Video clips can be a powerful communications tool

Video customer testimonials are a powerful but often underused tool for websites.

I make short video clips - mostly interviewing customers or business owners in less than two-minutes and I've found my journalism training invaluable for executing these. Journalism teaches you to spot instantly what will capture attention and interest - just what you need when deciding content for a short clip.

Tory business mogul (just so you know where he's coming from) Doug Richard had a lot to say about these kind of clips when I heard him speak at one of his business seminars in Norwich.  http://www.webfuelledbusiness.com/

Indeed, he is a huge fan of using short video clips on websites. "It solves multiple problems simultaneously," he said at the seminar. They can be used at points where a customer may hesitate to respond to a call to action - such as buying, paying, signing up for something. Indeed, they can act as a call to action in themselves.

He says the most effective use of video clips is customer testimonials. "We trust word of mouth almost more than anything else we do which is why video testimonials are so powerful," he said.

Indeed, the less professional it it the more he thinks we are likely to believe it - so you don't need a high-end film company to make your clips. For example, look at the TalkTalk singing clips between the X factor filmed by real people, lower quality than an ad and seemingly all the more convincing for it. "Customer testimonials should be as naturalistic as possible," said Doug.

Doug Richard suggested that a clip inserted at those moments when a customer has to act can be incredibly powerful. Hence, a customer testimonial saying why a product is so great can be positioned right by the 'buy now' button - just in case they are hesitating at point of sale.

He likes the kind of almost amateur clips where a camera is pointed at a real customer and somebody almost shouts at them 'tell them why you bought from us?'

"These are by far the most powerful and effective sales tool," he said. "Short videos used at decision-making points and specific calls to action."

Or you could have a link that says 'click here to find out why people love us' which links through to video customer testimonials.

Since the seminar I've been keeping an eye out for the use of such video clips and they are actually few and far between. Those that use them are obviously capitalising on their rarity factor at the moment which makes them all the more believable. One of the best I've spotted is the impresive Nutmeg site - an online financial consultancy which uses them to explain why people have invested with the company.
http://www.nutmeg.com/who-its-for