Case studies have long been a favorite marketing tool for businesses in building trust in their brand and increasing sales to new customers. Whether selling a product to consumers or businesses, video case studies provide a great way to demonstrate the benefits of your product quickly and in a tangible rather than abstract way. You have the opportunity to show real people talking about your product, why they wanted or needed it, and why it was the best choice for them. Who better to help market your products than satisfied customers?
People enjoy watching stories more than they enjoy watching marketing-heavy commercials, so take advantage of what people enjoy watching by creating a case study video that feels like a story. For instance, a small business owner may start with discussing what their business does, what problems or challenges they face, and how your product helped them solve the issue. A company like Nike may feature a consumer training for a marathon who wanted to find comfortable, effective shoes and clothing to help their efforts. The video could start with the subject talking about their training efforts, the challenges they faced in finding the right supplies, and how Nike provided the perfect solutions that maximized their training.
The ideal case study video need not be longer than two minutes, which is plenty of time to tell a small story that builds trust for the brand, explains the benefits gained, and gives an overview of a product’s features. Shorter videos not only have a higher rate of viewers who watch until the end, but also are generally less expensive to produce. Speaking of costs, case study videos are highly cost-effective marketing tools. They mostly involve an interview or several interviews along with some corroborating B-roll footage (for instance, footage of the product in action or being used by the case study subject). A half-day shoot is often plenty of time to capture the footage you need, which keeps costs under control.
One of the most important aspects of a great case study video is selecting the right customer. While many customers may be happy to write a favorable review on Amazon or leave you a review on Yelp, convincing them to participate in a video case study may be more difficult. The challenge can be solved a variety of ways, however, from offering discounts on your products to offering a free product or incentive. Many people may be flattered that you’d want to feature them. If you deal in B2B sales, remind the business owner that you’ll also be featuring their business and their story in a marketing video, which has beneficial effects for them, too. You may also offer an incentive, like a discount on their next purchase, to help convince them to appear in the case study video.
When creating a case study video for a product, always end the video with some sort of call to action. Whether text on a screen or voiceover over product footage, encourage viewers to take the next step, whether it’s to contact the company for more information, check out product options on your Website, or give your company a call. Video, as with all marketing materials, should have as its goal to advance the sales process with some sort of actionable intent. In other words, what do you want the viewer to do next after seeing the case study video?