Before someone purchase a product or service there is one question they almost always ask themselves.
Will it give me the result that I want?
That’s why almost 9 out of 10 consumers read online reviews in order to determine the quality of a local business before buying from them.
Making sure that you are collecting customer reviews and testimonials can certainly help with this. But equally powerful is the use of case study videos.
Case study videos combine engaging visuals and a powerful soundtrack with the authenticity of a real customers experience of your product or service. Case study videos can quickly deliver a large amount of information building trust and confidence that you can deliver on your marketing promises.
Below we will look in detail at how to create a highly effective case study videos for your business.
Why Create Case Study Videos?
Case study videos are effective because they give a prospective customer the information that they need to feel comfortable making a purchase decision. This is achieved in a way which doesn’t feel forced or phony. In fact the success of case study video is because of their authenticity. They feature real people talking in a natural way about their experiences with a product or service.
If the subject has been properly selected then they should closely align with the typical buyer for that product. Because of this prospective customers can relate to the problems that the person in the video has experienced, and will be looking for a similar solution to the one that is presented.
Case study interviews are also perfect for identifying features of the product or service which were most important to them and are also likely to be important to future customers as well. These features may actually differ from what the seller of the product believes to be the most compelling.
How To Plan Your Case Study Video
A great place to start is by looking at other people’s case study videos to find relevant examples to show your video production agency. This is useful even if the videos are not a 100% match to what you want to achieve with your own video.
Why? Because a good video production agency will be able to look at the example videos that your provide and determine how they were shot, which camera’s were used and what kind of crew members may have been employed. All of these elements will play a role in determining the budget for the creating a similar type of video.
Providing example videos also helps to clarify for your video production agency the look for your video. If you are appealing to a younger audience a fast paced, brightly colored video with rapid cuts may work well. With older and luxury target markets then a better approach might be to use a slower paced edit with very high quality cinematography. Conveying your intentions is typically best achieved by providing example videos with a similar aesthetic.
How To Shoot Case Study Videos
Case study videos have been around for a number of years now. This means that the standard setup for case study videos has been well established. The traditional way of shooting a case study is to feature a straight to camera interview where the customer explains the background to their problem and how the product provided a solution. This talking head interview will typically also use cutaways to add interest and context to what the subject is talking about.
This default standard is certainly effective (there are good reasons why it is popular) but it also means that it is possible to innovate and create something which will stand out in the market. Below we will look at some of the ways to have your case study video stand out in a sometimes crowded market.
Standing Out On Social Media
There are additional techniques that you can use to really make your video on social media where people’s attention span tends to be extremely limited. On social media people are searching for top level content. They may not be aware of your product or even have fully clarified the nature of their problem. As a consequence you need to be able to quickly grab someone’s attention and hold it throughout the case study. 
One of the things that can really help is fast paced editing. Each time a video cuts between shots the viewer’s attention is drawn back to the video. This editing “trick” is something that Hollywood has used to keep people constantly. Since the 1930’s the average shot length has decreased from 8 – 11 seconds to 4.3 – 4.9 seconds. These faster cuts are known as “Post-classical” or “MTV style” editing.
The use of bright colors can also be very effective. This can be combined with the brand’s own colors in the video. People’s visual memory is extremely strong, so while they may not remember the full contents of your video by having a certain color it will provide a visual cue to trigger memories of that video later on. For example, they might remember it as the green or pink video that that they saw.
Sound design is another element that is often overlooked. Good sound design can be used to heighten emotion and excitement. Ambient noise, such as the sound of the wind rustling through blades of grass or the sound of a crowd cheering, can be recorded and mixed to created a certain auditory effect.
Time is scarce commodity on social media. One way that you can maximize the time that you have available is to use sound to present narrative elements. So for example, rather than showing a drill on the screen, you could use the noise from the drill which would suggest it to the audience. While the audience may not recall all of the contents of the video at this top level the positive associations created by sound design can help if that prospect is subsequently exposed to more of the company’s marketing.
Innovative Approaches For Filming A Case Study
When selecting the type of equipment to film your case study there are two broad approaches. One is to use a documentary-esque setup. Here you will have a small crew and use smaller lightweight cameras which can discretely fit into people’s natural environment.
The other approach is to use a much higher quality more cinematic camera. This is the type of game that you would use to film a feature film. Using this approach you can capture absolutely stunning visuals with very rich colors and shallow depths of field. The disadvantage to this approach is it tends to be much more more intrusive. It can also be more intimidating for people who are not used to be on a film set. The other disadvantage is that it also tends to a more expensive approach and so will only be suitable for companies with the appropriate level of budget.
The Ideal Length Of A Case Study Video
There has been significant research into the ideal length for online video (see this article for three studies on the topic). But, really is no one right length for a case study video. The two components which should determine the length for you video is how long you can hold the attention of the audience and how much time is needed to convey your message. This might be possible to achieve in as little as fifteen seconds. With a more complex product it may take five minutes or even longer to present a compelling arguement. Shorter is not always better. Provided that the video is highly relevant to the target market then they will watch a longer video.
To make sure that you are maximising your audiences scarce attention it is important that you are leveraging all of the elements that video offers and they these are working cohesively together. This means presenting high quality visuals which reinforce the primary features of the video. There should also be a great music track which really drives along the narrative of the video and gives the people a reason to keep listening. The voice over or interview from the subject should not be repetitive while delivering all of the relevant information. When all of these elements are working together you have a powerful and compelling sales tool that can achieve a lot in a short amount of time.
Shooting Your Case Study On Location vs. In Studio
The benefits of shooting in studio is that the environment is completely under your control. This completely eliminates the issue of ambient noise. Unfortunately, the downside to this is that the sound environment can also sometime come across as quite sterile. This is something that can be addressed later in post production.
On location, whether that’s going into someone’s home or workplace or an exotic outdoor location, provides a more interesting visual background and a sense of authenticity. The disadvantages is that you don’t have the same level of control over the environment. This means that you may have to stop production every time that a plane goes overhead or bus drives by.
Another factor that you can’t control if you shoot outdoors is the weather. This can be a real issue in a temperamental weather environment like London. Finally, lighting is much easier to control in a studio than outdoors. Of course, shooting outdoors does allow you to take advantage of natural light which can be great for imbuing your video with authenticity.
Overall, it could be said that a studio setup tends to result in a video which looks more commercial. This can undermine the sense of authenticity which is so central to producing a compelling case study video.
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