3 Common Mistakes in Customer Testimonial Videos

by
Customer Evidence, Marketing Musings

At Projectline we have produced dozens of testimonial videos for our clients all over the world. We have also seen hundreds of videos that are just short of great due to a few common mistakes. Occasionally we are even asked to go against our better judgment and knowledge to create a video that is less of a true customer story. We resist when we can.

Lighting? Good sound? A huge production team? Hiring the right consulting firm to help? No, these aren’t where the most critical mistakes are made.

If you are just embarking on your first customer or partner testimonial videos or you need a refresher, let me share with you the 3 most common mistakes that can render a video significantly less impactful. As helpful as they can be with most content, don’t let your branding manager or your senior executive bully you into changing your true testimonials into marketing mush:

  • Don’t narrate the story. Here’s the thing: if YOU are telling the story instead of your customer, you are losing the single most powerful effect of the video. A narrator can and will say anything their client asks of them. A customer will not. Let your customer tell the story, because they’ll be more trustworthy. Ask them questions that bring out the full story from beginning to end. To that same end, do not have your customer memorize a script or specific ways to say things. Let them break your brand rules and be genuine.
  • Don’t appear in your video. Your audience isn’t interested in what you have to say about your own products or services. Even if your Account Manager, Technical Consultant, or Customer Service Rep was instrumental in the customer’s satisfaction, don’t interview your internal team about how great they are or how they helped. Let the customer tell the story. Let your customer talk about them if it was important.
  • Don’t over-emphasize branding throughout the video or place product logos in every shot. We’ve all seen videos where the company shows the product logo every time the customer says the product name! There is no need to show your product logo over and over – in fact, it disrupts the story and turns a genuine interview and customer testimonial into one more piece of marketing fluff. Include your logo and URL at the end of the video with a call to action.

You can have the tiniest budget video, but as long as you let the customer tell the real story, you have gold in your hands. Don’t let over production and micro-management overshadow a real life story. Go forth. Record. Share.

[The videos above are ones we're proud of. One highlights one of our own happy customers, and the other is a video we produced on behalf of a client.]

Gartner’s Customer 360: Beyond CRM

by
Marketing Musings, Research and Insight

I spent the first half of last week at Gartner’s Customer 360 conference, which used to be known as the Gartner CRM conference. As part of my attendance, I was asked to take part in a focus group that provided feedback on the rebranding and conference changes, which led to some interesting perspectives on what “Customer 360” meant and what the conference was all about.

Some participants thought the new title implied too much emphasis on data and metrics, and others were sorry to see the “CRM” moniker go, but I think the change demonstrates the coming of age of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and the convergence of marketing and business intelligence. The new name, to me, shows that the industry has recognized the need to get a full 360 degree view of the customer.

One of my favorite sessions that spoke to this was by Gartner Analyst Bill Gassman. Called “How Marketing Benefits from Data Analysis and Marketing Skills,” it focused on three major areas: how BI can help with marketing strategy, bringing the business and IT closer together, and the importance of data quality. His presentation described some of the ways that a good business intelligence framework can contribute to that 360-view of the customer by avoiding information silos.

The focus on comprehensive customer insight is especially important in the current economic climate, with tightening budgets; the CEO, CFO, and Sr. Marketing management are all being held more accountable for the return on their marketing spend. They need the information to decide which programs are most effective.

At Projectline, we’re helping our customers get the insight they need by helping unlock siloed data, improve data quality, and manage the whole view of the customer. To learn more, contact me at brianh@projectlineinc.com.

Customer stories and the oldest social media

by
Customer Evidence, Marketing Musings, Social Media

This past Sunday (as usual), we found ourselves looking for brunch. The nearest place is an odd little corner café descriptively named the Volunteer Park Café. They have delicious quiche, good salads, and a nearly overwhelming banana French toast dish. From a block away, we could see someone standing in the doorway with a boom mic. Was it a news crew? Was the café still open? People seemed to be going in past the filming operation, so we followed them in.

Inside, there was a note on the register explaining the video shoot: a friend of the café had volunteered to film “Love letters to VPC” in support of the owners and café community. Customers were encouraged to share if they had anything nice to say about the café or their experiences at the café over the years.

Why Love Letters?

It turns out that the café has been working on building a back patio for some outdoor seating, and one of the neighbors objects. That neighbor has filed a complaint with the city pointing out that the building is historically zoned as “grocery” instead of “grocery/café.”

In order to stay in its spot—and continue to grow—the café will need to request a zoning change from the Department of Planning and Development. And in order to do that, they’re collecting customer stories to build a “supportive argument” for the café.

The oldest social media

From my spot by the wall, I can hear what’s going on around me: two elderly gentlemen in the corner are discussing the Federalist Papers; one of the owners is greeting a baby whose mother is standing in line; two men with dueling MacBooks are working beside me; and several pairs of friends are meeting for lunch.

Video testimonials, customer evidence, and new media may be popular buzzwords and growing marketing practices, but this is the oldest “social” media: people gathering to talk with each other, work together, and build communities. It seems only natural that video and “new” media should support this place’s existence.

It’s a good reminder: the boom mic may be new, and the Twitter account might help a little bit, but the real secret to great customer evidence and strong testimonials is helping them fall in love—with your space, with the products, with each other, and with the community.