The years when a firm handshake and a snappy suit would close a deal are long gone.
Now it's all digital advertising, SEO, social media, and endless branding meetings.
But one thing remains as valuable as it ever was: a word-of-mouth endorsement from a very happy customer.
For potential buyers, a recommendation from a trusted source can significantly sway the buying decision.
As a B2B business, the trick is to leverage your loyal customers as social proof to net your future customers.
And there’s no better way to do this than with a great testimonial video.
Read on to check out six testimonial video examples that show you exactly why you need every satisfied customer on film advocating for you.
While a word-of-mouth recommendation is extremely helpful, a customer testimonial video can be far more powerful. It’s wide-reaching, builds trust, and provides invaluable brand validation.
Plus, they work.
As Todd Harris, Director of Marketing at Celect, explains, “Whitepapers, datasheets, ebooks — those are great, but the real power is having your customer speak for you.”
B2B buyers are a breed of their own — they shop differently than B2C buyers, as they have to be accountable for a professional budget rather than just their own spending money.
Due to this, B2B buyers tend to seek out reviews when researching a new product, as it helps them to make a more educated choice.
In fact, almost 50% of all B2B buyers say they chose their vendor based on reviews by industry peers, while 59% agree that they put reviews in their top five most important factors when analyzing potential solutions providers.
B2B buyers also use case studies to help them research products and services, as they provide detailed insights into how a solution has helped similar companies.
54% of B2B buyers say that they looked at case studies when making their last purchase. But, 2/3 of people say they’re more likely to purchase after watching a testimonial video demonstrating how a business, product, or service has helped another person like them.
A case study video doesn’t just offer quick customer feedback — it gives you a chance to provide a deep dive into your solutions so your B2B customers can see the true value and qualitative impact of your offerings.
For one thing, prospective clients get to see your products and services in action. For 47% of people, testimonial videos are effective because they help them visualize how a product or service actually works.
Plus, an authentic video success story isn’t just a detailed customer review. It also provides an emotional appeal that you simply can’t portray with a written testimonial.
That’s why 42% of people say client testimonial videos are effective — they showcase an actual person, which helps the viewer understand their story better.
Lastly, a great video testimonial is a rock-solid sales enablement tool to help your team build a strong business case for B2B buyers.
As Jake Matulewicz, Director of Marketing at Symmons, puts it, “Authentic video is something that really resonates with a customer — and as a result, we end up getting more conversions, whether that be a phone call, an email, or a form completion.”
To reel in a potential customer, you need an effective customer testimonial video library that shows off all your values as a company.
However, poor-quality video production can seriously harm your company’s reputation.
If you want your video testimonials to convince future customers that you’re the pick of the litter, here are a few best practices to make sure your videos are top-notch.
A video testimonial shot from your phone without B-roll, quality audio, or lighting is actually more detrimental to your business objectives than no video testimonial at all.
Consider using a professional third party who creates video testimonials for a living.
Use specific video testimonials to target specific campaigns toward a segment of your target market. For instance, if you're running a Cyber Monday promotion of your Widget X6000, use a video testimonial on the landing page from a client who uses — and loves — the Widget X6000.
You want your prospective customers to feel emotionally connected to your clients. Kick off your testimonial with an emotionally driven hook that highlights your solutions’ impact on solving their problems.
After your client has introduced themselves, ask them to share the pain point that your business addressed. You want your prospective customers to feel connected to their specific frustrations so that they can see how your company would solve their similar pain points.
The easiest way to make your video testimonials believable is to include real people sharing real details.
Not, "This product was great, and I recommend it," but "This product increased the rate at which MQLs became SQLs by 34% in the first six months."
This helps your B2B buyers build a solid business case.
Make sure your existing customers cover all the tangible benefits they experienced from using your services.
You don’t just want them to outline how you solved their problem. You also want them to express the positive results from solving that issue, such as increased profits, happier customers, and more productive staff.
Don’t be afraid to mention competitors.
If your customers have used a competing company before settling on your solution, use this as leverage. Get them to explain why the previous product didn’t meet their needs and how your solution solved this.
Try to include more than one viewpoint in your testimonial videos. Encourage speakers from different departments to express how your solutions helped them.
This shows how your solution provides company-wide support.
Don’t beat around the bush. Make sure the client testimonial says the words, “I recommend this company for X, Y, and Z reasons.”
A clear recommendation means there’s no mistake that you’re the winning brand for them.
Use the B-roll footage as an opportunity to show your product in action. Show different departments working with your services so that viewers can get a feel for how it can be deployed across the company.
Long videos won’t hold your audience’s attention. Instead, try to keep your testimonials as short as possible.
Videos that are one or two minutes long give you plenty of time to discuss pain points, benefits, and specifics without dragging on. You can also make 30-second videos to use as testimonial video ads on your social platforms.
Sometimes the best way to understand how something works isn't to read about it or hear a lecture but to see it in action.
As a result, we've included six successful B2B video testimonial examples from businesses like yours.
We've also broken down what makes each one great, enabling you to copy the best parts of these testimonials for your own.
Let's get rolling.
What makes this B2B video testimonial great:
What makes this B2B video testimonial great:
What makes this B2B video testimonial great:
What makes this B2B video testimonial great:
What makes this B2B video testimonial great:
What makes this B2B video testimonial great:
Video testimonials can have a huge impact on your business's bottom line by boosting brand awareness and providing social proof.
Remember, though — low-quality video can seriously damage your company’s reputation. A poor quality video implies poor quality service.
Instead, make sure that you’re shooting top-quality videos that show multiple viewpoints on why your product outstrips the competition. Include B-roll that shows your product in action and refer to the specific quantitative and qualitative benefits of using your solution.
Don’t forget to get a clear recommendation from your client and keep your videos short and to the point. There’s nothing worse than a video testimonial that rambles on.
If you have any questions or want to get started with creating high-quality video testimonials, get in touch with one of the experts at Testimonial Hero.