Getting testimonials for your website takes a lot less effort, expense, and video expertise than you might think. With Vocal Video, you can collect authentic video and audio testimonials directly from your customers.
Testimonials are one of the most effective tools you can use to convince people of the value of your product or service, so it pays to build a library of social proof to display on your website and in any other place where you interact with your customers.
In this article, we’ll…
Ready to start collecting video testimonials for your website? Sign up for a free Vocal Video account today.
Why Use Video Testimonials Instead of (or Along with) Written Reviews?
Video Testimonials Are Authentic Social Proof
No matter how many facts and figures a spokesperson from an organization can give, people are more likely to listen to people like themselves explain the value your product or service brings. The more positive customer stories you collect, the more powerful this social proof becomes — like the great impression made by this dedicated testimonial page for Organic Body Essentials skincare, which uses clips from Vocal Video.
People who create testimonials with Vocal Video respond to questions you set, but what they say is up to them. They aren’t following a script or being directed by someone off-camera. It’s 100% authentic and real.
That’s part of the reason video testimonials have a much higher conversion rate than written reviews. Your customers make videos in their own space to pass on the good news, creating a video that feels relatable.
This is a powerful tool for persuading prospective customers and clients that they could benefit from your product, too. Our research surveys show that nearly 9/10 of marketing teams see at least a 10% increase in website signups and sales conversions when they use testimonial videos in their campaigns. Nearly half increase conversions by 25% or more.
Video Testimonials Are Highly Shareable
With Vocal Video, you can build a library of recorded testimonials to share with your target audience. Once your video is ready to publish, it takes as little as one click to share it on your marketing channels and you can embed your video seamlessly into your website by copying and pasting a few lines of code.
We also give you your own page within Vocal Video to display your testimonials. You can set this page to be public and searchable, giving search engines like Google and Bing the chance to display your videos to your new customers.
Once your website testimonials are live, video content is also automatically highly attractive and shareable on social media, which means your audience is likely to share your videos with their followers too.
Vocal Video Testimonials Belong to You
Lots of businesses get reviews and customer feedback on third-party review sites like Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Trustpilot. Those online reviews and star ratings can drive new business, but, if you want to collect and collate customer reviews from across the internet and use them on your site, you’ll be up against a few challenges. Usually, the reviews belong to the site where they were shared, which means you don’t have the right to re-publish them, for example, by adding screenshots of the reviews to your website. And while you might be able to use a plugin to display something like the recent tweets about your business, these widgets can be buggy and don’t always integrate well with your web design.
In contrast, all the Vocal Video testimonials in your library belong to you.
When someone records a video, they give you permission to use it (see our privacy policy and terms of use for more information). If you have a Pro or Enterprise plan on Vocal Video, you can also add a custom video release. Once you have a selection of videos to choose from, you’re free to use and repurpose them as part of your content marketing strategy or use our embed options to add them to your website in a slick and professional way.
How to Get Testimonials Using Vocal Video
Collecting testimonials with Vocal Video is a smooth and easy process. It only takes a few minutes to set up a Video Collector and start getting great testimonials to use on your website.
Build a Video Collector to Send to Your Customers
You can build a Collector from scratch or choose one of our 46 customizable templates.
Each template is built with a particular use and industry in mind. For example, in the education section, the “Student Testimonials” template is designed to help students speak authentically about what it’s like to go to your school. It suggests questions to ask, such as, “What would you tell other students considering the school?” You can also add your own questions on the next screen.
Click here for 34 examples of customer testimonial questions that get great answers.
From your dashboard, you can also adjust the colors and font of your video collector so that it reflects your brand.
Next, you’ll add some information to the “Welcome Page” that your customers will see when they open the Collector. You can already see the brand colors and company logo being used in this preview for a Paint and Sip event.
You can write or record an introductory message explaining why you’re asking for testimonials. This is a good place to reassure your customers that they can re-record their video until they’re happy. You can also give them some tips for lighting and camera angles to help them create a video that shows them at their best. And don’t forget to thank them for their time and detail any incentives you’re offering — like a discount or entry into a prize draw — for submitting a video.
You’ll also set up the “Attribution Page” to note some information about the person submitting the video. These details will make up the text overlay on the finished video, which gives the testimonial credibility.
Finally, say thank you.
