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Have you ever found yourself exclaiming, “If only our prospects could hear this!” during a glowing conversation with a satisfied client? Your clients are sharing powerful stories of success, stories that could sway potential customers, yet capturing these tales in a way that’s both professional and authentic can feel like a daunting task. In fact, recording customer testimonials poses a real challenge.
You need the resources to ensure you get a professional video as the outcome, you need to ask for your customer’s time, and you (or the team you work with) need the technical know-how to make sure the process goes smoothly. But what if the process could be simplified, enabling you to record customer interviews remotely, on a low budget, but still produce that professional quality you’re looking for?
Our partner Impact+ has grappled with the same concerns, which led them (and now us) to use a method for recording customer testimonials that we wished we thought about years ago.
The idea is to record customer testimonials using virtual platforms like Zoom. Hop on a meeting with your customer, get them to answer a bunch of questions in an interview format discussion, make sure you record the whole call and bam, you’ve got your customer testimonial.
Well, it’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s the gist of it. In this article, you’ll learn exactly how you can do this for your business.
Step 1: Preparing for the Zoom Testimonial
Embarking on the journey of recording a customer testimonial begins with meticulous preparation. Your first point of call is to identify the compelling stories that will resonate most with your potential customers.
Crafting a List of Services and Matching Clients
Begin by cataloguing all of your services that are spotlighted on your website.
For each service, identify clients who have reaped substantial benefits or who have compelling stories or results that align with that particular service.
Aim to pinpoint at least three clients for each service.
Identifying and Approaching Clients
Once you have your list, it’s time to reach out to these clients.
You should request a 30-minute interview with the client. Your request should be clear, concise, and respectful of their time.
Ensure to communicate that the interview will be recorded over Zoom and will be utilised as a testimonial on your website. Transparency is key here to maintain trust and rapport with your clients and to ensure that the call is efficient, and you get the outcome you want.
Preparing Your Clients
To respect their time and to facilitate a smooth interview, send each client the list of questions they’ll be asked during the call in advance.
This allows them to prepare their thoughts and provides a clear structure for the interview, ensuring it remains focused and valuable.
While you may have your own questions, we’ll cover later in this article some key questions you might want to include.
On top of this, it’s paramount to respect privacy and legal boundaries. You need to ensure that your client is aware that the recording will be used as a testimonial on your website and potentially other marketing materials. Obtain explicit consent for recording and using their testimonial.
And finally, when preparing your clients, you should ensure that your client is well-versed in the technical aspects of Zoom.
If they don’t know how to use Zoom or are new to it, get them to review this Zoom Guide prior to your meeting.
Hot tip: To ensure high quality audio, consider downloading and using the Krisp app, and potentially ask your customer to do the same. It automatically cuts out background noise.
In this step, your objective is to lay a solid foundation for the testimonial recording. By identifying the right clients, approaching them in a respectful and transparent manner, and providing them with the questions ahead of time, you’re ensuring that both parties can approach the recording session with clarity and confidence.
Step 2: Conducting the Testimonial Interview
Your approach to setting up and conducting the meeting can significantly impact the quality and authenticity of the testimonial you capture.
The moment has arrived: it’s time to record the testimonial. Ensuring a smooth, comfortable, and productive session is pivotal to capturing a genuine and compelling testimonial. Let’s delve into the key aspects to consider during the interview.
Setting the Tone
There are a few key guidelines you’re going to want to follow to set the tone for the meeting:
- Technical Setup: Ensure optimal lighting, sound quality, a stable internet connection, and a professional background to facilitate a high-quality video
- Start Your Recording: Once everything is set up, start your recording
- Snapshot Moment: Tell your client that you’re going to take a snapshot for a still image thumbnail for the video. Ask them to smile, and then take a quick screenshot to use as a thumbnail for your video on your website
- Guiding the Narrative: Inform your client that you will read the question first, and they should repeat the question or integrate it into their answer since the viewer won’t hear you ask it
- Avoiding Specific Names: Encourage your client to use generic terms like “our account manager” instead of specific names for a timeless and versatile testimonial
- Introduction: Have your client introduce themselves with, “Hi, I’m [Name], the [Position] from [Company]”
- Service Timeline: Ensure your client mentions when they started the service and how long they’ve been working with your company or when the specific service took place
Once you’ve set the tone and run through the above steps with your client, you should move onto asking the client each question in your list.
Key Questions to Ask
Here’s a list of the questions we recommend asking your client:
- What problems were you and your team members having with your messaging before [SERVICE]?
- Why was having [SERVICE] critical to the outcome?
- What did you learn about the importance of [THE OUTCOME OF SERVICE] and how will you be able to apply that to your business moving forward?
- What aspects of [SERVICE] surprised you or exceeded your expectations?
- What were the benefits/outcomes you saw from doing [SERVICE]?
- Considering this is a significant investment for [SERVICE], could you discuss the value and return on investment (ROI) that has been provided?
- Have you tried working on [THE OUTCOME OF SERVICE] with other companies, if so, what do you think makes [OUR COMPANY] different from other service providers?
- If someone was hesitating to take the leap in doing [SERVICE], what would you say to them?
By ensuring a professional setup, clear guidance, and a supportive environment, you’re well on your way to capturing a powerful and authentic customer testimonial.
Step 3: Post Production Editing
After successfully recording the testimonial, the next pivotal step is editing the video to ensure it is concise, engaging, and professionally presented.
Editing is not merely about cutting and trimming but enhancing the narrative to ensure the message is clear and impactful.
Choosing the Right Editing Tools
There are two great video editing tools we can recommend:
- Descript: An easy-to-use tool that allows you to edit the video by editing the text transcript. It’s particularly useful for removing filler words and ensuring a smooth flow of conversation
- Premier Pro: Offers a wide array of editing features, allowing you to enhance the video quality, add effects, and fine-tune the audio
If you don’t have resources to work with video editors, Descript may be the best choice for you. Do note, though, that even seasoned video editors may benefit from using the Descript editing software.
Guidelines for Video Editing
Here’s some general guidelines you may want to follow while editing your video:
- Ensure that the video is concise and directly addresses the key points. Trim any off-topic discussions or unnecessary details to maintain the viewer’s attention and deliver a clear message
- Ensure that the answers to the key questions are clear, concise, and that they effectively communicate the desired message. If something isn’t clear and concise, cut it out
- Adjust the lighting and colour grading to ensure the video is visually appealing and consistent throughout. If you’re using Descript this is very easy to do
- Ensure the audio is clear, without any distortions or distracting background noises. Consider enhancing the audio quality and adjusting the volume levels for clarity and consistency
- Consider adding subtitles to ensure accessibility and cater to viewers who may watch the video without sound
- Ensure your brand is subtly yet consistently represented throughout the video. This could be through logo placement, using brand colours, or incorporating branded intro or outro sections
Look at some of our Partner’s customer testimonials at Impact+ using this method:
In this step, your goal is to refine the raw footage into a polished, professional, and compelling customer testimonial that aligns with your brand and effectively communicates the client’s message.
The edited video should be a clear, concise, and engaging narrative that resonates with potential customers and authentically showcases the client’s experiences and outcomes.
So, what’s next?
Now you should have a complete method of recording customer testimonials on a low budget remotely.
Start identifying what services you need testimonials for and schedule those meetings with your clients.
Once you’ve got your customer testimonials, you might benefit from producing other types of videos as well. In particular, there are 7 types of videos that can help businesses increase their revenue.
