“When [your audiences] hear statistics alone, they retain only 5% to 10% of what they hear. When stories are used to convey that same information, retention jumps to a remarkable 65% to 70%”. – London School of Business
When communicating the progress and benefits of your organization, it’s easy to talk in numbers – and not many people consider corporate video production either. Typically statistics are the concrete information you have readily available to you; and they can often make you feel like it’s the measuring stick for growth and achievement in your industry that people want to hear. While numbers can certainly help communicate a level of benefit or progress for your potential clients, the truth is people are moved by their feelings and feelings rarely move in response to numbers and details – queue the testimonial video. This is where corporate video production comes in…
When an individual hears another person tell their personal story, emotion immediately becomes a part of the equation. Whether the storyteller communicates excitement, happiness, sadness and especially love, it’s the personal passion that reaches from the camera, through the lens and into your customers’ heart.
As more companies begin to find and utilize the power of storytelling through corporate testimonial videos, it’s important to understand why testimonial video production is on the rise and what makes them important and special.
1. Testimonial Videos are Authentic
Chances are you’ve seen a hundred corporate videos of a CEO or business leader spouting off information of why he or she believes that YOU should buy their product. Often times these stories are communicated via someone reading a teleprompter.
While that style of video production definitely has its place, when you’re looking to reach out and “touch” your audience, there’s few better ways than though the power of testimonial storytelling. There’s no script. There’s no reading. There’s no controlled guidance. There’s just the storyteller authentically communicating their passionate experience with your organization.
Think of it like having a conversation in your home with a friend. When they’re sharing their heart and passionately communicating their story, you’re on the edge of your seat. You’re “in!” Now take that same passion on set and you’ve got yourself a compelling story.
2. Testimonial Videos Have Conviction
Perhaps you recently watched an explainer video and thought, “I love the information I’m gathering, but I’m just not convinced.” Because testimonial videos come from a storyteller, whether that’s a customer or client, sharing their heart, their voice carries a deep sense of conviction difficult to convey in other situations.
It’s why we love watching documentaries and can’t wait to get to the part of the artist or subject talking about their story. It’s why we’ll listen to hours and hours and hours worth of podcasts that ultimately consists of just a couple of people talking. People bring authenticity AND conviction through their facial expressions, their body language and their voice. It’s difficult to bring about conviction on this level to any project, but testimonials is certainly the most impactful.
3. Testimonial Videos Have Authority
Even when you watch a famous athlete or actor talk about or endorse a product, it can be difficult to feel that you’re gathering an honest account of what you’re hearing. The whole time, in the back of your mind, you’re thinking, “But these people are being paid. Can I really believe them?” While many celebrities are sponsored by products and organizations they actually love, the authority a business wants them to communicate can be lost.
Individual, unpaid clients communicating via a testimonial video bring a level of authenticity second to none, and with that, they bring authority because they’ve experienced the power of your organization in their own life. When they say your product works, your audience believes it. When they say their life has been changed because of your company’s impact, we know it’s true. When they say they can’t live without your services, we want the same for our own lives.
If you want your testimonial video to speak with authority, invite your customer who’s in love with your company to share on camera. You’ll feel their authority the moment they begin to speak.
4. Testimonial Videos are Memorable
Think about it. How many figures do you remember from high school? Probably not many, but how many stories do you remember? Whether it’s that time so-and-so said something hilarious
in Geometry that made everyone laugh, or the time everyone’s least favorite teacher made a fool of themselves, or the hilarious happenings that made up the evening of the homecoming dance. Chances are you can vividly remember the majority of the details in those stories. It’s difficult to remember stats and figures. Often the information is heard and forgotten faster than it takes to close your computer. Stories, though, hold within them a power to help people remember what they’ve heard.
Go ahead and try it. Share one of your favorite stories around the office today. Make sure it’s a good one. Communicate every detail you can remember. Something from your wedding, or your birthday, or that hilarious story from highschool when you made everyone, including your crush, laugh. Then, near the same time, go around and share some facts your recently heard. Afterwards, ask what people remember. Guaranteed, you’ll find the stories you shared were far more memorable than you might have expected. (Also, you’ll be everyone’s favorite person for the day because, “Man, Steve has this incredible story.”)
A Final Word About Testimonial Videos
Promotional videos fill your customers’ inboxes and social media accounts, which makes it easy for anyone to scroll past a commercial or promo video because they just don’t want to feel like they’re being sold to again. When you bring your clients on screen to help communicate the story of your organization with passion, expertise, authenticity, heart and authority, you’ve developed a recipe that results in a new client base excited to partner with you, your team, your organization and your product. Take the time to learn the stories of your customers and then invite them on set. You’ll be surprised by and understand the power of and rise of testimonial videos and the impact they can make to your organization.
