DON’T JUST TELL
THEM, SHOW THEM
THE POWER OF VIDEO TESTIMONIALS
With prospective members
and clients placing more faith
in video testimonials than
written ones, it’s time to
press ‘record’.
WORDS: MARCUS SEEGER
The 30-second article
• Consumers have tired of written
testimonials, so video is a natural
progression for your online presence
• Video testimonials can be used to
address the three most common
barriers of sale: price, time and trust
• Each testimonial should address just
one specific barrier of sale
• Authenticity is key, so give clients a
topic to discuss, but don’t tell them
exactly what to say in their
testimonials.
10 | NETWORK SPRING 2015
hile written testimonials have
worked well as a marketing tool in
the past, people no longer trust
them. By stepping up to video testimonials
you are able to bring a new level of
authenticity to your business, which in turn
brings new opportunities and additional
sales.
Video testimonials are a powerful
affirmation of your business. When a
potential customer watches a video of
someone ‘just like them’, who is endorsing
your business, they are far more likely to
purchase from you, rather than from your
competition.
You might think that a testimonial is
simply one of your customers saying how
fantastic your fitness business is. However,
you can be far more strategic than this. The
most effective approach is to tackle your
potential customer’s barriers of sale, i.e. the
objections that, if not overcome, will prevent
them from signing up to be a member or
client. The three most common barriers of
sale are:
1. Price: ‘It’s too expensive’
2. Time: ‘It’s going to take too long’
3. Trust: ‘Does it work and live up to its
claims?’
Your potential customer usually has some
or all of these reasons why not to buy from
W
you. Once these issues have been resolved,
and there aren’t any further objections,
your customer is clear to proceed with their
purchase.
Video testimonials are perfect for
dissolving these barriers of sale. Imagine that
you can share a video featuring a customer
who initially had doubts but, with the benefit
of hindsight, is now positively reviewing your
business. This is incredibly valuable.
To get the best outcomes from your
video testimonials you need to match a
barrier of sale to a customer and focus their
testimonial around that one objection. Keep
it simple; start with one person or couple for
one testimonial that addresses one barrier
of sale. Testimonial videos are typically 30
to 60 seconds in length, but can be a little
longer. Once you have built a library of video
testimonials you could consider editing
together snippets of multiple testimonials
themed to address a single barrier of sale.
When it comes to creating video
testimonials, it can be effective to flag the
idea with a new member or client as they
embark upon their program or membership.
After they have reached their goals and you
actually ask for the testimonial, they will be
more inclined to say yes as they have had
the testimonial in the back of their minds
from the start.