"Video testimonials are the secret sauce to B2B growth!" If that statement piques your interest, then you're in for a treat.
In this episode of the Marketing Smarts Live Show, host George B. Thomas sat down with Alexander Ferguson to discuss the transformative impact of video testimonials on B2B marketing.
Let's unpack the wisdom shared during this enlightening episode.
The Importance of Video in B2B Marketing
George kicked off the episode by emphasizing the power of video as a marketing medium: "Video is one of the most powerful marketing mediums to communicate with your audience," he pointed out.
He posed two critical questions to the audience: Are you doing video right? And are you creating video testimonials?
Getting Started With Video Testimonials
Alexander Ferguson shared a straightforward approach to begin with video testimonials. "Whip out your smartphone and record your customer. Capture their story right there in the moment," he advised. Alexander also mentioned that technology today allows for remote recording, making it easier than ever to capture customer stories.
Mindset insight: Make capturing customer stories a part of your regular process. It's not just about the technology; it's about integrating this practice into your customer journey.
Overcoming Hurdles
Alexander highlighted three key factors to get a 'Yes' from customers for video testimonials:
- The right person making the ask
- The right time to make the request
- The right incentive
Action item: Check out the testimonial request guide mentioned by Alexander for a deep dive into these three crucial elements.
Measuring Success
According to Alexander, success in video testimonials can be measured by:
- Having a library of testimonials
- Ensuring they are actually being used
- Monitoring metrics like watch time, time on page, and conversion rates
Principle: If you're not measuring it, you can't improve it. Always keep an eye on key performance indicators.
Words of Wisdom
"Don't underestimate the power of customer stories," Alexander concluded. They are a crucial tool for achieving your marketing goals.
Video testimonials are not just a trend; they are a powerful tool for B2B growth. If you're not using them, start now. If you're already on board, maybe it's time to double down.
Next Steps
- Check out the articles mentioned during the show for additional B2B marketing strategies. For more dope B2B learnings, George spotlighted two articles from the Marketing Profs vault that focus on the importance of testimonials in B2B marketing.
- Listen to the full Marketing Smarts podcast episode for more insights.
Links to those articles and the podcast can be found in the text below the live show video:
Make sure you don't miss any future episodes: Subscribe to the Marketing Smarts Live Show on YouTube. And to catch up on all previous episodes, check out the full playlist on YouTube.
Episode Details, Guest Information, and Referenced Links
Episode No. 25
- Live date: January 30, 2023
- Episode link: youtube.com/watch?v=DGkiTFev_54
- Original podcast episode: Using Video Testimonials as a Tool for B2B Growth: Alexander Ferguson on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]
Guest's social media profiles:
- Twitter: @heyferguson
- LinkedIn: Alexander Ferguson
MarketingProfs resources referenced in the show:
- Ten Steps You Can Take to Create Compelling Testimonials
- Why Testimonials Are B2B Companies' Most Important Marketing Tool
"In B2B News" article referenced in the show:
"From the #mpb2b Community" links referenced in the show:
Guide:
Transcript: Using Video Testimonials as a Tool for B2B Growth With Alexander Ferguson
Welcome to the "Marketing Smarts Live" show by MarketingProfs and the Marketing Smarts Podcast. Where we dive into B2B news, resources, valuable guest content, and much more each and every week.
If you're a B2B marketer looking for a place to learn, keep up to date, and have some fun along the way, grab a beverage, a notepad, or at least some style of writing utensil, and welcome to the show!
It doesn't take an army to create video content anymore. Sure, there's power in professional-quality lighting, sound, and production value, but customer testimonials contain the most value just by being honest and telling a good story.
"Authenticity reigns, so the more authentic it feels, less produced it is, then, you can actually connect even better."
That's a taste of what we are going to be talking about today in today's episode of the Marketing Smarts Live Show!
Hello to all my Marketing Smarts Live viewers today. I'm super excited to bring you episode twenty five of the Marketing Smarts Live show.
This week's topic is all about Using Video Testimonials as a Tool for B2B Growth. So, if your ready to get your learn on, buckle up and let's get ready to rock and roll.
Hey, I'm your boy George B. Thomas speaker, trainer, catalyst, and host of this hear show, the Marketing Smarts Live show as well as the Marketing Smarts podcast found on your favorite podcast app.
Our guest clips today are brought to you by none other than Alexander Ferguson.
Alexander Ferguson, is the co-founder and chief marketer at TeraLeap, a B2B case study video solution that helps B2B and tech companies market and sell their products faster by using the power of video testimonials.
After 13 years of helping over 500 organizations create thousands of marketing videos, Alexander is on a mission to share that customer stories are the best marketing investment for growth.
Now, remember, the clips of Alexander Ferguson today are pulled from the full marketing smarts podcast episode and, if you want to listen to the full interview with Alexander Ferguson and myself, make sure to tune into the Marketing Smarts podcast, link to the full show will be in the description below after the live show ends.
Now, in this episode, again, I'm talking with Alexander Ferguson about Using Video Testimonials as a Tool for B2B Growth.
