Testimonial videos let recent clients describe your mortgage broking service in their own words. Start with written consent, film a short conversation and publish only claims you can support. Written reviews need the same care over authenticity, with stricter incentive rules on Google.
What Are Testimonial Videos?
A testimonial video is a client review on camera, usually one to two minutes long. It follows the client's starting problem, the help you provided and the outcome. Let the client explain that experience in their own words.
For example, a first-home buyer could describe feeling unsure about the application, how you explained the documents and what they understood by settlement. This is a suggested conversation topic, not a client quotation or a promised result.
Why They Work in Mortgage Broking
A client describing how you guided them through a loan application gives a nervous prospect a concrete experience to consider. Their explanation can answer an unspoken worry about confusing documents or communication during approval. A claim that your brokerage provides good service leaves those questions unanswered.
Choose a story that explains what you actually did. Details about how you handled a question help a prospective client understand your service before they book a meeting.
Choosing Who to Film
Invite clients from the segments you want more of, such as first-home buyers or refinancers. Ask soon after settlement, while they can recall the process. Participation must be optional and separate from the service they receive.
Give the client these three prompts beforehand so they can think without rehearsing a script.
- What problem or concern brought you to us?
- What did we do that helped you?
- What changed for you by settlement?
A client who prefers writing can leave a written review. Keep Google review invitations separate from your choice of video participants: Google prohibits selectively asking only customers likely to leave positive reviews.
Filming Without Overproducing
A smartphone, a quiet room and window light are enough to start recording a client conversation. Clear audio and a client's natural account matter more than production effects. Follow this filming sequence after you have written consent.
- Place the phone on a stable support, with the client facing a window.
- Position the microphone close to the client. Record a short test and play it back to check every word is audible.
- Ask the prompts one at a time and leave space for the client to answer.
- Keep the finished video to roughly one to two minutes. Preserve the meaning and context of the client's answers.
If traffic or room noise masks the voice, move to a quieter space and record again. Ask the client to approve the finished video and its captions before it appears publicly.
Where to Publish
Publish approved testimonial videos on your home and relevant service pages first. Put a first-home buyer's account beside that service so the reader sees a relevant experience while deciding whether to enquire.
Then share a suitable version on Instagram, include it in an email sequence and host the full video on YouTube. Each version must stay within the client's permission. Add captions and check that shorter clips retain any qualification attached to an outcome.
For a longer account of the file and the decisions involved, use a mortgage broker client case study. Keep private financial information out of both formats unless the client has specifically agreed to its use.
Check the published page on a phone: the video must play, captions must be readable and the enquiry link must work. To assess impact, track enquiries from the page and ask new clients whether a video helped them decide. Views alone do not show that a video brought in business.
Written Reviews and the ACCC Rules
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says reviews must reflect a real customer's experience. Its online review guidance prohibits fake or misleading reviews. Never write a review for a client or change their words before publishing.
Suppressing genuine negative reviews or editing out criticism can mislead readers. Explain your review publication and removal policy, and apply it consistently. A selected video testimonial library must not imply it contains every client's feedback.
Under ACCC guidance, an incentive for a review must apply regardless of whether the review is positive or negative. Readers must also be told that the review was incentivised.
Google's Maps review policy prohibits incentives for any review, including discounts or gifts. Disclosure does not make an incentivised Google review acceptable. Send a neutral invitation that leaves the rating and wording to the client.
At settlement, ask for written permission before reproducing a written review in your marketing. Record the approved wording, attribution and publication channels. For the separate task of requesting and responding to reviews, see managing mortgage broker online reviews.
A testimonial used to advertise credit services also falls within the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's (ASIC) advertising guidance. RG 234 Advertising financial products and services (including credit) requires authentic, attributed testimonials and advertising that avoids misleading impressions. Keep evidence for any advertised claim about your service or a client's result.
Guardrails That Keep You Compliant
Obtain written consent before filming, ideally as a separate request at settlement. Specify where the video will appear, how you will identify the client and whether you intend to use paid advertising. Keep the permission with the approved recording.
Use accurate, typical claims and check them against the client's file. An exceptional saving must not imply that every borrower will receive that saving. If a statement cannot be supported or gives a misleading impression, leave it out and obtain approval for the revised video.
Never offer payment or discounts for favourable comments. Review the finished video alongside its headline and captions, because surrounding copy can turn an individual experience into an apparent promise.
Refresh the library when your service changes. Before publishing your first video, confirm the client's written consent covers the final version and every intended channel. The client must recognise their own experience, and you must hold evidence for the claims you publish.
