If you have two options in front of you, and you're not sure which one to choose, you'd probably look for reviews. Reviews are the ultimate tie-breaker. People tend to trust recommendations, especially when it comes to dental care. This is why you need plenty of testimonials for your dental practice.
And while all testimonials are great, not all testimonials are equal. Some testimonials weigh more than others.
Next to an in-person endorsement, a video testimonial is the best type of patient recommendation you can hope for. Video testimonials are engaging, endearing, and honest.
In this post, we'll explain how to create testimonials that generate more patients for your dental practice.
Why should you invest your time into creating a video testimonial for your dental practice? Here are some of the biggest reasons to film.
Did you know that videos can improve your practice’s visibility on the popular search engine, Google? Google actually owns YouTube, and if you upload videos to YouTube, you can dramatically increase your chances of getting seen when someone searches for dentists in the area. How? Google often includes videos in its search results pages, so if your video testimonial is optimized for search, it can show up on YouTube and Google.
A video testimonial can raise awareness for your dental practice because it provides another opportunity for people to learn about you. Share your video testimonial on various platforms to gain awareness from prospective patients who hang out in those places.
When given the chance between reading a testimonial and watching one, most would opt for the latter. Videos don’t require a lot of mental energy. Watching a video testimonial is a passive but entertaining experience.
Videos are easy to share. Encourage your audience to share your videos with others in their social circles. All they need to do is copy and paste the video’s URL, making the sharing process pain-free.
Videos are magical because they humanize your business. Video testimonials allow a prospective patient to see another human face, which makes the video’s marketing content more authentic and personable.
People have short attention spans, but they’ll stick around longer when there’s a video involved. When you use a video, you can attract your target audience and keep them hooked. Plus, they’ll retain more information from a video than they would from other forms of advertisements, such as a postcard or flyer.
Now, let’s discuss how to make your own video testimonials.
There are two ways to go about creating video testimonials for your dental practice. You can hire a video production company or you can do it yourself.
Hiring a production company will ensure that you end up with a professional and high quality result. If you're looking for a recommendation for dental videography, we recommend our partner Gravity Video. Gravity Video has a ton of experience working with dental practices and offers customizable packages to help you film the most effective testimonial videos. To learn more about our video production partner, Gravity Video, click here.
You also have the option to do it yourself. But don’t worry. Filming your own video testimonial isn’t as intimidating as you may think. In fact, you probably have everything you need already.
The bare minimum is to use a good quality camera. If you have a relatively new smartphone (made within the last five years) or a DSLR camera, you’re ready to film. (A new-ish tablet can do the trick, too.)
Of course, if you want to produce a professional quality video, it’s recommended that you have the following:
You can start off small, and build your “studio” as you go. You may also be able to rent this equipment from a local camera shop. This option works well if you plan to shoot several video testimonials in one afternoon.
What is your goal for the video testimonial? In addition to getting more appointments, there are a lot of reasons why you may create video testimonials. For example, would you like to build awareness for your practice with a different demographic? Gain readership for your educational dental blog? Introduce a new service?
You can create testimonial videos to meet specific goals. Your videos will be more effective if you have an end goal in mind.
Who are the best participants for your video testimonials? Your favorite patients—i.e. the patients you’d like to copy and paste and work with over and over again, if you could. Contact these patients and ask if they’d like to participate in a video testimonial for your practice.
You can also use surveys to identify patients who are willing to participate in video testimonials. When combing through your surveys, look for the patients who’ve shared helpful and positive feedback. Then, reach out to them with a video testimonial invitation.
Once you’ve gathered participants for your testimonial videos, it’s time to prepare your list of questions. That’s right—you definitely don’t want to go into a video shoot without a plan. Otherwise, you may have an overly talkative participant (who doesn’t actually say anything substantive) or someone who only utters one word answers.
Come up with a list of 10 questions to ask your participants so that you can capture the best answers and soundbites for your video. Avoid asking questions that allow the participant to answer with a yes or a no. Instead, use open-ended questions like:
Also encourage your participants to answer the question as a complete thought. Using the last question as an example, coach your participant to answer the question in this way, “Your practice is different from other offices around town because...”
Instead of springing these questions on your participants during the testimonial, send the questions ahead of time. This allows your participants to prepare a thoughtful response. (Not everyone is good at speaking extemporaneously.)
Also, set your participants’ expectations for the day of filming. Explain how long filming will take and give them suggestions on what to wear (ex. business casual). You can also send over the consent form at this time to make sure that they’re ready to film as soon as they arrive.
Before your participants arrive, do audio and visual checks of your equipment. This way, you can avoid technology snafus that lead to major stress and frustration.
The most effective testimonial videos are those that create a patient to patient connection. For this reason, you should avoid including yourself or your staff in the video. Being part of the video makes it feel more produced (and less authentic).
Your testimonial video is more personal than a commercial video for your practice. It should focus on the patient, their experience, and their endorsement.
When interviewing your patients, encourage them to tell a story. Stories are powerful because the human brain thinks in stories, not data points. Your audience will enjoy the testimonial more if they hear the story of how your patient found your practice and how you helped them.
Remember that people have an extremely short attention span. The average human has an 8-second attention span, which means that you need to hook them quickly or they may click away.
Start your video testimonial strong. Lead with a powerful soundbite from the testimonial that explains why the participant is happy with your service.
End your video testimonial by guiding the viewer to the next step. Do you want them to contact you for an appointment, sign up for your newsletter, or check out your website to learn more about the patient’s story?
Whatever the next step, make it crystal clear at the end of your testimonial. Tell the viewer exactly what to do next.
The magic happens in the editing process. After you’ve filmed the video, it’s time to edit it down so that the content is engaging with no awkward pauses.
The ideal length of your video will vary, based on your audience and the platform you’re using. Your video may be 10 seconds or it may be two minutes. However, it’s best not to go beyond two minutes for maximum impact (if you go longer, you’ll lose viewers).
Are you still stuck at 10 seconds? It may be a short span, but you can definitely create an effective testimonial! It’s the perfect length for social media platforms, like Instagram. And it can make the viewer curious enough to click and learn more.
Speaking of social media, let’s talk about where to share your testimonial videos. There’s always local television, but this medium isn’t as effective as it used to be. These days, it’s more effective to take your marketing online where you can post testimonial videos on the following platforms:
Depending on the platform you choose, your video may be muted by default. For this reason, be sure to add subtitles to your videos. This also ensures that viewers with hearing impairments or those who prefer to watch videos on mute are able to watch and enjoy your testimonial videos.
Use the above tips to create an effective video testimonial for your dental practice. Remember that your videos don’t need to be professionally produced to be engaging. Prepare your participants, ask the right questions, and remember to edit your videos to align with your end goal.