Why?

Because one of the most difficult and often time-consuming tasks for small business owners is convincing potential clients you’re the best fit for them. Why not let a trusted client do that for you?

Video testimonials can answer potential clients’ questions before they call, giving you more time for advanced conversations. They also offer great reference points and provide a nice ammunition for a follow-up email if they haven’t seen your video already.

With that said, here are a few things a successful testimonial must include:

SHOW WHO YOU ARE

Testimonials allow you to demonstrate your unique characteristics. Are you fun to work with? Are you successful? Do clients enjoy working with you? Show that off. In order to showcase your working relationship, it’s helpful to have shots of a “work in progress” or interacting with a client. Have fun.

CREATIVITY

Testimonials don’t have to be boring. You can get creative. Make your testimonial more than a talking head. Show off the fact that your client actually enjoyed working with you. Remember, your viewer wants that same experience. They want to see themselves providing a testimonial for their wildly successful project once it’s wrapped up.

And keep in mind that while quality isn’t essential…it is important. Don’t just slap something together and hope an amazing interview will overcome poor audio or lighting. Those days are over.

SELECTIVITY

Choose your subject carefully. Don’t just grab a testimonial from a big name or brand, or because you feel you owe it to someone. Look for storytellers. The most successful testimonials feature individuals who are comfortable on camera and express thoughts clearly and concisely.

And think about what that person represents. Make sure they are the type of client you want to attract in the future.

REMOVAL OF THE STICK

Get out of your own way. They already agreed to the interview, that means they like you. So don’t worry about asking too much of them, or that you’ll offend them. Trust me. Most of the time, they’ll be more nervous than you are because they want to provide you with good material. Just create the environment that lets them.

To do this, set yourself up for success in the interview. Be prepared. Plan out what you want them to talk about. Don’t worry about covering everything, just…

COVER THE ESSENTIALS

Start out by covering the basics. Who are they? What did they work on with you? Focus on a few key talking points, such as why they chose your company to begin with, or what made your product or service a success. Then expand your questions to cover more than the basics.

PROOF

Complements are nice, but numbers sell. Provide evidence that what you did for them was a success. Did you increase sales 20%? Generate 10,000 additional views on Youtube? Whatever it is, ask your client to research just how beneficial your service was prior to the interview. In many business situations, that answer takes a little digging, so make sure you ask them to look that up ahead of time.

COURTESY

After collecting all this gold and stringing your masterpiece together, don’t forget to get their approval before broadcasting it to the world. It’s a courtesy that’s often overlooked.

This follow up is also a good time to ask them if they’d be interested in creating a link to your testimonial video on their website. Always an added bonus.