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Video Testimonials: The Ultimate Tool For Authentic Brand Promotion

When it comes to video marketing, there’s no better way to build trust and credibility with your audience, than by communicating the first-hand experiences of your satisfied customers in a video testimonial.

Video testimonials generally take the form of 1-2 minute videos that tell a compelling story about your product or service, and how it’s made a tangible difference to an individual or business.

As opposed to a written testimonial or case study, the video format allows people to hear directly from your existing customers, painting a full picture of who they are and the problems you’ve helped solve.

At Dead Ready Productions, we know just how powerful these testimonials can be and we’ve helped countless brands leverage them to connect with potential customers and drive sales.

So why are customer testimonials so effective?

People are naturally skeptical of marketing messages. But when they hear about a product or service from someone who has used it, their skepticism decreases.

They are more likely to trust what they’re hearing and view your brand in a positive light – a study by BrightLocal found that 72% of consumers say positive testimonials and reviews make them trust a business more.

By sharing these human interactions, you can create a sense of community that will keep your audience engaged and invested in your brand, whilst at the same time encouraging more people to join in.

Another benefit to video testimonials is they allow your advocates to show how your product or service can be used and the difference it can make. This helps potential customers put themselves in the shoes of your clients and visualise how they could incorporate your brand into their business.

The video below was produced for Deputy, a scheduling software platform that helps businesses to save both time and money in a variety of ways. One of their customers who has seen many benefits from the use of their software is hotel chain citizenM, and Deputy wanted to promote this by creating a video that showcased the impact their software has had on their client’s business.

But how do you go about leveraging customer testimonials in your video marketing?

Below are some simple steps you should follow to ensure you get the most out of your customer testimonials when applying them to your video marketing:

Choose the right customers

Not every customer is going to be a good fit for a video testimonial. Look for customers who are passionate about your brand and who have a compelling story to tell. But also consider how they’ll come across on camera – they need to be good communicators, and having a visually appealing premises will help bring the story to life.

You want to showcase the people who will resonate with your target market, so choose wisely the customers you feature.

Our client, Fortius Clinic, were looking to support the marketing of their orthopaedic services with a new video featuring a top flight athlete.

The video testimonial tells the story of how Fortius Clinic helped British diver and multi-Olympic medalist, Tom Daley, deal with an orthopaedic issue and how Fortius’ high standard of care allowed him to go on and achieve a number of top sporting accolades.

 

Keep it authentic

Don’t script your customer testimonials. Instead let your customers speak from the heart and share their genuine experiences. This approach will come across as more authentic and will resonate more strongly with your audience.

In the video testimonial below, our client, AirPlus International, arranged for their customer, NES Global Talent (now the NES Fircroft Group), to visit their offices for a video shoot.

Members of NES staff were interviewed about the benefits that AirPlus International had brought to their business and b-roll footage was also captured.

Video testimonials can either be shot on-site at a client’s office or a convenient filming location can be found. However, at Dead Ready Productions we would usually recommend filming on-site as this allows for relevant b-roll to be easily captured, which can then be included in the final edit. 

 

Tell the story

It’s not just about listing the positive attributes of your product or service. A good testimonial is more than just a list of positive attributes. It’s a story that connects with your audience on an emotional level.

Focus on the benefits that your product or service can bring, whilst at the same time helping your customers talk about their personal experience with your company in a way that will engage and inspire your target market.

Video truly allows you to present a broad overview of who your customer is, for example by showing where they work, or by talking about their common challenges.

So, it’s important to feature them as much as your product or service – this allows potential customers to identify with your existing customers, to find common ground and understand how they themselves can benefit.

Use video strategically

Video is a powerful medium, but it is important to use it strategically. Consider where your audience is most likely to engage with your video content, such as which social media channels, and adapt your approach to your audience.

One other common way of using these videos is during face-to-face sales meetings, to help drive potential sales over the line.

In conclusion

By featuring the authentic experiences of satisfied customers, video customer testimonials are a powerful tool that can help businesses build trust and credibility with their audience, establish a sense of community with customers and provide a compelling story that showcases the benefits of a product or service.

Have you got happy customers? Would they be good on camera? Do you want to build trust with your audience and promote your brand?

If you’re looking to create a customer testimonial video that truly captures the essence of your brand and resonates with your customers, simply get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

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5 Video Content Marketing Ideas For Pharmaceutical Brands To Apply

In the latest of our marketing tips vlog series, Chris Tongue, Creative Director at Dead Ready Productions, explains 5 video content ideas that pharmaceutical brands should apply to their marketing strategy. The content of which can be found below.

Hi, this month I’m suggesting 5 effective video approaches to support content campaigns for pharmaceutical brands.

So, if you’re an in-house marketeer for a pharmaceutical brand or working at an agency for pharmaceutical clients, I’d hope this content is useful to you.

It’s worth saying that often your most useful resource will be your Key Opinion Leaders (KOL), so be prepared to get them on-side for filming.