Are you leveraging video for your B2B success. At this point I'm sure many of you are saying yes but if not, what are you waiting on?
Video is one of the most powerful marketing mediums aka the way you can communicate with your audience there is to date.
Now, for those who said yes, I have a couple questions.
1. Are you doing video right? And...
2. Are you creating video testimonials as part of your video arsenal?
If not, no worries, the first question I asked Alexander was:
How can marketers get started with creating video testimonials that empower growth?.
Here's what he had to say.
Alexander: The simplest thing I would say, next time you're with your customer, if you're around them or you go on sales visits, etcetera, whip out your smartphone and record them, ask them a few questions, be able to capture them right there in the moment. If you're at a conference and your customers are there, your smartphone is a powerful device that actually rivals most pro cameras these days. If your customers aren't local or you don't see them that often, you can use a solution like ours at TeraLeap, where we ship out video kits that power up their smartphone to studio quality, and then you can conduct a remote recording. Technology is amazing these days, you can capture that. Either way, my recommendation is that you build it into your customer journey process that anyone gives a high NPS score rating, so your sales team, your customer success team, your marketing team is looking for those flags of here's a great customer, dig into it, reach out, and capture their story as just part of your regular process.
Did you hear that?
Pull out your smartphone and record them!
Or get a video kit or even use cool tools to record them remotely.
That's super simple!
But above that, did you hear Alexander?
Build it into your customer journey process!
Make capturing these stories part of your regular process.
Are you capturing these customer stories with video?
Put the answer to that in the chat pane or, let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #mpb2b and of course, tag me using @georgebthomas.
We'll get back to Alexander Ferguson and his thoughts on Using Video Testimonials as a Tool for B2B Growth But first, I have to ask...
Are you part of the MarketingProfs community? If not, become part of the MarketingProfs community by heading over to mprofs.com/mptoday - That's mprofs.com/mptoday.
Now, it's time for one of my favorite sections …
In The B2B News - Where we talk about breaking B2B news or really important tips we find on the google news tab related to you and your B2B business. This week, the title is...
5 strategies B2B marketing and sales teams can bank on as markets tighten on Martech.org
"'Efficiency,' 'precision,' 'agility, 'more with less'—these words echo through Zoom calls, board rooms and budget pow-wows as economic uncertainty builds like black ice on a mountain road.
"Amid tightening markets and increasing KPIs, these words have quickly become imperatives for go-to-market (GTM) teams charged with identifying, engaging, generating and expanding revenue and relationships."
If you want to learn about core strategies and tactics that can help B2B organizations, things like:
Stop chasing leads, double down on customers and top opportunities
Surround and co-create with your current customers
Strengthen your channel and partner ecosystems
and more, then to read this article, check out the link below when the live show is over.
So let's get back to Alexander Ferguson and his Marketing Smarts podcast episode.
Historically, I've heard a ton of my peers say video is hard! And, not just one area of video. It just seems to be hard and people are worried about "messing it up."
This is crazy to me but, trust me I get it. So, I of course wanted to ask Alexander the question: What are some hurdles to watch out for when creating your B2B growth-focused video testimonials?
Alexander: Getting the initial yes from a customer can be a major hurdle, actually getting your customers to agree to getting on video. There are three things that I look at that you need to get right to be able to get them to say yes, to be willing to get on video. We call them the trifecta. The right person making the ask, the right time to make the request, and having the right incentive to make them say, "Yes, let me give my time and effort toward this."
We've actually created a whole testimonial request guide because this is a common thing that our own customers are facing all of the time. I'll send over a link to that. Each of those three pieces are so crucial. If you just start sending out blast email to all of your customers without really identifying those three pieces, you're going to get a really poor response rate. It just comes down to that. Crafting both the email that is sent and those three pieces is crucial.
Oh man! Getting that yes from the customer!
Did you hear the key? Did you hear the trifecta?
Asking the right person
at the right time
and offering the right Incentive
I'll make sure to have a link to that yes guide in the description below! That way, you can implement the trifecta at your organization for more video testimonials.
We'll get back to Alexander Ferguson in a few minutes but first it's time for some...
Dope B2B Learnings From The Vault of MarketingProfs Articles
That's right, It's time to dig into the treasure trove of valuable information and pull out two pieces of gold to help you be a better B2B marketer.
Article one this week is: Ten Steps You Can Take to Create Compelling Testimonials by Barbara Bix
"Testimonials help accelerate sales. That's because the perspectives of peers is among the information sources that prospective customers value most.
"They value testimonials even when it comes from vendors in the form of endorsements—and is likely to have inherent bias. If they didn't, they wouldn't seek out referrals, ask for references, or download case studies before making major investments of their time or money.
"Most prospects are not experts in purchasing the types of products and services you offer. Therefore, they take steps to reduce the chances of making the wrong decision."
There is so much more goodness in that article!
