Effective case study videos can be a valuable asset for businesses looking to attract new customers and boost their revenue.
Unlike traditional text-based case studies, videos offer a personal touch that can be difficult to achieve otherwise.
By incorporating client interviews, case study videos can provide a unique perspective on your company’s work and demonstrate how your products or services can solve real-world challenges.
When produced correctly, these videos can effectively showcase the value of your work and help your business grow.
To create an effective case study video, you should follow several key steps.
What Exactly Is a Case Study Video?
A case study video provides a chance for a company to connect with its audience in a more genuine and relatable manner.
The aim here is to evoke emotions and showcase the company’s human side by offering an unedited and authentic portrayal.
Rather than a dull and predictable corporate announcement, a successful case study video should be honest and vulnerable, allowing the audience to relate to the company as a person rather than an impersonal entity.
It’s important to note that a case study video is not always an advertisement; its goal is not always to compel the viewer to take immediate action. Instead, it’s more of a branding exercise that aims to influence the viewer’s perception of the company or product over time.
For instance, a marketing agency may showcase a case study on its website highlighting its excellent working relationship with clients and impressive results without a direct call to action.
The goal is to leave a lasting impression on the viewer and establish trust so that when the time comes, the agency will be the obvious choice for future assignments.
What Makes a Great Case Study Video?
Let’s walk you through the elements that make a great case study video.
Customer Focus
A case study video should be centered on the customer’s story and how the company’s product or service fits into it rather than being solely about the company itself.
Vital Information
Research shows that viewers retain more information from videos than from text. Therefore, conveying crucial points directly or through customer testimonials is essential.
Mobile-Friendliness
With mobile devices accounting for most of all video views, it’s crucial to consider mobile viewing when creating case study videos.
This means avoiding small flash formats, distant visuals, and overly complex visuals that may not play well on smaller screens.
Emotions
Nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice account for almost 100% of all communication.
Therefore, it’s important to highlight these cues in case study videos to create an emotional connection with viewers.
Entertainment
To keep viewers engaged and prevent the video from dragging on, it’s important to tell an engaging and enjoyable story based on the customer’s experience.
This can be achieved by quickly moving through slides or pictures without pausing for too long.
Case Study Video Formats
There is no set pattern to follow here, however, these are the three most prevalent types of case study videos that you can choose from.
Customer Feedback
A customer testimonial video is a basic and straightforward video type in which you record an interview with a client and ask them about their experience with your products.
To create a polished output, this style of video simply takes one shooting location and minimum editing.
Review
A customer review video is a simple yet powerful way to craft a case study video.
Instead of creating a unified story, the consumer can discuss certain characteristics of your items and how they helped them.
Narrative
The case study narrative is the most complicated sort of case study video. This includes on-camera consumer interviews, B-roll film, as well as graphic and typographic elements.
It takes longer to shoot and edit than other sorts of videos.
How to Create Effective Case Study Videos
You have to craft a plan and carefully approach this task but also keep in mind and follow the steps listed below before anything.
Establish your objective
At the start of your video production, it’s important to define the purpose of your video and consider the desired outcome.
While increasing sales is typically a primary goal for any business, it’s essential to dig deeper and explore any underlying issues hindering your success, such as customer confusion or lack of perceived value.
Your case study video can be a valuable tool in dispelling these doubts and reassuring potential customers.
Identify your intended viewers
In addition to defining your video’s objective, it’s crucial to determine your target audience and keep their interests in mind throughout the production process.
Consider what motivates your ideal customers to take action, what they value most, and what questions they may have.
By addressing these factors in your case study video, you can ensure that it speaks directly to your intended viewers and maximizes your chances of success.
Select the right clients
Choosing the right client is a crucial step in creating a case study video. It’s not just about picking the happiest or most positive customer.
Instead, look for a client whose experience closely matches the story you want to convey.
Reach out to them in a friendly manner via email or conversation, and make it easy for them to accept your invitation to participate.
Develop a storyline
A successful case study video requires a compelling narrative that captures the audience’s attention.
Creating a story arc can help you present your key messages in a captivating way. To do this, plan out the following four stages:
Introduce the protagonist: Select one individual from the featured company to center your narrative on, even if there are multiple representatives in the video.
Identify the problem: The protagonist should face a difficult situation or conflict that your product or service helped resolve.
