User Generated Videos for Google My Business in 2021
Table of Contents
- What is Short Form Video?
- User Generated Content makes great Short Form Videos
- Steps to create review videos for upload to Google My Business
- 3 Steps to create a 30-second Review Video
- Gather more Google & video reviews with new app technology
What is Short Form Video?
- Google My Business allows up to 30 seconds
- Instagram Reels allows up to 30 seconds
- TikTok native video is 15 seconds but uploaded video can be up to 1 minute (TikTok is experimenting with 3 minute videos)
- Twitter allows up to 2:20 minute videos
- Vine was 6 seconds (maybe too short for business purposes?)
- YouTube Shorts (still in beta, as of this writing) allows up to 60 seconds.
Short-form videos last a few minutes or less. There is no ‘standard’ definition of short-form video; the definition will change as the social media platforms modify their upload parameters.
This blogpost will show you how to create short-form, user-generated video content for your Google My Business page.
User Generated Content Makes Great Short Form Videos
User Generated Content (UGC) makes great videos – here are some examples from Grin.co:
- Customer reviews
- Behind-the-scenes
- Explainer or educational videos
- Product Review videos
Here are the best short form videos of 2020 from the 12th Annual Shorty Awards.
We’re going to show you how to create Customer Review videos from your business location – in under 30 seconds! Watch the video to learn these 3 steps or continue reading the blog.
Steps to create Review Videos for upload to Google My Business
Step 1: Surprise and delight your customers – learn how to create an experience that ‘WOW’s your customer in this blogpost.
Step 2: Figure out WHICH customer will give you a Video Reviews and ask them – learn how to identify customers that want to recommend family and friends to your business.
Step 3: Train your customer to give you a Video Review – we’ve got 3 steps for you to follow in the next section.
Step 4: Record the video and upload to Google My Business – you can automatically record and upload your video using the WOW Promoter app – learn more here.
3 Steps to Create a 30-second Video Review
Set-up step
You have a happy customer in front of you. They’ve just agreed to give you a video review. BEFORE you point the camera at them, explain the 3 step sequence below. Let them know what to expect.
Step 1
Introduce your customer. There are 2 ways to introduce someone on video:
- Traditional – this introduction is expected and SAFE. Nobody ever got in trouble with this introduction: “This is Bob Smith” and move on to Step 2.
- Highlight – the Highlight introduction is for special situations, celebrities and people in high roles. For instance, I have worked with local politicians, very famous sports stars and other celebrities. If you have these customers, too, you might want to highlight their accomplishments.
9 out of 10 times, though, you will need to play it straight and introduce your customer in the traditional manner, “This is Bob Smith”, and move on to Step 2, simply due to the 30-second time limit for Google My Business videos.
Step 2
Ask your customer to describe their Prior State.
- “How did you find us?”
- “What was your problem that caused you to need our product/service?”
- “Describe for our viewers how we met.”
There are 2 rules for Prior State:
Rule #1: You must pick 1 questions that applies to your customer, business, setting or situation. Stick with that question for ALL of your video reviews. This consistency will speed your interview process. Apply Rule #1 for 9 out of 10 times
Rule #2: No ‘tangents’ – this means don’t let the conversation expand of drift along other paths. 1 out 10 times you may allow the conversation to, briefly, move away from the Prior State of your customer. Here’s an example:
You: “How did you find us?”
Customer: “Our mutual friend, Bob, introduced us. He said to come here for your service because you are the best.”
You: “Yes, Bob is a great friend and he has used our service many times. Thank you, Bob”
Otherwise, play it straight and move on to Step #3.
Step 3
Ask your customer to describe their Current State. This shows your viewers what THEIR future can look like if they elect to become your customers. Here are some examples:
- “How do you feel now?”
- “Are you happy with your purchase?”
- “Did we solve your problem?”
This can be a powerful motivator for a viewer in the ‘decision’ stage of the Buyers’ Journey and can serve as Social Proof that gets them to call you or to click a link you have provided.
Final Step
If possible, regain control of the interview by thanking your customer, bring the interview to a close AND THEN invite your viewers to ‘Learn More’ by clicking the link below in your GMB Customer Panel.
Set this link up to go to your website or, on a mobile device, make it a Click to Call so they can schedule an appointment with you.
Get the free app – save time and $$
If you are an influencer who deals face-to-face with people, like a dentist or a real estate agent, you can become an online influencer using short, testimonial videos on popular social platforms.
We can show you how.
Do you like all the hosting and posting?
All the hashtags, hypertext links and tech-y stuff?
If not, just let the WOW Promoter app do it for you – for free!
