How to leverage a testimonial video.

Normally, testimonial videos start out as replacements or enhancements of current text based testimonials on a web site. This is a fine use for them. It's obvious that a customer talking about their experience with a product or service is far more compelling that plain ol' text based quotes.

There are a number of other ways of leveraging testimonials:

1. Email blasts to prospects, that have a link back to the video testimonial on your web site combined with a strong call to action on the landing page.
2. Putting the videos into a social media context - adding them to a linkedIn page, twittering a tinyurl, uploading a link and blurb on the organization's FaceBook page, adding them to a YouTube channel (in HD) with comprehensive meta data (YouTube is the world's second largest search engine).
3. Creating a "Does this work for you" area where testimonials are broken out by the speaker's professional or organizational grouping i.e. An attorney hearing what another attorney thinks.
4. Sales force support. Sending a testimonial link to a prospect during a tele-sales call is very compelling and strongly differentiates the sender from the competition. It also replaces expensive printed media and conditions prospects to visiting your web site.
   
5. Trade shows, promotional events and other gatherings. Testimonials are the more acceptable in these settings than an out and out promotional piece.

A few examples of testimonal videos: