Three Good Reasons For Video Testimonials

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Ending the week on a high note with Hightail. I blogged about the file sharing company not too long ago when they produced a video about its name change from YouSendIt to Hightail. Today, they follow that video with a traditional testimonial.

It isn’t revolutionary by any means, but it’s a great example of solid video content. It’s also something every business leader can learn from.

Why testimonials work

Testimonials are nothing new. They’ve been around and used for marketing purposes for… well… probably forever. Here’s what I love about testimonial videos.

  1. you have the option of making them in a way that’s marketing without sounding like marketing… although the Hightail example is a little more overt.
  2. getting a client to do a testimonial for you means an opportunity to give them some added publicity as well.
  3. no bones about it… real people telling viewers that they like you is a powerful message.

Hightail testmonialTactic changes, results the same

It’s funny… probably the thing I love most about testimonials is the ability to sell without selling. You can feature a client, show how they use your product or service and not hit people over the head with the message. I mentioned that the Hightail video is overt. They basically leave no doubt that this is a marketing video, but they do it in a pretty awesome way and one worth mentioning.

The COO featured in the video comes right out and says, “I hate being on-camera, and I hate doing testimonials.” I’ll bet that sound bite changed the whole approach to the video. Throwing that in throws away the notion of selling without selling, but it works.

Actually, I love it. What a great statement to get on-camera! It says it all… I don’t like doing this sort of thing, but I believe in this company so much I’m willing to be here.

That’s a powerful message. That’s the power of video testimonials.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.