Are video testimonials worth the time

[SenseiSteve]

I remember years ago seeing video testimonials on Rackspace's site and am curious why we're not seeing more of that today since everyone and their brother owns a video camera (cellphone). I would think real clients doing short video testimonials would carry so much more weight than a static one signed Jane B or David R.

Your thoughts?

 

[HostOX]

I remember years ago seeing video testimonials on Rackspace's site and am curious why we're not seeing more of that today since everyone and their brother owns a video camera (cellphone). I would think real clients doing short video testimonials would carry so much more weight than a static one signed Jane B or David R.

Your thoughts?

They do work, I know a guy or two who have used this method but they are paid for and no one does them free - They certainly work and help.

I am guessing however they will be rather expensive, especially if the channels have 100's of thousands subscribed.

 

[easyhostmedia]

Server space could also be an issue.
The space and resources a 4 line text review would be very little compared to a 20 second video

 

[SenseiSteve]

Server space could also be an issue.
The space and resources a 4 line text review would be very little compared to a 20 second video

Just me personally, but I generally give zero value to four line text reviews.

 

[Artashes]

Server space could also be an issue.
The space and resources a 4 line text review would be very little compared to a 20 second video

What server space? You'd want to host these on YouTube, for extra views and attention, and then simply embed those videos into your site.

 

[easyhostmedia]

What server space? You'd want to host these on YouTube, for extra views and attention, and then simply embed those videos into your site.

Yes, but not everyone will do that. I have seen many sites where people place videos on their own site, which will take up far more resources than text content.

 

[SenseiSteve]

Of course videos on your own site will take up more resources than text content, but I've seen just the opposite on most sites - primarily seeing embedded videos from YouTube. I equate this to effective advertising. Personalized videos are perceived as far more trustworthy than text content, which for me is a waste of characters.

 

[easyhostmedia]

Just me personally, but I generally give zero value to four line text reviews.

but my point is giving a written review takes up less resources than inserting a video review if you place the video on your owner server

 

[SenseiSteve]

but my point is giving a written review takes up less resources than inserting a video review if you place the video on your owner server

I'm far less concerned about resources than I am about increasing conversions.

 

[Artashes]

but my point is giving a written review takes up less resources than inserting a video review if you place the video on your owner server

With "unlimited" everything era, your business website really needs the traffic of Reddit for this concern to be a concern.

 

[bigredseo]

Videos are very important. Every client we work with we encourage them to get a video testimonial, whether it's a professionally shot environment or an iPhone. As long as the audio is excellent, then the video is worth it.

All videos get uploaded to YouTube for extra exposure. Some that don't want the exposure get uploaded to Vimeo where we can control the narrative after the fact (no ads etc).

Many years ago, The Planet datacenter flew me and a group of other Tier 2 clients down to Texas for a roundtable discussion over 2 days regarding their business and how they can assist us further. Part of that also included us giving a short testimonial. I think I still have that recording around here. Anyway, the point being, each were uploaded to youtube and within a year, each of the videos were topping the 100k views.

These were not auto-play videos on the home page, these were videos that you had to go to the Testimonials section, select a video and select play.

Videos, much like pictures in testimonials, can play a huge factor with conversions and familiarity of a product/service.

Side note, videos, like audio, should never be hosted locally and should be done via a cloud service such as YouTube for faster transmit.

 

[John @ S4]

I think it very much depends on the target audience and what the the particular service that you are selling is.

Sometimes, a video really does go a long way, other times I'd much rather have a simple sentence of information or opinion that I can just skim and retain.