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A video testimonial can be a powerful tool that you can use to increase your online leads.  A good video testimonial runs about 30 seconds to a minute and offers a story that your customers can relate to. It will increase your credibility in their eyes and can be used to turn more website visitors into leads and customers.

Ask For A Video Testimonial

While many customers would be happy to contribute, you’ll earn goodwill and better responses by offering an incentive. For example, if a customer uses your service for his business, the video can be an opportunity to market his business to your customers. Offer a link to his website for good measure.

You can find through your customer correspondence or any survey results, not to mention your own business if you have a storefront. Check out these 7 ways to ask for testimonials.

Seek A Good Filming Environment

By keeping in mind a few guidelines, you can dramatically increase the quality of your video.

Understandably, what you shoot may not be as polished as a TV ad. But I’ve seen great videos produced with no more than common, T-Mobile HTC phones or Flip camcorders.

• Choose a spot with good lighting and little to no background noise. Unless you’re an experienced videographer, stick with an indoor location. Otherwise, wind can be picked up by your microphone or shadows can take over your customers’ faces.
• Consider additional equipment for better results. The sky’s the limit on how much you could potentially spend. But a video camera tripod and an external microphone alone can make a huge difference. An external microphone is particularly useful since built-in microphones are poorly located and are more likely to pick up ambient noise.
• If you’re using a smartphone, remember to hold it sideways, or landscape mode. And whatever camera you use, keep it close to the person you’re filming so the video has a personal, intimate feel.

If possible, you may want to record at a location that’s convenient for the customer (such as her place of work). Try to film in person, but don’t rule out the possibility of a webcam interview.

Capture Stories That Sell

A good testimonial video will address 3 main points:

1. The problem facing the customer.
2. The solution your product provided.
3. The result of using your product.

The best way to get these talking points out of a customer while keeping the feel of the video authentic is to conduct an interview of about 10 or so questions. For a good, in-depth overview of what to ask, consider these six questions to ask for a testimonial.

• Start with very simple questions, including having the person identify who they are and what they do or perhaps where they live. This warms both of you up.
• Have your customers use the words of your questions in their answers. This is an old trick used by TV reporters. Example: “How much how did your sales increase after we redesigned your website?” “After the redesign, our sales went up by 25 percent.”
• Remember that you can easily edit the video. So ask questions in a logical order to the person you’re interviewing. You can always rearrange the clips later so they make more sense to viewers.

Make Use Of Editing Software

After you’ve completed the interview with your customer, take advantage of video editing software to improve the look of your video.

Using a free tool like Apple iMovie or Microsoft MovieMaker, you can at the very least have your video fade in an out at the start and end for a smoother experience. But there’s much more you can do:

• You can add captions with your customers’ name or your contact information.
• You can present the questions you ask as on-screen text or just edit them out.
• You can weave together multiple customer interviews into a single video.

If you’re feeling ambitious, consider beefing up your videos with royalty free music or your company’s logo.

Post The Video Testimonial Online

Finally, with a video completed, you can post this video to your own site as well as video sites like YouTube.  Remember that sites like YouTube can be used to boost traffic to your website, so using video testimonials can help you achieve that as well as getting new customers.

For your own website, consider a tool like the WordPress Video Plugin for easily embedding the video. Make sure the video appears prominently, such as within your site’s margins or on the homepage content.

Experiment with approaches, and you may find video testimonials are one of your most powerful tools.

Do you use video testimonials on your website?  If you do, what reaction have you received from them?  If not, would you consider using them in the future?  Let us know by leaving a comment below!

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Thank you to my Guest Post Author: Ashlee McCullen

Ashlee McCullen is a staff writer for Apron Addicts, a website about kitchen fashion and home style. She also writes about mobile technology, blogging, and workplace productivity.
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