Article two this week is: Why Testimonials Are B2B Companies' Most Important Marketing Tool by Ella Patenall
"Before buying a book or a pair of headphones from Amazon, it's highly likely you'd read a few reviews to ensure you're making the right decision. For consumers, reviews are vital in helping make purchasing decisions. But the same is also true for organizations that buy a product or service from other businesses.
"In the case of business-to-business (B2B) marketing, testimonials can carry a lot of weight in highly competitive markets and must be carefully planned and executed. Before choosing which company to purchase from, B2B buyers spend a long time considering their budgets, product effectiveness, vendor professionalism—and the testimonials of peers.
"B2B companies know how to talk up their products or services, emphasizing how efficient and cost-effective they are. But customers don't want marketing spiel; they want balanced and unbiased feedback from people they can relate to. They also want concrete figures and results."
Want to keep learning more? If so, check the links in the description below after the live show to get access to both amazing MarketingProfs articles.
OK, back to Alexander Ferguson... Let's dive back into this conversation of Using Video Testimonials as a Tool for B2B Growth.
If you know what success is, you can set that as your bullseye, your goal. So, that's exactly what I asked Alexander...
What does video testimonial success look like? How do we know we're killing it once were doing it or, how do we know where to head?
Alexander: I always think in threes, so I'll share the three things that come to mind. One, you have a library of them, you don't have just one. That is success by itself. If you work in different industries, you have different ones talking about different products that you have. You have people that are different ages and representations. You have a library that you can pull from, that is success right there to me. We could stop at that one, but I'll give you two more.
Another one is they're actually being used. I mentioned earlier that I see seven different ways. If you're only putting it on your website and you're like, "I'm sure people find it," no. Looking for identifying those places that you need to increase trust and improve conversions, put that content where it needs to go. Don't miss out on those opportunities.
A little bit more on the tactical side, the metrics that I look at for are these videos working, are these stories performing and converting, three metrics. Watch time, how long they're watching through. Wistia I like them, but Vimeo or YouTube gives you some ratio of how long they watch and click off. Time on page is another one. I see a dramatic increase in time on page when you're putting video on these conversion places because people automatically engage with it and you see that increase, or it doesn't and you know this story isn't working, we need to switch it out, we need to try something different. The final one is what matters, I suppose, conversion rate. Are people actually converting more now that you've added that customer story there to help be able to increase their trust and improve those conversions? Those are the three metrics that I look at.
I love this idea of having a library of video testimonials vs one. Yes, that is success!
Your team is using them! Did you hear Alexander mention 7 ways to use them.
And finally, are you measuring the video success metrics? Watch time, time on page, conversion rates! Let's go!
You need to have a library of videos you can measure that your team uses.
When I put it that way, it sounds easy-peasy!
We're going to get some words of wisdom from Alexander Ferguson here in a few minutes but right now it's time to turn the spotlight on you, the MarketingProfs community. Yep, time for...
From The #MPB2B Community
We searched far and wide in the #MPB2B universe to find amazing information and conversation to bring to the masses.
So, first, make sure you are using the hashtag, and second, make sure you have fun and add value to the community.
Then, we'll spotlight you or your crew on the show. This week, it's...
Tiffany Cavegn | RevOps Champion, Twin Cities HUG Leader, HubSpot Implementation Expert and Trainer
She says, I became a writer because of this book.
(Of course, she is holding up a book of the original Everybody Writes book by our own Ann Handley as well as the new released version two.)
But again, She says, I became a writer because of this book.
Before reading #EverybodyWrites, asking a co-worker to review my writing made me cry one day. I walked outside and sat on the curb and cried because it triggered self-loathing. I took their input way too personally because I had decided a long time ago (middle school maybe?) that I didn't like English class and I sucked at writing.
Marketing Smarts Live viewers, It is so amazing what a great book can unlock in our own brains and therefore our lives and the lives of those we impact moving forward.
Check out the description and click that link to check out the post and read or learn more!
Marketing Smarts viewer, I have to ask... are you going to be next to get the spotlight?
Remember community, use the hashtag #mpb2b on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter and get the light shined on your awesomeness in the next episode or a future episode of the Marketing Smarts Live show!
Pro tip, it won't hurt if you tag me into your post as well I'm @georgebthomas on LinkedIn and Twitter.
OK, let's kick it back to Alexander Ferguson and some words of wisdom around this topic of Using Video Testimonials as a Tool for B2B Growth.
Here is what Alexander Ferguson wanted to leave us with...
Alexander: Don't underestimate the power of your customer stories. They are a crucial tool in being able to make a giant leap forward in your marketing efforts, helping you hit your KPIs, your metric goals. I know marketers are always looking at what next marketing channel do I need to work on, what tools do I have in my toolbelt to be able to help me hit my goals. Don't underestimate the power of customer stories.
Don't underestimate your customers stories! Full stop right there!
Ladies and gentlemen, if your not doing video testimonials, do them! If you're doing them, then ask yourself, is it time to double down?
Have you enjoyed today's journey? Let us know, use that hashtag #mpb2b on whatever platform you are joining us on.
