Business video is changing ... let your clients speak for you

Don't get caught in the trap of creating a video so that you and your colleagues can pat each other on the back and say 'don't we look good, aren't we great'
Instead you should be thinking about your customers issues and needs that will be solved or improved by using your product or service. How can you help to make their lives easier or better. It sounds dramatic I know, but think about it - what is the end result of a customer coming to you instead of one of your competitors?
For me the answer is easy - now I've taken the time to talk to my customers and find out. Our clients say that they appreciate working with New Edge because of the added value that our expertise in video communication brings to a project. Have a look at the Video Testimonials from the home page introduction on the New Edge website to see what our clients have to say:

People buy from people, and a set of video testimonials like this lets your clients do the selling for you. Viewers can tell that the video is genuine and not set up in any way. Contrast the natural style of this film to the ‘Daz’ washing powder adverts we all know and love to hate:

Do you really believe that the lady in the advert did not know Danny Baker was about to knock on the door?

Compare this style with the video testimonials and interview with the MD in the general overview film we recorded for Blue Chip.

For most of you the key messages of this film are very specific to IBM server maintenance, but imagine that the film was your clients talking about your business.
Here is another example from the optical sector for No7 Contact Lenses  Imagine that you own an independent optical practice – what would you feel about using No.7 as a supplier after watching this film?

My only criticism with both these companies is that they have decided to hide the videos on a back page of their website only accessible through the menu. I believe that these messages should be ‘shouted it from the rooftops’ in a prominent position on the homepage - they are a great introduction to the company, it’s ethos and it’s values.

This type of film suits the British approach to business perfectly. You get all the information you need to make an initial judgment about the company, which is qualified by significant personnel from well known brands speaking on the company’s behalf.

In contrast here is a video demonstrating a new cheap video solution borrowed from the US. Do you believe that the presenter is from the company? Is she an expert in IT data recovery? Do you feel informed enough to make a judgment on working with the company?

If you are in any doubt she is clearly a busy lady – here she is again selling cleaning materials…. And again selling beds

What do you think, am I right?

I’d appreciate your views

Video Testimonials are hugely effective as a marketing tool

Two recent projects completed by New Edge have demonstrated to me,once again, what a powerful tool the video testimonial is.

Continuing our close ties with the optical industry we were approached by No7 , the UK's largest independent contact lens producer. We had worked for the UK Commercial Director, Maxine Green when she was marketing director at Bausch & Lomb and she was so pleased with the results that she knew exactly who to turn to in her new role.

As well as wanting to produce some online accreditation videos for optometrists, they saw the opportunity to use video to enhance their marketing activity. I was invited down to Hastings to listen to their needs and come up with some suggestions as to how video might work for them.

It's my firm belief that people buy from people, and well produced video testimonials from happy clients are one of the best ways to promote your products or services. It's a soft sell - you let your clients do ithe selling for you, and it's presented as a TV style 'feature' on your company, noyt a sales film. Potential customers are more likely to believe a video testimonial than a written one, because they can see that it is genuine.

No 7 are also the major supplier of a really clever machine that measures eyes extremely accurately called the Topographer. They needed a marketing tool that would give optometrists an idea of how good a tool it is, and why they should have one. Again, the video testimonial is perfect for the job. Customers can explain how the Topographer is invaluable to them in their practice - the underlying message being that if you're serious about fitting contact lenses you MUST have a Topographer.

Of course, the testimonials wouldn't be effective on their own You can see the resulting promotional film here. They had to be presented professionally and accompanied by shots that prove to the viewer that No 7 know what they are talking about, and are a serious company to deal with.

You will also see how language is important. These films have been produced with a specific audience in mind - practicing opticians - so it's Ok for us to use industry jargon that probable means very little to most people. What it does highlight is that the video producer has to fully understand each industry that s/he produces material for. A lot of my time is spent getting to know a company and it's products/services before the script can be written, and before any filming can take place. It's crucial that I know what I'm talking about so that I can ask the right questions and get the right answers to use as a testimonial

I've not managed to accumulate any data proving that sales are increased, but the anecdotal evidence is clear.  A video testimonial will help to persuade people to make a decision, when considered alongside other marketing material - but then what does any advertising or promotion do?

It's a particularly useful technique for selling courses/conferences etc when people can see clips of what the day looks like along with testimonials from previous users, and as stated in the blog - products.

Andrew Clarke from the speakers academy runs speaking courses and has a number of video testimonials for the courses.  Out of 10 people on a course that I attended, 2 of them admitted to being swayed to making the decision to attend because of the power of the video.

My own clients who have come via the New Edge website have commented more on the strength of the video testimonials on the site than on the video demonstrations when quizzed about why they chose New Edge as a supplier

So ... video testimonials - filmed correctly, and presented professionally - really do work as an effective marketing tool for products, seminars and conferneces.

Richard Flewitt
Business Video Producer
New Edge
Projecting Added Value

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