Service with a Smile: Using Video Testimonials to Stand out in the Service Sector

“Google only loves you when everyone else loves you first.” –Wendy Piersall, Author, Blogger and Artist

America was once the world’s leading manufacturer, but we lost the title to China in 2010, and it seems unlikely that we’ll ever win it back. The number of people employed in manufacturing has declined steadily over the past fifty years. According to the US Department of Labor, there were roughly 18 million manufacturing jobs in the US in 1969. Now there are fewer than 13 million such jobs. Put simply, the factories that employed so many of our grandparents won’t employ nearly so many of our grandchildren.

The service sector, meanwhile, is booming. The US economy boasts a whopping 128 million service jobs. That’s 4 out of every 5 jobs in America. Realtors, CPAs, doctors, lawyers, executives, recruiters, career coaches, counselors, small business owners, insurance agents, consultants—the list of service-sector jobs goes on and on. Opportunities abound, but because there are so many people providing services, competition can be stiff.

Take the legal profession, for example. As of last year, there were more than 1.3 million lawyers in the US, up 15.2% from 2008. That’s a lot of legal eagles perched on our courthouses. So how do we choose a lawyer from the throng? Here are some of the ways that we select a professional provider of services:

·         Internet research

·         Trust and integrity

·         Overall costs or fees

·         Online industry articles

·         Expertise and track record

·         Results or measurable outcomes

·         Reputation of individual consultants

·         Overall value the provider can deliver

·         Industry-relevant or need-specific experience

·         Referrals from colleagues, friends, and other providers

Hard work, honesty, and a stellar reputation will usually keep the clients coming, but sometimes it takes a little something extra to attract the eye of a prospective client. That’s where videos come in.

Video Killed the Radio Ad

If you’re hoping to stand out in a crowded industry, catchy radio and television ads can definitely attract business, but such ads usually require a significant upfront investment. For those without deep pockets, videos created for your company’s website or social media accounts represent an inexpensive but highly effective alternative. Those videos can mean the difference between getting lost in the shuffle and rising to the top.

Here are some interesting facts about online videos:                    

•         Videos comprise 80 to 90 percent of online traffic.
•         Approximately 55 percent of Internet users watch videos every day.
•          More than 80 percent of all online traffic will consist of video by 2021. 
•         People are 27 times likelier to click a video ad than a conventional banner.
•         About 90 percent of consumers say that product videos affect their purchasing decisions.
•         Internet users upload more video content in a month than American television networks created in 30 years.
•        Users spend an average of 180 seconds on web pages with videos but only 90 seconds on pages without videos.

“The single most important strategy in content marketing today is video. Whether it’s video on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or YouTube, the content you need to be thinking about creating and marketing on social for your business is video. Period.”, Gary Vaynerchuk.

In other words, you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you’re not using video to sell yourself. People love videos, so give them what they want!

Video Testimonials: A Thank-You Note from a Happy Customer 

When buying a car, the people who walk away feeling like they got a good deal are usually those who did their homework before stepping into the dealership. They compare prices and read customer reviews. Sometimes they’re even willing to pay a little more if it means buying from a company known for its honest dealings. Those customer reviews can be a boon or a bane to dealerships.

A video testimonial is a lot like a customer review, but it’s vastly superior to a text-only review. When we watch a video testimonial, we read facial expressions and body language, which put our doubts to rest about the authenticity of the review. It almost feels like a conversation.

Here are some of the benefits of video testimonials for people in the service sector:

•         Increasing brand awareness and retention
•         Raising product or service awareness
•        Achieving brand influencer status
•         Increasing conversion rates
•         Improving search rankings
•         Boosting sales and ROI

Video testimonials are SEO gold mines. Search engines love videos because they see them as high-quality content. They help build backlinks to your website, boost likes and shares (which affect search rankings), and drive traffic to your site. And let’s not forget that YouTube is owned by Google, so be sure to post your videos to YouTube and tag, tag, tag with keywords and key phrases, use a solid meta description, and include a descriptive title!

Quick Tips for Testimonials

If you want to give video testimonials a try, keep these things in mind:

·         Make the video one to three minutes long

·         Keep it real because inauthenticity is easy to spot

·         Minimize mistakes

·         Use adequate lighting

·         Have a script of questions for the subject of the testimonial, including:

o   How long have you used the product or service?

o   What are the benefits?

o   Share a story that demonstrates the benefits?

o   Would you buy or use the product or service again?

o   Would you recommend it to friends and family?

You should frame every testimonial with a brief intro that includes your name or logo and a 15 to 20 second commercial by the video maker. You want everyone to know exactly who is responsible for evoking such positive feelings.

Once you’ve crafted that compelling testimonial, it’s time to start posting. Every video you create should end up on these sites:

•          YouTube
•          Facebook
•          Instagram
•          Vimeo
•          Your company website

Take the time to craft a polished video. It doesn’t need to be made by a professional videographer, but it does need to be professional.

A Final Thought

For anyone offering a professional service, video testimonials should be a prominent piece of your self-promotion plan. Those testimonials help build your reputation as an expert in your field, which is only going to help your business. They’re one of the most effective means of putting your name and your face out there, so find the courage to make it happen!

Partner/Co-Founder; HealthSearch Partners

Neill Marshall has almost 30 years of experience in healthcare executive search with involvement in over 600 hundred senior-level assignments. In 2017 he helped create and is currently a partner in HealthSearch Partners, the fifth largest healthcare executive search entity in the U.S.

HealthSearch Partners is the combination of CES Partners, FaithSearch Partners, and Southerland Partners. In 2005, Marshall founded Marshall Koll & Associates and prior to Marshall Koll, was a consultant with Witt/Kieffer in Dallas.

A serial entrepreneur who has started three successful companies, Marshall has spoken to professional groups, trustee groups, and boards of directors on career, professional and personal branding, the grey hustle, growing your career, executive recruiting and other healthcare issues and has written numerous articles and promotional publications.