“How have I ever lived without this?!” is something we’ve all said before.
Whether it’s a new nighttime routine that helps you get a good night of sleep, a new fitness product that gives you energy or a new type of wine that you enjoy drinking. There are simply things we learn and find along the way that make life much more simple.
In this article, I am going to talk about one major thing that most practices are overlooking – video testimonials.
When I say this to dentists, their response is usually somewhere in between confusion & disbelief which has inspired me to write this.
Let’s start with some helpful facts & overall knowledge that will help you understand why video testimonials hold so much power today.
Our trust in the internet is deteriorating…
In the early days of the internet, it was an easier place to trust someone.
The days before Amazon, influencers & blogs were much different. The way we viewed the internet when we could literally get up and walk away from the computer was much different from when we began to carry the internet with us everywhere through our mobile phones.
Not only was the internet a fairly new concept, but it was also our first instance of connecting with people who we didn’t fully know in real life online. During this time people began to use the internet to connect through various interests. Although many people had good intentions, there were others who took advantage of the situation.
Realizing that the internet is a space that didn’t require physical human interaction and only to move people through words (and now video), many people began to take advantage.
As we started realizing what was happening, we became more jaded by the fact that there were so many tricksters who were constantly looking to take advantage of someone else.
After the early days, things only got worse…
Fast forward to 2016.
After the entire Cambridge Analytica & Facebook scandal around the 2016 Presidential Election, trust in what we see on the internet began to take a full nose-dive.
What people now look for is a sign that someone on the internet is both real & effective. Once people can confirm that what they see on the screen is real in some sense, they’ll be much more willing to visit your practice.
One of the best ways to do this is through testimonials because we already know they influence people’s buying decisions.
Have you ever wanted to purchase something but needed just one or two positive recommendations? The one from a friend you trust or a review that will alleviate all of your concerns?
Well, you aren’t alone, in fact, this is pretty common behavior:
- Dimensional Research found that 90% of respondents claimed that positive online reviews influence buying decisions.
- Search Engine Land found that 85% of consumers read up to 10 reviews before feeling they can trust a business.
- Hubspot found that 51.9% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best return on your investment.
Statistics like these show that people are looking for testimonials to either deny or confirm what they’re already thinking about you.
Although they might not stop someone from visiting your practice, just think about how many patients you aren’t giving the chance to find you because you aren’t proactively ensuring customers that their experience at your practice will be a great one.
We know that testimonials are very important and can have a real-life influence on potential patients, but what about the actual video format? Is it even necessary to make a video?
Allow me to explain…
People love video content
Written testimonials work, but there’s nothing like an actual human speaking about their experience through video. Gathering multiple video testimonials over time can truly serve as solid social proof, especially when you use them the right way (I talk more about this later).
If you research marketing related topics for your practice, the fact that people love and engage with video content often is probably no surprise to you.
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Although people usually know these facts, it’s often harder for dentists & doctors to find the time to dedicate to the marketing activities that will help their practice grow.
Although starting can feel overwhelming and intimidating, creating video content that works for you is easier than you think. If you want to get started using video testimonials to help your practice grow, here are 3 quick tips that can help you.
3 tips for getting started with video testimonials
- Ask patients if you can record them giving a video testimonial
You’ll never get what you don’t ask for.
I’m guessing that you have tons of happy patients that love your practice, but you’ve never really thought to ask them for a testimonial so that you can spread your amazing services to more people.
Bonus: Send the video testimonial to an editor like me who can create a custom video style for you that fits your practice. If you want to learn more about how we can work together to do this, click here!
2. Use your video testimonials as social media advertisements
Instagram, YouTube, Facebook & LinkedIn are all great places for your videos.
Each channel has different ways to approach it and benefits to it, so its best to understand what you want to get out of your approach, which I can also help you with.
A major benefit to advertising on social media is that you have full control over who sees your advertisements. You can choose who you want to show your ads to no matter their age, where they are located, their interests & much more.
I have worked with people who have seen great results by running the right video testimonial advertisements for just a month.
This is an extremely smart strategy because your advertisements will only be seen by people who have shown some level of interest in what your practice offers, ensuring that the people seeing your ads have already thought about working with you in one way or another.
Just make sure that these video testimonials are really good!
3. Do testimonials the right way (because there is a right and wrong way)
There’s a big problem with most testimonials.
Have you ever read a testimonial and felt like it was a load of BS? There are many reasons why this can happen, but the number one is not showing any transformation.
Let me explain.
The thing about testimonials is that when someone is reading them, they actually see themselves in the testimonials. Here’s a quick example.
Let’s say Jim is a patient who is having serious tooth pain. Jim knows he might need a root canal, but he’s very afraid of getting dental work so he needs someone who can guarantee sedation. He wants to go to sleep, wake up, deal with some aches, but ultimately have his tooth pain fixed.
Jim looks at the website of one dentist in his area and the website is beautiful. He can book an appointment & even find the early information he needs.
Jim thinks the dentist is competent, she accepts his insurance & he can schedule an appointment to finally get rid of the pain.
It all sounds perfect!
But right before booking, Jim decides to look around a little more.
Suddenly, Jim finds a second dentist who has a page that is filled with testimonials and designed well. Jim scrolls through the testimonial page some before he sees the title of “I really wanted sedation” above a video.
He plays the video and begins to hear a woman talk about her fear. How she was afraid just like Jim, how she wanted to essentially sleep through the procedure just like Jim, how she specifically looked for this service just like Jim, etc.
Now what Jim is thinking is, “wow, I am afraid too and NEED sedation, I don’t think I need to look much further.”
Although this example is a little over-simplified, I am sure you understand the point. It’s probably easy for you to think of a similar scenario that has happened in your life too.
Do you want to get started with video testimonials for your practice? If so, I can help. You can Start here to learn more about my services.
Hold up! real quick…
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Written,
By ‘rouk