Case study videos are a great way to give examples to your audience that what you do works. Loosely based on the Golden Circle from Simon Sinek, we advise every client to build a foundation of video content based on three main pillars: What you do, how you do it and why you do it. The answer to the Why question perfectly fits cornerstone content such as a Brand Film that excites and inspires. In contrast, this blog covers video content that explains how you do what you do. More importantly, it’s about providing evidence to your audience on your ability to deliver. It’s the essence of social proof through.
But before we dive into the process of creating vibrant Case study videos, let’s examine why they are such an important pillar in your content strategy. Compared to brand films, which celebrate your purpose as an organisation, case studies dive into how you deliver on your brand promise. It’s a little peak behind the curtain that demonstrates your ability to deliver for your clients. Without case study videos as social proof, your brand film can be seen as an empty promise. It’s about showing your process, your methodology, your skills that are of real value to your customers.
Ultimately, credible brands are only credible when they provide evidence of their ability to deliver value. That is exactly the essence of a great case study video. It’s the all-important social proof that shows your potential customers that you’re able to deliver on your promises. In a way, a case study video explains what you can do for your customers by demonstrating how you have done this before.
How we use case study video content
Here at Film Division we firmly believe in practising what you preach, so it makes sense to illustrate the use case for case study video content through one of our own examples. Below is a short video with behind the scenes footage from one of our proudest projects: a cinematic trailer for the Warwickshire Bears.
This video is carefully crafted to enhance our credibility. Throughout this video, you can seen our crew operating cameras, directing talent and organising shots. If we only would have shown the final video and presented it as our work, you could only have our word to believe that we actually created it. But, with this video, we provide visual evidence of our ability to deliver on our brand promise. As Film Division, we promise to go above and beyond to deliver stunning imagery, and this case study proves our ability to do so.
How does a case study video differ from a testimonial
Both a case study video as well as a testimonial serve as proof of your ability to deliver. The big difference between the two approaches is that a case study video is produced from your perspective while a testimonial is based on your clients’ view.
Key elements of case study content
Throughout the years, as a video production company, we have worked on numerous case study projects. We’ve created content either for our clients or for ourselves and we’ve picked up a thing or two that we are keen to share. Below are three key point for every case study video.
Show faces
The most important tip that I can give when you set out to produce case study content is to show real people. Ultimately, people connect to people. All your processes and methodologies are meaningless without real people working on them. Whether you help students get placements or expertly manufacture ironmongery, it’s the people that make your vision a reality. It’s showcasing real results from real people that make you a credible brand.
Show processes
In addition to showcasing the amazing people, it is vital to showcase your processes and methodologies that allow your people to shine! Just take a look at this example for Instinct Hardware, a manufacturer of bespoke ironmongery.
If you look carefully at the narrative structure in this film. You’ll notice two different journeys. The first journey revolves around the great craftsmen the work in the factory, the second journey is based on the product. Throughout the film, you can see the workers inspect and check the product as it goes through all the manufacturing processes. Showing these processes is vital to increase your credibility. The depiction of methodology and process prove that you are able to repeat the results you’ve achieved for others.
Show result
Our final tip is to always show result in context. It might seem obvious to you, but it is crucial to your case study video to show the outcome of your efforts. Not only should you show the outcome, you should show the outcome in context of use. Because ultimately, your product or service is only of value to your customers when it is of value to theirs. Showcasing the results as B-roll in the ultimate context of use is again evidence for your ability generate value in the entire customer journey. In the above example, if we only showed the finished door handle, you don’t see it in use. Showing the door handle installed on an actual door and being used demonstrates to the viewer their potential future state if they were to use your product or service.
How to shoot the best Case Study Video Content
To wrap up this blog, let’s dive into some quick wins you can apply to up your game in case study content.
Firstly, when you’re planning your shoot, always shoot your B-Roll as a three act narrative. We always recommend to shoot scenes as a Wide, Medium and Close. With this approach, we mean to first create a wide shot that establishes the context. Followed by a close shot of the actual activity. Finally, you wrap up the scene with a medium shot of the result.
Secondly, never leave an opportunity to get quotes from your client, customer or end user. If there are people involved in your shoot, always try to get a few short quotes that you can use in the edit. Whether it’s the worker explaining a process or a customers reflecting on the result, those quotes can truly enhance the credibility of your case study video.
The third quick win deals with quality. Especially the quality of the imagery and audio in your video. As a video production company, we deal with these elements on a daily basis. But if you are new to the game, please ensure that you’re capturing everything at the appropriate quality level. This is mainly important when it comes to audio. This is important, because your audience can judge how much you or your organisation actually cares about something, by the amount of effort you put into documenting and presenting it. If you film something on your phone with minimum thought or time spent of how good it looks or sounds, then an audience won’t believe that you care enough about it.
Final considerations
The beauty of case study video content is that it is a bit more forgiving compared to brand films. A brand film is very much a piece of cornerstone content that will probably only produced or updated once every three to five years. A case study video content should be posted every two or three months to demonstrate how busy you are. By periodically releasing these videos will continue to strengthen you brand with every video you release. So why wait? Start your case study video content today!
