If you’re like me – and apparently like most people – reviews and testimonials make a big impact on your buying decisions. Recent studies report that:
- 92% of consumers read online reviews and testimonials before making a purchase
- 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 72% of consumers say positive reviews and testimonials make them trust a business more
Anyone who shops on Amazon probably understands this easily, having gone down the rabbit hole to determine why one frying pan is better than another.
But testimonials – especially video testimonials – are also a powerful tool for B2B marketers and one you need to be taking advantage of.
According to a Demand Gen Report, 97% of B2B buyers feel like customer generated content like testimonials are more credible than other kinds of content. They also are considered the most effective type of video content – coming in above tutorial and demonstration videos.
Why? Because video testimonials add an emotional element, a human factor that is more compelling than just a written review. Ideally, viewers feel engaged and connected with the person talking – a real person telling a real story in their own authentic voice. It’s powerful.
And it works.
Including a video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80% - and testimonial videos have also been shown to help search, increase click-throughs, shares, lead generation and sales.
So why not produce some?
Here at Roger West, we recently had the pleasure of helping one of our clients, The Villages Health, produce a number of testimonial videos which they are using on their website and their cross-channel marketing campaigns. These videos, showing patients of The Villages Health talk about what they love about their healthcare, have been very successful in engaging and bringing in new patients.
Additionally, we helped Saddle Creek Logistics use testimonial videos from their employees on their new career microsite to promote the work culture there and encourage potential employees to apply.
Ultimately, the success of these projects has inspired us to do our own testimonial videos – thanks to some kind clients who volunteered to go on camera for us. Look for these coming soon.
Beyond being a relatively quick, easy and painless way to significantly boost your marketing results and act as a sales tool, client testimonials are also a powerful motivator for your internal team. It’s nice to know that the work that your company does is impacting people’s lives.
Ready to start producing some powerful testimonial videos? We’re ready to help get you there. Let’s Talk.
Diane Callihan
With more than 20 years of experience writing for some of the country’s top brands, Diane helped to shape Roger West’s content strategy, lead generation, and PR efforts as Director of Marketing. She currently serves as President of Callihan Content Creation.