On the thank-you page, you’ll add a quick message to show your appreciation once someone has finished their recording. Pro and Enterprise users can also add a custom call-to-action (CTA) button to this screen. This is a great tool if you want more website visitors or mailing list signups, or if you want people to register to attend your event again next time.
Once you’ve built each page of your Video Collector, we’ll automatically generate a URL to send to your customers.
Edit the Responses
As soon as someone records a testimonial, we’ll send you a notification to say that a new video is waiting for you.
What makes Vocal Video different from the other testimonial platforms out there is that every video sent to your library is auto-edited. When you get that notification, it means that the video is ready to go, with no extra editing to do before you click “share”.
Vocal Video’s automagic video editing adds:
- Music.
- Motion graphics and animations.
- Colors and a logo chosen to reflect the branding you defined in your collector.
- Question cards to give the testimonial the feel of an interview.
- Text overlays to tell your audience who’s speaking.
- Closed captions and a full transcript.
These transitions, animations, fonts, and music are decided by the theme you choose in your default video settings. You can also use our editing tools to switch themes until you’re happy with how your video looks. The Vocal Video starter plan includes two versions of the clean and modern Europa theme, and Pro plans have four further options to choose from.
The result is a versatile, accessible, high-quality video that looks professional and doesn’t compromise on authenticity. Take a look at this testimonial from Anna, which uses all our automagic editing features.
If you’d like to make adjustments before you share the testimonial on your site, Vocal Video also gives you a full suite of editing tools to explore. From the editing dashboard, you can:
- Trim the length of the video.
- Change the animations or style by applying a different theme.
- Change fonts, colors, and more.
- Change the order of the scenes or add more scenes.
- Change the video format to fit a different aspect ratio.
- Add a filter to the video.
- Adjust the music and volume levels.
- Edit the title, description, URL, and transcript.
- Choose a different thumbnail for your video or upload an image of your own.
Vocal Video’s editing tools give you a lot of control over the look and feel of the testimonials you get from your audience. Compared to external editing software like DaVinci, Lightworks, or Adobe, our tools are simple and intuitive, so you can make edits in minutes with no learning curve.
Click here to find out more about how to edit your testimonials with Vocal Video.
Add Vocal Video Testimonials to Your Website
Once you’re happy with the videos you have, it’s time to share them. You have plenty of options here. You can push videos directly to your social media channels or share the URL for your public page on Vocal Video. You can also embed videos seamlessly into your website homepage, landing pages, signup page, or testimonials page — and you don’t need to learn how to code to make it happen.
To embed a video, just go to any of your published testimonials, click “embed” in the top corner, and build a video card. You can choose exactly how your card looks, and you can pull a headline quote from the transcript to show beside the video. As well as making your video card look fantastic, attention-grabbing customer quotes can stop your audience from scrolling and encourage them to watch the testimonial and learn more about your business.
You can choose where and how to display the video cards on your website. Cards can be individual, for example, if you integrate a testimonial video into a case study for your blog. Or you can make all your videos into cards and display testimonials as a gallery on a dedicated customer stories page.
This example shows you how a carousel gallery of testimonials from happy customers could look on a page of your site.
We let you preview your embed without leaving the Vocal Video dashboard. Then, when you’re happy, just copy the embed code we give you, paste it into any HTML block of your website, and save and update your new website page.
Further reading: How to Add Testimonials in WordPress (Simplest Method)
If you opt to display video and written content together, that can have a positive impact on your SEO as well. Read more about how testimonials affect SEO.
How to Ask Your Customers for Testimonials
With Vocal Video, the process of getting client testimonial examples and displaying them on your website is smooth and simple for everyone. Now, let’s look at some ways to share your Video Collector with your audience so you can maximize the number of success stories, positive reviews, and testimonials you collect.
Request Testimonials by Email
Once you’ve created your Video Collector, you can use the URL to request testimonials. One of the easiest ways to do this is by including the link in your marketing emails. For example, if a customer buys something from you, attends an event, or completes a survey about their experience, you can send them the URL in your follow-up emails.
We have a proven, three-step email sequence to encourage your customers to share their thoughts.
First, the Pre-Ask
In your first message, tell the customer why you’re collecting testimonials and explain how easy the process is. Your goals are to convince them that the testimonial is worth their time and to make them feel comfortable, especially if they’ve never given their opinion on camera before.