Many KOLs take it upon themselves to get some media training, but it’ll really help the quality of your content if your KOL’s are good on camera.

Number 1: Communicating Study Findings

Traditionally, study findings are reported to audiences via PowerPoint presentations, but you can more powerfully connect the KOL to the content through video.

The simplest way to enliven these findings is the classic talking head in a box approach, where the heavy data can take up most of the screen. However, if you involve a greenscreen, there is a whole world of ways that we can enliven the environment and content.

Feel free to add as much imagination as you feel is appropriate for your audience.

We’ve brought pop up green screen studios to locations worldwide, so it’s easy to bring the production to a location that’s convenient for your KOL.

Number 2: Case Studies

In almost any market, video case studies are a great way to highlight the efficacy of a product. When it comes to pharma, case studies are usually led by a KOL discussing how well treatment is going with a particular patient or group of patients.

These can be effectively communicated through a simple interview-style video, shot at the KOLs institute or place of work. Adding testimonial interview quotes from patients can present an even more compelling case study.

Number 3: Update Vlogs

Consider creating a channel for a particular product in development and have a specialist on the development team deliver regular updates on progress.

These thought leadership videos should only be a couple of minutes long and delivered regularly – providing a touch point for your KOLs and any other interested parties.

Number 4: News

Become a resource for a specific therapy area by attending congresses and organise the filming of update videos from a range of key speakers.

These can easily be shot by a single camera operator and provided they are scheduled in advance, you can shoot and even edit up to fifty 2-3 minute update videos a day!

Number 5: Interactive Video

Your e-learning resources become more engaging, impactful and effective when presented as an interactive video.

In one example, we were asked to help teach GPs how to recognise the right symptom profile to apply certain treatments.

We therefore created a video putting the audience in the shoes of a doctor as patient characters described their symptoms.

Audiences were given options as to what steps to take and guided to a resolution that benefited the patient. Requiring your audience to actively engage with the content in this way dramatically increases the likelihood that the learning objectives are fully absorbed.

So that’s it, 5 simple ideas for pharmaceutical campaigns. But before I go, a useful compliance tip is to use an autocue.

It seems strange to script interviews or other natural interactions but allowing the messaging to be signed off in advance drastically reduces the risk of projects being cancelled in post production – we’ve even held up a script on an iPad before and used post production to make it feel natural, so we’re big advocates of this approach.

As always, put yourself in the shoes of your audience and create videos that solve problems or inspire.

Thanks for watching.

For more helpful information, top tips and useful guides on video production, keep an eye out for our next 60 second marketing tips vlog – coming soon!

In the meantime, if you have a filming brief, or you would like to find out more about the animation, photography and graphic design services Dead Ready Productions can offer your business, simply get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

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Subtitles – How To Add Them To Your Video To Help Boost Engagement

When adding subtitles to your video, there are two main options: using closed caption files or having subtitles ‘baked in’.

Mike Plenty, Managing Director at Dead Ready Productions, explains the subtitle options available in our latest 60 second production tips vlog. The content of which can be found below.

Closed Caption File

A closed caption file is a text file containing information about the timing and wording for each subtitle that appears in your video. This is then uploaded alongside your video and the viewer can then toggle the subtitles on or off as desired.

This works for most major video platforms, including YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook.

Once created, the closed caption text files can easily be modified by anyone with a text editing program. This also makes it easy to upload translated subtitle files, without having to use video editing software to modify the original video.

Baked In

The other option is to ‘bake in’ subtitles. This means the subtitles are integrated into the video and always on. This is helpful if you don’t want your viewers to be able to switch the subtitles off.

It also gives more scope to design exactly how the subtitles look, since you’re not restricted to the options provided by the closed caption approach. Your subtitles will also look the same regardless of which platform people are viewing on.

If you would like to find out more about the video, animation, photography and graphic design services Dead Ready Productions can offer your business, please feel free to get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

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Subtitles – Why Adding Them Will Maximise The Reach Of Your Video

Subtitles aren’t just useful for the hard of hearing. They’re a great way to maximise the reach of your video and enhance viewer experience across the board, and so should be considered for all of your video content.

Mike Plenty, Managing Director at Dead Ready Productions, explains the subtitle options available in our latest 60 second production tips vlog. The content of which can be found below.

What are the benefits?

Ensure Your Video Works Without Audio

Video is often watched by people with the audio switched off, particularly when viewing on mobile. In fact, 85% of Facebook videos are watched on mute.

Having subtitles ensures these viewers don’t miss out on your content.

Improve Understanding

Even when audio is enabled, comprehension is often improved when viewers are able to read along as well.

Enable Translation

The subtitles for your video can easily be translated to other languages, opening up your content to new markets.

Increase Reach

Studies have shown that subtitled videos tend to be shared more than those without, as well as having higher viewer engagement. This has the knock-on effect of improving your SEO rankings.

Increase searchability

Search engines can’t look through your video, but they can look through text. Posting the full subtitle text as a video transcript makes those keywords visible and increases the chance of your video being found.

