According to Fronetics, 89% of B2B marketers consider customer testimonials and case studies to be the most effective types of content for conversions. Given this, it’s worth exploring why some video case studies succeed while others fall short. Let’s dive into this, in today’s blog.

Humans are naturally drawn to faces, and often, our purchasing decisions are influenced by others’ experiences with a business. However, embarking on a case study video can be scary because of the awkwardness of asking a client for feedback or facing the pressure of rejection when asking for a case study video. So, what happens when you receive a “Yes!” from a client? This is where things get interesting.

After the “Yes!” your clients might ask, “What do you want me to say?” And so you go, “whatever you want to say will be great!” Although you might think this is helpful for the client, this actually creates more pressure for them because they don’t have a direction. 

So today, I want to touch on five things that will make your case study videos turn out amazing and what you can do to create next level customer success stories that you’ll love to share and show how awesome your clients are as well!

Number 1: Not Taking Control

Oftentimes in the effort of being nice, we feel like giving a brief can come across as pushy, however, this is one of the most important things we can do. 

Briefing our clients on what you want them to say is the most important thing about a case study video. This story is in your control, you have the ability to tell your clients what you want them to say. You have the ability to ask them to speak about things you know are important for you to attract more clients.  This isn’t about a fully worded script, more the key points you want them to cover.   

The flipside of this is that your clients will appreciate the fact that you’ve taken a lot of their plate. They don’t have to think about what to say, you’ve given them a direction to go and they’ll appreciate you making it easier for them. So, take control and get what is most important for you out of your case study videos.

Just remember, this case study video is helping your business grow, it’s highlighting your skills and talents so take charge and get the answers you really want.

Number 2: Being too broad

This is another common mistake we see with case study videos, asking really broad questions that yield generic answers. Something like: ‘How did you find our service’ Answer: ‘The service was great, we enjoyed our experience and can’t wait to use you again’. The answer, although great, does not actually tell your future clients anything about the specifics of working with you.

Instead, try something like this: “We helped you solve your problem around attracting great talent for your accounting team. What made this process easier for you? This is a lot more specific and it allows the client to go into far more detail around the problem you actually solved for them. This will give your future clients a really good insight into your process and the way you operate.

Number 3: Not preparing

This is an easy trap to fall into, you’re really busy with your day to day life and the case study video just falls to the backburner. What happens? We often turn up to the session with some generic questions and as a result, we get generic answers. What makes this even more difficult is having to stitch answers that don’t really flow with each other into a narrative that works on video. This is a major downside because case studies can be your biggest asset, especially for professional service businesses.

So, why is good preparation important? A case study video is all about taking your viewer on a ride. It’s taking them from a problem to talking about a solution that helped, it’s also talking about how you took a major pain point away and created a promising outcome for them. We call this, contrasting. Have a look at the image below to give you an idea of how a video case study works.

Preparing helps us identify the questions we need to ask in order to take our client through this journey and also make sure that any future clients watching the video, have a good idea of how life was, versus how good it is now after your solution was implemented. It also helps to know who your audience is so you can tailor questions specifically to them.

Number 4: Not having a future goal or use for the case study

Often, case study videos are created to sit on a website, where they will continue to sit and gather dust. Your case study videos can be much more powerful. We recommend repurposing your case studies. 

Create a full case study video to feature on your website and your sales collateral, then take snippets from the full case study video to feature on your social channels as an incentive to drive people to your full case study video. You can even take the transcript from your video and turn it onto a written case study. This way, you’re getting people hooked, they’re coming to your website and it’s really showing them that you are the business that can solve this problem for them.

So, start with the end in mind. Where are these videos going, who is going to be watching them, what is the biggest problem we know they need help with and then using your case study clients, prove that you did take that problem away and created an impact.

Number 5: Not being consistent

Imagine this, you’re scrolling through the web looking to engage a consultant to help with your business growth. But you notice that the last case study they have is from five years ago. Does this inspire confidence for you? Likely not! This is the same with our business.

Consistent case studies help you stay ahead of the curve, it helps highlight your business and what you do on a consistent basis. It’s also a great way to build a library of case study videos that your future customers can watch and this inspires their confidence in your company. Even more so if your competitors are doing consistent case studies.

So, what is considered consistent? It really depends on your business. Most companies will do one every quarter, however, if your projects often take a year or more to complete, maybe consider your frequency as annually. It doesn’t really matter what you choose, as long as you keep creating them consistently.

In conclusion

In the world of customer success stories and case studies, the puzzle of why some video case studies hit the mark while others miss the target remains intriguing. Today’s insights have given us a clearer picture of this puzzle.

By taking charge of the narrative, asking the right questions, gearing up with solid preparation, repurposing strategically, and maintaining a steady flow of engaging case study videos, you can craft impactful videos that truly showcase your brand’s strengths. So, go forth and create some amazing customer stories that you’ll be proud to share and your customers will be excited to be part of and if you need a hand with case study videos, we can help. Get in touch here.

Whenever you’re ready, there are three ways we can help you use videos to your advantage.

We can take the whole process of creating videos of your plate with our video packages. An all inclusive package from script to screen with only 90 minutes of time needed from you each month. Find out more here. 

Our bespoke video packages, if you need videos done once, or on an irregular basis, our bespoke packages are perfect for this. More information here. 

If you need someone to help train you or your teams to use content or, figure out how content can be used within your business, set up content processes to make it easy to create or you just need help getting started. Our one to one sessions are built just for this. Get in touch here.