Client videos are one of the three essential types of social proof we recommend all firms have (read on for the other two).

Nothing impresses a prospective client more than seeing and hearing someone who has worked with you for years explaining:

• How you’ve helped them
• The value they get from working with you
• The peace of mind and confidence that you give to them.

And, of course, showing the value of financial advice/planning, through the videos, beats telling prospects.

Versatile and impressive

Once filmed and edited, the videos can be used in many ways, including:

• On your website (scroll down for some examples)
• In your newsletters
• In social media campaigns and posts
• To demonstrate the benefits of financial planning to your team
• To provide reassurance to prospects who need that little extra nudge over the line.

Don’t be nervous, ask and you shall receive!

We know that many advisers and planners are nervous about asking their clients to appear in front of a camera.

We often hear objections such as:

1. “I don’t have any clients who would want to be filmed”

Usually suggested by an adviser/planner who hasn’t asked a single client yet.

2. “I don’t want to impose on my clients”

You’re not. They often agree because it’s their way of thanking you for the help you’ve given to them.

3. “My clients won’t want to talk about money”

Good, we don’t want to talk about money on the video either!

4. “My clients are different to other advisers’”

Really? If you’re dealing with celebs or politically exposed people, you might have a point. Otherwise, probably not.

5. “I don’t want to annoy my clients by asking”

You won’t if you ask in the right way, making it clear that “no” is a perfectly acceptable answer.

Let’s cut to the chase.

These objections are myths advisers/planners tell themselves to avoid asking clients.

In reality (and we have now recorded videos for more than 50 firms), when advisers/planners push themselves out of their comfort zone and actually ask clients, they always get enough to agree.

We have never, ever, had to cancel a video project because the adviser/planner couldn’t find enough clients to take part.

So, put your faith and trust in us; ask and you shall receive.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s look at the options you have for actually recording these videos.

2 ways to develop videos

There are two ways to record client videos:

• Face-to-face on a shoot at your office, the client’s home, or an alternative location
• Remotely using a combination of Zoom and your client’s smartphone.

We’re going to explore the advantages and disadvantages of each option to help you understand which is right for you.

Face-to-face shoot

Advantages

• If you get the right team, you will get studio-quality audio and visual.
• B-roll footage can be filmed and used in the final edit (you can see examples later in this blog). This is powerful when videos are shot in your office and even better when they’re recorded in a client’s home.
• You can take the opportunity of having a film crew on site to record other footage, including your team, which you can use on your website and in your wider marketing.

Disadvantages

• A face-to-face shoot is generally 2 to 2.5 times more expensive than recording videos remotely.
• We sometimes find that clients are less open on face-to-face shoots than when interviewed remotely. When you consider that remote shoots take place in the comfort of their home, compared to a face-to-face shoot when they are faced with cameras, sound equipment, and lights, plus people they don’t know, then it’s perhaps understandable if they are a little more reserved.
• A face-to-face shoot is potentially harder to organise. Firstly, you need to find a venue. Ideally, that’s your office or a client’s home. Secondly, to keep costs down you will ideally shoot the videos in one or two days. This can sometimes be hard to organise and could mean you need to restrict the clients you can film.

Remote shoot

Advantages

• Costs can be significantly lower, which might allow you to shoot more videos.
• They are easier to organise because clients will be filmed at home or in their office at a time to suit them.
• The convenience of a remote shoot means you increase the chances of your ideal clients being able to take part.
• In our experience, clients are more at ease because the filming is taking place in an environment where they feel comfortable.
• If something goes wrong and the client can’t make the agreed shoot time, it can easily be rearranged. This is far harder if you’re shooting the videos face-to-face on location.

Disadvantages

• The quality of the camera on smartphones can be excellent, but it’s still not as good as a professional camera.
• You won’t get the B-roll footage to use in the final edit.
• Your client needs to be reasonably competent with Zoom or Teams and have access to a smartphone.

Let’s see what each type of video looks like

So that’s the theory.

Let’s look at some examples of videos we’ve shot face-to-face:

Henwood Court

We shot five of these videos over two days late last year at Henwood Court’s gorgeous offices in Sutton Coldfield.

To prove one of the earlier points I made about why clients take part, I recall that one of the people we interviewed told me he was happy to help as it was his way of saying “thank you” to his financial planner who had changed his life.

How good is that?!

Click here to watch the videos.

Black Swan Financial Planning

These videos were shot last summer at Black Swan’s office in the City.

Apart from having to regularly pause the shoot due to stilettos on a hard floor causing a lot of noise, the shoot went brilliantly. And it proves that clients are happy to travel, even into central London, to take part.

Click here to watch the videos.

Next, let’s look at some examples of videos shot remotely:

Expert Wealth Management

We shot these videos over a few weeks last year. The quality of the visual is perhaps surprising and shows what you can achieve on a smartphone.

Click here to watch the videos.

HarperLees Financial Planning

Again, these were shot over a couple of months, showing one of the key benefits of recording videos remotely.

Click here to watch the videos.

The other 2 types of social proof we recommend all clients have…

…are surveys and ratings/reviews.

Read about the lessons we learned from our client survey results here, and find out 10 top tips to get more online ratings and reviews here.

If now’s the time to ramp up your social proof, and show the benefit of working with you, we’re here to help.

Call us on 0115 8965 300 or email hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk and we’ll be happy to discuss your options, confirm pricing and explain the process.