Explain the solution: Show how your offering helped the protagonist overcome obstacles, and provide supporting facts to back up their success.
Conclude with a call to action: End the video with a clear next step for the viewer, encouraging them to take action based on what they’ve seen.
Their background
To ensure a successful case study video, it’s important to conduct background check interviews with the customer before filming.
This will help you understand their responses and how they fit into the narrative you are creating.
Prior to filming, offer your customer the opportunity to participate in pre-interviews to refine their storytelling skills and become familiar with the questions that will be asked.
Additionally, this process can help you refine your list of interview questions. Some important questions to consider asking include:
What does your company specialize in?
Who are your typical clients?
How long has your company been operating?
What challenges were you facing prior to contacting us?
Why did you choose our products?
It’s time to start writing your script
You don’t need to be a skilled writer to create a video script. Instead, you can develop a script that chronicles the events of your case study by using the structure of your story arc as a reference.
Start by introducing the character and providing some background information about them.
Then, discuss the specific challenges they faced and explain how your response helped to solve those problems.
Develop your style
Video is a distinctive medium that enables you to communicate your case study not only through language but also through visuals and audio.
This presents a great opportunity to utilize elements such as color, editing, and music to reinforce the narrative you are telling and the brands you are representing.
To create a powerful case study video, it’s important to pay attention to production value, which sends the message that you care about your client and their story.
The most effective videos blend interviews with supplementary footage, also known as B-roll, to maintain viewer interest.
To achieve the right visual style for your brand, it’s recommended to engage the services of an experienced video agency, which can offer guidance and support throughout the entire case study video process.
Statistics
Identify sections in your script where you can incorporate credible evidence to substantiate the narrative.
Incorporate any data that your client has about how your product boosted revenue, conversions, or had other measurable effects into your script.
Utilize graphs or other visual aids to emphasize the numerical data displayed on the screen.
Choose the format
At this point, you will make a decision regarding the kind of video case study that you want to produce.
Be sure to do the following if you are recording it live with your subject.
Make sure you pick the proper place. You may film it in your workplace, in an open outdoor area, or on a set that you have designed for the purpose.
Always draw up a shot-by-shot storyboard to ensure that your subjects, camera crew, and anybody else who has a hand in the creation of the video are aware of the order in which the shots will be taken.
In addition, if you plan to conduct an online interview with the help of a webcam, you should compile a list of the questions you wish to ask.
You always have the option of emailing your subject a list of questions so that they can prepare for the interview in advance.
Edit and craft the final video product
Now that you have all of the B-roll you require, the interviews that have been shot in a professional manner, and all of the additional bits and pieces that are necessary to produce the ideal case study movie, it is time to begin stitching it together and editing it.
Yet, there is one obstacle to overcome when it comes to editing, and that is the use of complicated editing software.
Marketers frequently avoid using heavy-duty editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut for a variety of reasons, including the fact that these programs are difficult to use, that their learning curves are steep and that they do not always have guidelines available for non-technical individuals and laymen.
The process of creating and editing their videos is hampered as a result.
Again, if you are not familiar with these software solutions, you could ask pros to step in and help. But, you could also try to find a more easy-to-use software solution that would allow you to do this final step and craft a great case study video.
Promote it
As you develop your distribution strategy, it’s important to consider your promotion plan. It is suggested to involve your customer in the promotion of your video and express gratitude for their participation.
They need to feel appreciated and that will motivate them to share your videos even if you don’t specifically ask them to.
Now That You Have Your Case Study Video
When you’ve finished creating an appealing end product, it’s important to think about how you’ll display it to your target audience.
Fortunately, case study videos are dynamic content pieces that can be used on various marketing channels.
Consider the following options:
Embed the case study video on your website, either on the homepage or on a dedicated page for the case study.
Incorporate the video into your email marketing campaigns to reach your leads.
Share the case study video on all of your social media networks.
Utilize the video in your presentations and sales pitches.
Expand your reach by promoting the video through a digital advertising campaign.
Final Thoughts
There it is. You now know how to craft effective case study videos.
Obviously, this process requires a lot of patience, careful planning, attention to detail, but most of all, a clear understanding of your audience and their pain points.
Follow what we’ve outlined here, and you’ll be on the right track to success.
Choose the right client, create a clear story arc, and back up your claims with data. Have these tips in mind and you will produce videos that can generate sales and boost your brand awareness.