Chris Barrow, founder of The Extreme Business Academy, characterizes Vocal Video as one of the most important tools in his marketing toolkit. “It's absolutely brilliant. Seamless, easy to learn, easy to operate, and easy for the client at the other end to actually record.”
The testimonial videos for the Extreme Business Academy embedded on his website with Vocal Video have been viewed over 46,000 times - and counting.
Read on to learn more about how Chris' team uses Vocal Video to collect, edit, and promote testimonial videos across social media channels, as well as using them on their website, blog posts, newsletter and YouTube channels.
How does your organization use testimonial videos?
Chris Barrow: I'm the founder of the Extreme Business 100 Coaching Programme. I provide business coaching for the owners and managers of dental practices both in the UK, Ireland, and overseas.
We've been using Vocal Video to collect testimonial videos from our clients and to use them across social media channels, our website, in blog posts, newsletters, and YouTube channels. We really enjoy using Vocal Video. Prospective clients find it reassuring to listen to feedback from like-minded professionals who encourage them to become part of our group before hiring me as a business coach or join our community.
What challenges did you have with creating video testimonials before Vocal Video?
Chris Barrow:
Before using Vocal Video, we had extreme difficulty collecting any video testimonials from our clients.
In the past, there were only really two opportunities to collect video testimonials. The first one would be if I visited the client's dental clinic, and when they had me there working with them, we didn't really have any time to spare to start looking for video testimonials. Nor could I wander around the country with a professional videographer in the back of my car waiting to be called out when appropriate.
Secondarily, we meet with our clients at regular workshops around the United Kingdom and Ireland. And again, when you've got anything from 50 to 100 people in a workshop environment, it can be quite difficult logistically to try to pull them out of the workshop and grab that video testimonial. This was also expensive because I would have had to hire a freelance videographer with all of the appropriate technology to bring with them, and then try to grab the client during a break, take them off to a noisy corner of the conference centre and capture that testimonial.
The videos were got were expensive, it was logistically difficult. The number of videos that we were able to collect was limited. We contrast that now with:
Vocal Video is a simple, easy, effective solution that allows the client to choose their time and environment for a video testimonial.
What’s the ROI of video testimonials for your organization, and how do you measure it?
Chris Barrow:
Prior to recording my Vocal Video testimonial, I thought I'd go back to my own web page to have a look at the level of engagement that we've had with the videos that we have posted over the last couple of years.
We’ve had over 46,000 views of the client testimonial videos that we have been able to post since we began with Vocal Video.
That's phenomenal when you consider that there are something in the region of 25,000-30,000 dentists registered in the United Kingdom, together with their support teams, but we know that those videos are viewed by overseas visitors as well.
How do you measure the return on investment from a Vocal Video testimonial? Well, in one sense that's impossible. When I listen to new clients describe the journey that they have taken in order to find me, find our community and trigger themselves to become members, very often they'll tell me that they've been reading my blog (which has been published since 2004), they've been following my newsletters (which have been broadcast for just as long), and they also keep tabs with articles that I write in trade journals and talks that I give at trade shows and conferences.
I always like to imagine that as a client or a customer is making their journey towards you, they are stepping on a row of stones across a pond that lead to an island in the middle. Can you imagine that in your mind? One of those beautiful Japanese settings where you've got the stillness of the water and then the pebbles across to the island in the centre. I always think that marketing is like stepping on those pebbles. I read a blog post. I saw a newsletter. I heard a talk. I read an article in a journal. One of those stepping stones as I approach the island, as I get towards the end of my journey, is that Vocal Video testimonial which might be the last stepping stone that I need in order to persuade myself to actually take that final step and reach the island or the coaching community in the middle. The level of reassurance that they get from like-minded professionals who encourage them to become part of our community really is a fantastic final step.
We don't measure in numeric terms, rather we measure the feedback. For example, someone might say. "I've been following you for years, Chris, I was ready to join your community, but when I watched those testimonials from people who I knew were in the same boat as me, and that you've been able to help them, that was the last convincing that I needed."
Would you recommend others try Vocal Video? Why?
Chris Barrow: One of the questions that we ask our clients on our own Vocal Video testimonial is: 'What advice would you give to people who are considering joining the Extreme Business coaching community?' Without any prompting, pretty much every single video testimonial has somebody saying the same thing. And it's just three words, and those three words are "Just do it." And I would say exactly the same thing about Vocal Video.
I have 100% satisfaction with Vocal Video, no regrets whatsoever about using it, and intend to continue to be a very happy customer of Vocal Video for a very long time to come.
How would you describe Vocal Video?
Chris Barrow: How would I describe Vocal Video?
Vocal Video is very simply one of the most important tools in my marketing toolkit. Wouldn't be without it. It's absolutely brilliant.
It's seamless, easy to learn, easy to operate, and easy for the client at the other end to actually record that video and get it back to you as well. And so, what's not to like?
Note: Ready to start easily collecting, editing, and publishing customer testimonial videos and video reviews? Get your free Vocal Video account.