If you could guarantee that one of your marketing efforts would have over a 90% success rate in generating customer trust, would you invest in it?
Of course, you would!
Why? Because trust = sales and customer loyalty. Studies show that 82% of customers would continue to buy from a company they trust even if another competitor became more popular or trendy.
So what can you do to gain this trust?
Well, consider that 92% of customers trust earned media (word of mouth, case studies, and testimonials) more than any other marketing medium. And that nothing connects with potential customers better than video. Therefore, video testimonials come out as one of the best marketing tactics to help garner customer trust.
The tricky part comes when companies aren’t sure how to approach their happy customers to ask for a video testimonial
It can feel like a big favor or even a burden to place on your customers. But, seeing it from that perspective isn’t entirely true.
Testimonials are a win-win for both businesses and customers alike.
When you share a testimonial, you’re essentially shining a spotlight on:
- Your customer
- Their business
- The great work they’re doing
- The achievements they’ve made through using your product or service
Plus, you’re introducing that customer to your audience, and highlighting their thought leadership.
Put simply: asking for a testimonial from a customer simultaneously shows-off both of your successes. And approaching the customer with this mindset can make all the difference in their willingness to participate.
So what are some other proven ways to gain buy-in? Here are our top 5 strategies for success in asking for video testimonials:
Make the ask early
You don’t need to keep a customer for years before you can approach them about doing a video testimonial. In fact, the best time to warm your customers up to the idea is very early on in the business relationship — or even as part of the on-boarding process.
From the get-go, set expectations for the customer by asking them:
“Before we start working together, would you be open to participating in a video testimonial once the project is complete?”
Or:
“We like to ask our customers for a testimonial once they’ve had a chance to implement and use our product. Is that something you would be open to?”
By doing this, your customer will be much less surprised when you approach them about participating, and will likely be much more prepared to accept the offer.
Be transparent
Some customers will turn down the opportunity of participating in a video testimonial if they don’t have a full picture of what’s expected of them. So, to have the best chance of success, lay out exactly what’s required of the customer and how the process will go when you make your request.
Including:
- The customer’s expected time commitment
- Where and how the video will be recorded
- How long the interview will be
- Who will be coordinating and carrying out the interview
- What they should wear
- How they should prepare
- Where the testimonial will be shared
Some customers believe video testimonials have to be much more time-intensive than they actually are — especially with today’s digital tools. So be transparent about exactly how your unique process works. The clearer the better.
Find overlap in your target markets
If you and your customer share any sort of overlap in your target market, it’s great to include that in your ask. For example:
“The video will be part of a targeted campaign to women aged 25-55, which I know makes up a big percentage of your customer base as well.”
Or:
“This video will be targeted to entrepreneurs much like yourself, many of whom could gain value hearing about the services you offer.”
Highlighting the prospect of getting in front of potential customers through their video testimonial. It will help them to see their own marketing value in participating.
Give your customer final approval rights
Seeing oneself on video can be a very personal thing. Some customers might be wary of giving over control of their own brand image or message for your testimonial. Or, they might be worried about the video quality, or that they won’t look or sound the way they’d like.
The best way to alleviate these fears and make your customers feel more confident about participating is to give them final approval rights over your testimonial video. Reassuring your customers that nothing will be shared publicly until they’ve given the ‘OK’ will help them feel more at ease and in control.
Some companies are hesitant to do this for customers as they feel it takes the creative control out of their own hands. But remember, it’s your customers’ image that’s being used, and the video won’t necessarily be as successful (or shared by the customer) if all parties aren’t happy with the outcome.
Use a third-party
Sometimes, the best way to convince customers to do a video testimonial for your company is to entirely remove your company from the process.
This might sound a little counterintuitive, but having a third-party handling the details, interview process, and editing can actually be a more efficient and more comfortable way of collecting testimonials for everyone involved.
When customers give testimonials to a company representative, they might be more hesitant to speak openly and honestly, wondering if they’re saying the right thing or keeping their answers ‘on brand’. When a third party handles the interview process, customers may simply feel they’re recommending you to a friend, and feel more relaxed about sharing their own unique views and feelings of the product.
Completely outsourcing your video testimonials to a third party can help simplify the entire process for all parties
For example, at VideoVouch, our team helps to guide the customers through their entire testimonial process from start to finish, letting your company focus solely on finding the right customers to participate.
We interview your customers by video call, professionally edit the recording, and repurpose the final video into content for your website and social media. The whole process usually takes less than 1 hour of the customer’s time, and takes the logistics completely out of your hands.
Ready to harness the power of social proof in your B2B marketing? Schedule a call to learn more.