For years now, video testimonials have been ranked among the most effective, high-performance pieces of content marketers can be using. One quick internet search can return an abundance of support for this being the case, with articles and statistics touting these benefits of the average testimonial video:

• They establish an emotional connection
• They significantly contribute to purchase decisions
• They deliver powerful social proof and credibility

As we move into 2019, we have to acknowledge that the landscape of digital, mobile, social and search continues to grow and expand. New developments and trends in technology contribute to how people seek out or discover content and how that content performs.

Read on to see 3 big reasons why video testimonials continue to be a must-have type of video marketing content in 2019.

1. They’re effective in any phase of the marketing funnel

Typically we look at a marketing funnel to guide the customer’s journey through three main phases: awareness, consideration and conversion. But, as this recent article shared by Google points out, people are no longer following a linear path from awareness to consideration to purchase.

Instead, they are turning to their devices at all different times to get immediate answers to whatever thoughts and questions are brewing in their minds. Testimonial videos can be multi-purposed and used effectively at a variety of points in the customer journey. For example:

Awareness – Rather than selling a product or service in a straightforward way, testimonial videos show real people who have already found success with the product or service.  So the story as a whole begins with their problem and need for a solution.

This is key to what helps establish relatability, but it also allows you to position the piece of content to be discovered in online search.  Meaning, you can utilize accompanying text and ad settings that leverage strong keywords and search phrases that viewers may be using to explore.

Consideration – At the consideration phase, viewers are interested and engaged and looking for more specific details they need in order to make a buying decision. This is where long-form video can excel. In fact long-form content is proving to be so valuable, many platforms are integrating ways of sharing longer video. 

Long-form video can mean anything from being a few minutes long, to being a 15-minute mini documentary or hour-long short film. Most testimonial videos can be well executed within 1-3 minutes, but it could be worth it to go longer if there’s a truly gripping story to be told.

Either way, when a viewer is intrigued and looking for deeper information they will more likely invest the time into watching this lengthier video, and pick up on many specific details that help them make their buying decision.

Conversion – Testimonials have always excelled at increasing conversion rates, especially when they are right on the landing page where a viewer can take action.  By hosting your testimonial videos on your website near a call-to-action, it can serve as that final boost of confidence a viewer needs.

2. They deliver quick recognition of the content

Today with so much content at our fingertips we have a narrow opportunity to capture attention or leave a valuable brand impression. As we revealed in a recent post: people spend about 1.7 seconds on each piece of content in their Facebook mobile feed; and it only takes .25 seconds of exposure for people to recall mobile feed content, meaning it has made an impression on them.

Our tips for optimizing content for social and mobile include capturing attention with your video’s thumbnail images, opening frames or on-screen text titles within the first 3 seconds or less.

One of the most effective things to have as a video still is a human face. What’s more is if that human face is relatable to your viewer (based on age, sex, styling and so on). Inherently a testimonial video is about hearing someone’s story. By using someone that fits your key demographic, it’s easy to deliver that immediate recognition that these are words of advice from a real person, one that your targeted viewers might be able to relate to.

This immediate understanding of what this piece of content is saves you a few crucial seconds in needing to explain it in text, and the use of a human face will very likely increase the amount of clicks you get on your video or ad.

Take a look at video testimonials we’ve created with our clients.

3. They can be multi-purposed to perform across different platforms.

As we explained above, your customer’s journey to discovering you can evolve in many different ways, and across various platforms – but only if you’re present on those platforms. Viewer behavior is different according to which platform they’re on. For example: viewers are much more in a relaxed browsing state on Facebook, whereas when they are searching on YouTube and Google they are active in their search and have a higher level of purchase intent.

This is why every modern marketer should be looking to leverage the content they have in different ways, to different audiences, on different platforms. The beauty of video testimonial footage is that it can be easily multi-purposed in these ways:  

Short excerpts can be quite powerful used in social media feeds or as short discovery ads on YouTube. Think about the powerful sound bites that are used in commercials to promote a full interview or show. A great sound bite – usually one about a pain point, struggle, a-ha moment or a moment of triumph – can really make an impression and resonate deeply with a viewer in just a few seconds.

A less than 8 second edit can be promoted on YouTube so that it comes up in response to search queries. From there it can drive traffic to the full-length video on YouTube, drastically boosting brand awareness. If that same full-length YouTube video is embedded from YouTube to your website, the traffic it receives will benefit your entire website and its ranking in search.

Aside from paid promotion, video is the most organically shared type of content on social media.  If you have a gripping, emotional, funny or impactful story to share, you increase the chances of others sharing it with their followers as well. Likewise, video testimonials are a great way to tap into a client or partner’s network by releasing a story that means as much to them as it does to you.

Video testimonials inherently give you a lot to work with, because they are made up of authentic, real-to-life visuals and meaningful testimony. They are very personal and often employ a classic form of storytelling that continues to resonate in today’s digital-driven world.