Trust and credibility are possibly two of the most important aspects a customer will look for in any business when deciding who they should buy a product or service from.
So how could a video or a series of videos help a business gain trust and credibility before a new customer walks through the door?
Trust
When we meet someone new whether it’s in a video or at the first consultation we tend to make a judgement of that person very quickly. If it’s positive then it’s the perfect start to a working relationship however if it’s a negative one it will set the whole process back. A video has the ability to cut this step out because the prospective customer is able to meet you virtually and form an impression of you in the comfort of their own home. The main advantage video has over many other forms of media is that it can portray non-verbal communication cues. These cues are as important as what the person is saying because they register with our subconscious and help form that initial impression. Here are a few non-verbal cues to think about when you’re next sitting in front of a camera or an actual person –
Eye contact – Eye contact isn’t as effective through video as in reality but it’s still very important because it helps to build a rapport with the audience and shows you are knowledgeable about what you are talking about.
Body language – Having open body language is important when trying to gain trust as it makes the viewer feel more comfortable and welcome. Think how you would feel if someone was sat their with their arms crossed.
Paralinguistics – Your tone of voice is very important and it is recommended that you use expressive speech whilst maintaining your usual pitch as this helps to make you appear more authentic and relaxed. Also remember to slow down as fast speech can make the audience feel pressured.
Kinesics – Posture has the ability to radically change your perceived image so remember not to slouch as this shows the audience that you’re bored, tired or can’t really be bothered.
Credibility
Credibility is portrayed by someone’s confidence, their professional experience and passion for the subject. All this is channelled to the viewer in a well produced video so that they get a good feeling about the business and its employees. Because video is a visual media it can, as I mentioned above, portray non-verbal cues for credibility too, the main ones here would be posture, paralinguistics or tone of voice and the physical appearance. If you decide to produce a series of videos and use the same person in all of them you will eventually start to build something called the mini-celebrity effect, this is where the viewer puts the person in the videos on a pedestal because they are captivated by their knowledge and personality, much like how we look at film stars, therefore creating a very strong first and continuing impression.
I have only scratched the surface of this very large and fascinating subject so I hope you have found it interesting.