How do you make your brand stand out in a crowded market? By leveraging your online reviews. They increase your visibility and brand trust, leading to more purchases and higher revenue. Most businesses focus on text-based reviews, asking customers to write a few paragraphs about their experience on a platform such as Google, Yelp, or Sitejabber.
There’s nothing wrong with this type of review. They’re tried and true. But incorporating video reviews can be even more effective for your brand — high-converting pieces of content that convey a level of sincerity text reviews just don’t have.
Unsure how to get started? Keep reading for our guide to video reviews.
Why video reviews are effective
Video reviews add an extra layer of credibility and authenticity that text reviews can’t always express. Remember, not everyone is a professional writer, and they may struggle to convey their true feelings about your product if they have to type it out. Just think about the last online review you read — “shipped quickly, looks good” — versus a young influencer’s YouTube haul video where she smiles, talks animatedly, and twirls as she models the latest Princess Polly styles.
Video reviews show extra sincerity and emotion using body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. What’s more, video content converts very well. With all of these benefits combined, the result is clear: Asking customers to post video reviews of your business will only benefit your brand.
How to get video reviews from your customers
Not every customer will be willing or able to film a video review. Some people might not have a good camera or phone (or, depending on your audience, the tech know-how). Others may feel uncomfortable on camera, preferring to remain anonymous. But some might leap at the chance to film a short video instead.
When you approach a customer to ask them to leave a review, explain that they can choose whichever review format appeals to them — text or video. If they select a video, you can send over further instructions later. Make it clear, however, that you’re not asking them to take a chunk out of their week to film and edit a massive YouTube video (unless they want to, of course). This can be a quick five-minute process and you’ll walk them through every step.
Guidelines to follow for video reviews
For those who are willing to make a video review, it’s perfectly okay (and even recommended) to give them detailed instructions so you get the kind of review you want. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you make your ask.
Choose a platform
Different platforms have different recommended specs – be sure to do your research. You can share and distribute video reviews via:
- Your website
- Your emails
- Instagram feed, Instagram Reels
- Facebook, Facebook Reels, Facebook Watch
- TikTok
- YouTube, YouTube Shorts
In some cases, customers might post the reviews themselves. (If you want, ask them to share with a branded hashtag, where you can then look through the content and ask for permission to repost videos as user-generated content.) In others, you might want to have shoppers send the video to you so you can repost directly on your brand channels.
Consider an interview
Customers might feel more comfortable if you give them some guidance on what exactly you’d like them to say. But don’t feel like you have to conduct a live Zoom interview with each person — nobody has time for that. There are plenty of video tools designed to help businesses conduct asynchronous interviews, where you record an introductory video (“Thanks for shopping with us and creating a testimonial! Tell me, what’s your favorite thing about the product you bought?”) to share with customers using a unique link, and they respond with a video of their own that’s sent straight back to you. This way, both the brand and the customer can film the video on their own time.
Keep it short
When in doubt, keep things short: Consumers say short-form videos are 2.5 times more engaging than long-form. You can use the platform where the video will live as a guideline to help you determine what counts as “short-form.” YouTube videos might be able to stretch to 10 minutes, but TikToks can be as short as 15 seconds.
Video reviews can help your business succeed
Video reviews or testimonials are 1000% worth it for your brand. Video content performs well across social media channels, pleases algorithms, and gives happy customers a more natural way to share their excitement about your product. The best part? Asking for video reviews isn’t much more work than asking for text reviews. Just reach out to a satisfied customer, give them a few guidelines, and let them go to town.
