The Power of Video Testimonials in Brand Messaging

Your customers love you. If only prospects knew what those customers had to say about you, they, too, would quickly become customers. A text-only testimonial is a great way to capture kind words. A written testimonial with a photo is even better, because it shows that a real person said those kind words. A video testimonial raises the impact to the highest level. Why?

It Means More When Someone Else Says It

The written testimonial is one of the oldest marketing and advertising strategies in the book. As a brand, the words you speak and write of yourself can only go so far before they reach their ceiling. It’s still undeniably important to craft and refine your core messaging on your website and across other channels, but testimonials from customers are pivotal in their ability to show that everything you say is true – that you deliver on your promises.  

Better Yet, When Several People Say It

When one person says it, that’s something. When two, three, four people say it, then it becomes a thing. Testimonials present an opportunity outside of your own copywriting to drive home your main messages. For example, if your services are priced higher than your competitors, you would look to your customers to say things like, “If you value doing things the right way the first time, this is the company for you,” or, “The personalized service I received made them worth every penny.” With several people subtly debunking the idea that you charge too much, the natural consensus becomes that your prices are nothing to balk at.  

Seeing is Feeling

Video testimonials take traditional, written testimonials a step further by eliciting a more sensory response. When people stop and watch a video testimonial, they are seeing, hearing, and connecting with another human. We process the written word on a piece of paper or on a screen much more disposably than we process a human face and voice. A great way to build on the impact of the latter is to create several short videos of different people addressing different points – here’s an example. With each video clip, the trust deepens and broadens at the same time.  

External Driving Internal

It’s known that internal culture creates the external experience, but the reverse can be true in a way, too. Yes, testimonials are a tool to attract clients. But, they are also just as powerful in recruiting. Candidates will watch video testimonials on your website as part of their background research during the interview process. That makes video a medium for attracting and acquiring people who share your values and want to be a part of your mission. If you have ever grappled with what to add to a job posting to convey how great your company is to work for, consider tapping into the internal value of what your customers say about doing business with you.  

We All Want the Same Things

Think of the last time you were making a buying decision you were unsure of. You probably read reviews to see what people were saying, right? Humans intrinsically seek validation in the decisions of others. We do this not only out of risk aversion, but also to get excited about a new experience. Video brings reassurance and takes the risk out of a purchase through expression, body language, diction and other underlying forms of communication that don’t come through in writing. In the same way a photo is worth a thousand words, we might say that a video is worth a thousand written testimonials. Of course, we wouldn’t say this without putting our own reputation to the test. See a montage of our own video testimonials in the video below, and drop us a line to explore ways to build your brand through visual storytelling.