A good case study video can do wonders for a business. It is a great way to show customers how an organisation has helped other people or businesses. This is an essential part of marketing and promotions for many organisations and can skyrocket sales while putting you a step ahead of the competition if done right.
In this article, we’ll give some quick and easy-to-follow steps in order to create the best case study videos you can. If you’re unsure if a case study video is right for your business, check out our guide to promotional videos here.
1). Target Consumer Concerns
Once you’ve decided on making a case study video, you may have some past clients in mind to centre your video on, which is great! That being said a video that is targeted around customer concerns or reasons they may be apprehensive is important. This is because a case study video should not only show potential customers how you’ve helped another business but also, convince them to buy your service.
For example, if one of the primary objections a potential customer may have is the pricing then having the subject in your case study talk about how the return on ad spend (or ROAS) of the case study video would be a great idea. In the case of a health coach, a potential customer may think that they have too many dietary restrictions or mobility restrictions to get the most out of their coach. In this case choosing a subject who had some kind of mobility or dietary restrictions and getting them to talk about how their coach was able to tailor a plan to their specific needs would address this concern, pushing potential consumers to purchase.
No matter what, before heading into the production stage of making your case study video you will need to evaluate your target audience and determine what the most common concerns are.
2). Choose the right customers to feature in your case studies
While this may seem like an obvious step, it is an essential part to ensure the success of any case study video. The question then becomes, how should you decide who to use?
The most important point is to use customers who were actually happy with the product or service that was provided. They should be so happy, in fact, that they have reached out to tell you just how happy they were with it. If your organisation provides multiple products or services, also make sure to pick a customer who purchased the one you would like to promote the most. For example, a digital marketing agency that wants to promote their social media management should not pick a customer who primarily used them for website design.
To make it even more impactful, pick a customer who has a good story to tell, that could relate to your primary audience. For example, a catering business that typically works with small social events should pick a customer similar to this instead of the large corporate event they catered one time. Some people may think that using this large corporate client may boost their credibility, but in reality, it may alienate potential clients.
3). Pick Customers who will do well on Camera
Some people do better on camera than others. Everyone is different. Some people have a naturally enthusiastic personality, some people have an analytical personality and some people have a rather well, dull personality. While it is quite blunt to say, it’s very true that some people are naturally more engaging than others and unless you’ve chosen customers who are comfortable speaking clearly and enthusiastically, you may end up with a video that lacks seniority despite what you’ve actually accomplished or done for that customer.
4). Plan it Out
High-quality, engaging videos are never an accident. These videos require proper planning and execution. Once you’ve gone through the above steps you should have a good idea of the who and what of your video. Next, you’ll have to decide on the where and the when.
The WHERE depends on what your business does, but just remember the more you can show what you’ve done for the customer rather than tell what is best. A construction company that wants to do a case study on an overpass they built on a busy street would need to include footage of that overpass and if possible, footage from the construction process and before the project began. That being said, in a lot of situations, the case study video is an afterthought so here are some things that the construction company could use instead:
- Before pictures of the area
- Blueprints of the construction project
- Pictures from when it’s finished
- Footage of when it’s finished
Further on the “where’ of this project is where will the interviews be held? In an ideal world, we don’t want the interview to be in an office building with a solid colour wall in the background. Try considering relevant locations that could provide a good background. In this case the construction site, and construction office with an interesting background.
The WHEN depends on several points. This can be dependent on the what, who and where parts of your video as well. Consider your locations and the customers you would like to film but also, consider the content. If you want to film in a public space, consider picking a time that won’t be very busy. If your product is primarily used at a certain time of day then you will most likely have to get footage of at least the product at that time of day.
5). Have an Idea of what you want
While working with a production company will provide you with good results, having an idea of what you like going into the production process will always help. This is somewhat a personal preference, however, you should hire a production company that can also give you suggestions on the style, tone and content of your case study video.
A great way to make sure your vision is carried out is to do a little research and see what other organisations and competitors have done. A quick search on YouTube will reveal thousands of case study videos that are done in different ways, for different audiences and for different products.
If you have a brand style guide this will be of big help to the production company who can work with it to make sure the video is branded in the proper way. While most organisations don’t have a style guide for videos specifically, you can talk to your production company about developing one. This is a great way to ensure that the style and tone of all future videos match your brand.
Final Thoughts
A case study video is a perfect way to attract potential customers and show them how great your organisation is. With proper preparation, it can skyrocket your conversion rates and provide a high return on ad spend.
At Inspireworks, we specialise in transforming your creative thoughts into relatable videos. Our team will work with you to turn your ideas into stories and stories into effective, evergreen videos.
If you believe in the immense value of high quality, professional video content, please call us today at Inspireworks on 1300 885 968 or send us a message to learn how we can help your business with exceptional storytelling.