For more helpful information, top tips and useful guides on video production, keep an eye out for our next 60 second production tips vlog – coming soon!

If you would like to find out more about the video, animation, photography and graphic design services Dead Ready Productions can offer your business, please feel free to get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

The Benefits Of Video And Why It Is Essential To Any Marketing Strategy

Video has proven itself to be a highly effective marketing tool for businesses. It helps spread the message of your brand, products and services in a uniquely compelling way, delivering a host of benefits unmatched by other mediums.

By incorporating video into their marketing strategies, marketers enjoy a range of advantages to help their business connect in a more engaging and impactful way with their target audience.

In this article, we explore the benefits of video and why it should be an integral part of any successful marketing plan.

Increased Engagement

The dynamic nature of video means it has the power to keep people interested and engaged for longer.

According to Optinmonster, 72% of customers say they would rather learn about a product or service by way of video, whilst 83% of video marketers claim that video has helped increase the average time visitors spend on their website pages (Wyzwol).

This increased engagement can translate into higher levels of brand awareness, increased website traffic and stronger relationships with your target audience, making it a powerful tool for communicating your message and ultimately leading to more people buying from your brand.

Greater Emotional Impact

Research by Insivia, found that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in the text.

With the help of social-sharing platforms, video content that is emotional, educational, and relatable is the most likely to go viral within hours, potentially acquiring millions of views for your business.

So, whether you’re trying to evoke laughter, sadness, joy or any other emotion, creating an emotional connection with your audience can be a powerful motivator for them to take action.

This powerful and thought provoking video, Real Beauty Sketches, which is one of the most famous Dove films is a great example of the power of emotion to hook an audience.

The video explores the gap between how others perceive us and how we perceive ourselves as each woman is the subject of two portraits drawn by FBI-trained forensic artist Gil Zamora: one based on her own description and the other using a stranger’s observations.

Another example is the below video by Getup! – an independent movement of more than one million people who are working to build a progressive Australia and help put people back into politics.

This video highlights the support of marriage equality and although now over 11 years old, it’s message is as impactful and thought provoking as it was when first released.

Better Reach

Video content is shared 1200% more times than links and written content combined, with people two times more likely to share videos with their friends than any other type of content. So, when it comes to potential reach, video is unbeaten.

As a result, video can help you connect with the right people and reach your target audience on a scale that would be difficult to achieve with other marketing methods.

Add into the mix the popularity of social media platforms and when people share video content, it exposes your business to an audience outside of your original target market.

According to The Marketing Helpline, posts on social media that contain video get 48% more views. As a result, word-of-mouth marketing can have a significant impact on conversions as people are more likely to watch a video shared by those they know.

This is why video has the highest organic reach of all types of content.

Improved Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Video is a powerful tool for improving your search engine optimisation efforts, with search engines such as Google, favouring websites that incorporate video into their content.

One of the biggest ways that video content can improve your SEO has to do with Google’s internal algorithm for generating search engine results pages.

Google values two things above all others – the quality of your content and its relevance to someone’s original search terms. So, if your website features a mixture of text and quality visuals, like video, it means your pages are as varied as they are informative.

You can also leverage the power of video SEO through YouTube, which is the second-largest search engine after Google with more than 1.3 billion users and over 15 billion videos watched every day. (monsterinsights)

By featuring your video content on platforms such as these, it will help improve your search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to your site, thus leading to increased brand exposure and a higher return on investment for your marketing efforts.

Increased Conversion Rates

Video has been proven to boost conversion rates. This is backed up by research carried out by WordStream, which found that including a video on your landing page can boost your conversion rate by up to 80%. In fact, 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video. (Optinmonster)

These stats show that by showcasing your products or services in a visual and engaging way such as video, you can persuade more people to act and make a purchase.

This video which we produced for Wrapmaster to highlight their new 98% recycled foil product, had some great results for them, specifically within trade media, causing a spike in page views on the Wrapmaster website.

Some fantastic results were also achieved on social media, with high impressions, engagements, and media views.

Cost-Effective

Video is one of the most cost-effective marketing tools available. With varied production approaches that can be tailored as needed to match specific marketing budgets, cost is no barrier to harnessing the benefits that video can offer.

Compared to traditional advertising methods such as print or television adverts, video provides a higher return on investment. According to research by WordStream, marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users, making it a smart choice for businesses of all sizes.

Once produced, video can be easily shared and distributed across multiple platforms, ultimately maximising investment and providing long-term benefits to your business.

In Conclusion

Not only is consumer appetite for video content continually growing, but there is now a wide body of research demonstrating the significant impact such content can have for a business. We’ve outlined some of these research findings in this article, but this is really just scratching the surface.

By showcasing your products or services in an engaging way, video can persuade more people to act upon your call to action, driving awareness and sales, and increasing revenue for your business. What more could you want?

If you would like to discuss how Dead Ready Productions could help you to further enjoy the benefits of video for your business, please get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.