How effective do you think your product testimonials page is in earning the trust of potential customers? If you don’t have video testimonials, you’re missing out.

Testimonials are the social proof that your product is as good as you say it is. Your product can't just speak for itself. You need customers to speak, too.

Here's the thing: testimonials aren't all equal, either. Text quotes aren't the same as video testimonials. Forbes has told us time and again that video engages more, convinces more, and increases shares and click-through rates. Video is at the top of the testimonial food chain.

It's obvious why. Video tells a story and sparks emotion if it's well-made, far more than just reading a quote would. So now that you know video is the way to go, here's how you get your customers to advocate for you on camera.

The Best Way to Reach Out to Customers

You have a couple of approaches for finding the best testimonials.

Check Your Social Media

Start by looking for the right people on all your social media pages. Check your Facebook reviews, LinkedIn page, and any other site where your brand has a handle.

Is there someone tweeting good things about your brand? Reach out to them. Drop them an email and be direct about what you're looking for. It's best to be direct, so just ask. You have nothing to lose.

Follow Up with Customers

Have your sales team keep track of customer purchases every week. Then, have them set up alarms for post-purchase follow-ups a month after purchase to see if that customer would be willing to record their thoughts on the product they bought.

Offer Incentives

Who doesn't like some perks? Offer exclusive incentives like discounts and gift cards to urge your customers to record testimonials more effectively.

Choosing the Right Kind of Customers to Target

Obviously, you want to target your satisfied customers. Avoid those one-star review people. They might be happy to record something about your brand, but you won't be.

Customers are more likely to be willing to review your product in the first place if your product or service helped them. These are genuinely satisfied customers, and their video testimonials will feel authentic because of it.

Combine that kind of authenticity with the emotional video format, and you get the best form of media marketing.

Good Leading Questions to Ask Customers to Get the Responses You Want

You're not a lawyer in a courtroom, so leading questions are okay to ask. It helps focus your customers' answers in the direction that best serves your brand.

Question 1: "Who are you, and what do you do?"

Before you ask questions about your product in the testimonial, you have to set the context. Asking about the customer's background paints a clearer picture of who this customer is for those watching. It also helps you define who your customer avatar is. 

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If you keep hearing the same background on all your testimonials, then you just found out who your core customer is.

Question 2: "How did you hear about our product?"

This question's answer will let you know where to focus your marketing budget in the future. And if the customer found about about you through word of mouth, that could work as a great selling point. Your product is so good friends are telling friends about it!

Question 3: "How long have you been using our product?"

This question will help boost credibility. If this is a lifelong customer, their testimonial will carry that much more weight with viewers.

Question 4: "What problem did you have before you found our product?"

Now we're getting into the pain points of life. Your product solves something for people, and this is where we get people's tales of how terrible their life was before they found you.

Question 5: "How did our product help you solve your problem?"

Someone's life has changed for the better because of your product, so get them to say that on camera!

The customer's answer here will seal the deal for most viewers. You can ask for more details about specific features that worked or mention someone specific at the company who helped them.

Question 6: "Would you recommend our product to friends and family? If so, why?"

This question is a catch-all. It gives your customers one last chance to talk about anything they left out previously. They may sum up and emphasize things your audience will appreciate when trying to make up their minds.

A Successful Template for Creating Video Testimonials

The goal behind asking these questions is to get a good bunch of quotes you can edit into a compelling video.

If you use Capsule, you can prompt people these questions all in one place and edit the videos instantly. Check out the Capsule testimonial page for bareMinerals as an example.

Consider your goal for the video. Is it to create brand awareness? To share testimonials or interact with potential clients?

Video testimonials are great to send to potential as well as existing customers. You can remind current customers how great you are and introduce yourself to potential customers with people already hyping you up.

As long as you include a compelling call to action through substantial questions, you'll have an excellent template for winning testimonials.

The Bottom Line

Whether you get your video testimonials edited in-house or have to hire an outside agency, you should have video testimonials. It's a huge missed opportunity if you don't.

And when you're ready, Capsule makes it super simple to harvest as many video testimonials as you want in the style of your brand. Try Capsule free for 14 days and see how easy it is to make compelling, creative content with your customers.

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