviews can include your value propositions. In the ask for a video, personalize the request to let your customers know what you want to hear from them. For example, if your business is proud of your customer service, ask: “What impressed you most about our customer service?”
22. Be proactive. Don’t just ask for a video review and wait to see what comes in. Ask specific customer groups specific questions that align with your business’s broader messaging objectives. 
23. Reward and thank customers. How you do this is up to you. We know that happy customers want to feel useful and like they’re making a difference in your business. 
24. Be friendly to Android devices, iPhones, Macs, and PCs. Make sure your system/platform supports all varieties of devices. You never know where your customers will choose to record their videos. 
25. Make it possible to upload existing videos. Some of your TikTok savvy customers may want to share with you a video they created on a separate app. 
26. Ask your fanbase. Seek video reviews from the customers who have already left 5-star reviews. 
27. Have an in-store champion. Which employee will spearhead your video testimonial generation efforts? It does not have to be just one.
28. Integrate video collection into your events. Set up QR codes linked to video collection software. Offer something free at the event in exchange for a video. Hula (property manager) generated 39 videos in 2 hours.
29. At the event, have a private recording space. Most people are self-conscious when recording themselves. This shared insecurity is precisely why parody accounts like “Influencers in the wild” are so popular. When asking for video reviews at your event more people will do it if offered a private recording space.
30. Also, don’t ask event-goers to record on a shared device. An iPad in the middle of the event directly violates #32. Let people record on their own phones.
31. Authentic videos > staged ones. Testimonials shot by smartphones are genuine and authentic and may be more likely to be trusted.
32. Imperfection is acceptable. Although great audio and lighting are preferred, they’re not necessary. What your customer says will be more convincing. 
33. Feature faces. Satisfied customers are what your prospects want to see.
34. Short clips are just fine. 50% of video watchers engage for less than 1 minute, so it’s important to highlight the most important content early on.
35. Spotlight your products. Studies show that product videos draw the most engagement from audiences. 
36. Make your customer video testimonials shine in post-production. If you’re an editor then you already have a process For everyone else, try Descript, Animoto, or Adobe Rush.
37. Keep the good, delete the bad. No review platforms support the direct publishing of video content. That’s not a bad thing. Review video submissions privately, and pass on the underwhelming videos.
38. Content should load quickly. Here are tips to optimize videos for faster loading times.
39. Enough is never enough. You always want a fresh stream of videos coming in. Your prospects should learn what it is like to do business with you today, not last year. 
40. Embed videos on your website. This establishes credibility and persuades potential customers to convert on targeted pages.
41. Feature video testimonials on product pages. After a user has read about your product, a testimonial can help them see tangible benefits that your past customers can speak to.
42. Measure success. Watch these metrics: video count, play rate, social engagement, clickthrough rate, and watch time.
43. Make your videos accessible to all audiences. Incorporate closed captioning and any other sort of auditory assistance.
44. Always add a title and captions to social videos. ~85% of social content is consumed without audio. Add a title to hook the viewer and captions to enable understanding without audio.  
45. Use videos for social and marketing strategies. Publish content that reaffirms your business’ value propositions.
46. They’re for more than just social media. It’s easy to post your testimonials to social media. But that shouldn’t be the only place where you use your videos. Try: your website, your ads, your YouTube page, your e-communications with customers, TikTok. Especially relevant for B2B video marketing campaigns.
47. Give them time. Wait ~ 60 days to ask your repeat customers for another video testimonial.
48. Buyers trust their peers first. Feature the faces of past customers to entice your future buyers.
49. Help your prospects jump the trust gap. Seeing one’s peers explain why your business is a good choice encourages possible customers to cross the bridge into the unknown and trust your brand. 
50. Videos tap into distributed trust. People trust their peers over institutions and your advertisements, you should lean into this truth to gain a competitive edge. 
51. Ask us if you need help. Widewail has tips, tools, and tricks to help any business launch a successful video testimonial collection strategy.