Email #1: The Pre-Ask
Subject:
We'd love to share your story
We're really impressed with your work with [your organization name], and we'd love to be able to share your story with our community in a short testimonial video.
Would you be able to record a video about your experience with [your organization name] in the next two weeks? We're collecting video with a tool called Vocal Video, so it should be very easy and only take 5-10 minutes. The recording can be done from your phone or laptop.
Please let me know and I'll send the link and the questions right over.
Thanks so much!
Then, the Invitation
In the invitation, you share the link to the video collector. You’ll also explain the process in more depth, introduce the questions you want to ask, and give the respondent some tips for recording a high-quality video. Don’t forget to thank them for their time.
Email #2: The Invitation
Subject:
Your video testimonial
Thanks so much for agreeing to record a video testimonial! We really appreciate it.
Here are the details on recording a video - it should take 5-10 minutes altogether. Just click here to record your video: 🎥 The Impact of Video Testimonials on Marketing
The 3 questions that we'd like you to answer are:
1. Could you describe a time that [your organization name] helped you?
2. How would you describe [your organization name] in three words?
3. What is something about [your organization name] that makes it unique?
Here are a couple of tips:
1. Pick a quiet and well lit place.
2. Avoid having windows or a light source in the background of your shot since that will create glare.
3. Look directly at the camera.
3. Relax and be yourself - you'll do great!
Let me know if you have any questions, and thanks again!
Finally, the Reminder
If your customers don’t respond straight away, we also recommend giving them a nudge to increase your response rate.
In the reminder email, it’s helpful to restate how simple the process is. You can also offer to help them if they have any problems and remind them of any incentives you’re offering to customers who send you a review.
Email #3: The Reminder
Subject:
Quick reminder - video
I just wanted to bump this to the top of your inbox to see when you might be able to carve out 5-10 mins to record a short video.
Here's the link to record your video - you can record any time it’s convenient for you from your phone or laptop: 🎥 The Impact of Video Testimonials on Marketing
Other Places to Get Client Testimonials Using Vocal Video
Our three-step email sequence gets proven results, but it’s not the only way to get your customers excited about creating testimonials. If your goal is to collect user-generated content and social proof at scale, it pays to use as many different strategies as you can.
We know how important testimonials are on social media (that’s why we include one-click sharing on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn). Whenever you share one of your videos on your profile, it makes sense to include a link to your Video Collector and invite others to share their stories too.
Your Newsletter
Many of your newsletter subscribers will be satisfied customers and clients who are still interested in your business, so there’s a high chance you can convince them to try out your Video Collector. You could use your email marketing to announce that you’ve added a testimonials page to your website and invite them to add their story.
Kiosk Mode
If you have a Pro or Enterprise plan, you can also collect different types of testimonials at live events using Kiosk Mode. Instead of sending a link and hoping that everyone responds separately at some point during the event, Kiosk Mode lets you collect testimonials one after the other on one mobile or desktop device. Using these videos in a highlight reel or carousel is a great way to capture the atmosphere and immediate reactions of the real people you connected with there.
These videos — centered on the tagline I’m going, are you? — were made using Kiosk Mode to build anticipation and encourage sign ups for the American Lighting Association’s next conference.
Embed the Video Collector on Your Website
You can embed your Video Collector as a permanent page on your website, so people can send you their testimonials at any time. This “always-on video collection” is especially useful for organizations built around a community or customer stories.
For example, Phoenix College uses Vocal Video to capture stories about the impact and legacy of education. Above is the link to the collector on the Story Studio Page, and below, the first page of the Video Collector, customized with Phoenix’s school colors.
Video testimonials are one of the most convincing and shareable ways to tell more people about your product, service, or event. Vocal Video makes it easy to ask for, edit, and publish video testimonials, whether you’re a new business with a small customer base or you want to collect testimonials at scale.
With Vocal Video, you can:
- Ask for testimonials by email as part of your sales funnel, in social media posts, or directly from your website.
- Get testimonials from real customers, which you can then share wherever you want to prompt purchasing decisions.
- Edit high-quality videos and embed them seamlessly into your website’s testimonials page, product pages, home page, or landing page to encourage more customers to join the conversation.
Want to start getting high-quality video testimonials for your website and wider marketing strategy? Get started for free.