Posted by Catie Foertsch on Mon, May 10, 2010 @ 09:00 AM
We've been working with Grafton Suburban Credit Union for a while now, to create videos for their lobby TV screen and to help them understand how to use video on the web. Recently we asked CEO Ed Lopes if he'd do a video case study for us. We could have asked for a straight testimonial. But, by making the video about the credit union, its challenges, and how we provided solutions for those challenges, we're creating a video asset that is MUCH more helpful as a sales tool than a plain vanilla testimonial could ever be. Here's a brief clip that's not in the final case study. In this clip, Ed talks about when "the light went off" about using video at the credit union.
How to create a video case study
When you're working with a happy client to create a video case study, it's important to get a few details about their business so that similar businesses can identify. Then, after the 'who we are and what we do and who's our customer' section, you can ask about the challenges they face that are directly related to your product. After that, ask them to discuss the solution you provided and how that's been working for them. With some products, it's possible to measure success, so if possible ask if they can quantify how your product has been helping them.
Then, edit the video to create the case study. You want your case study to be short - about four minutes max - and you'll have extra video you can also use, like we're using Ed's video clip in a blog post.
Why do video case studies work?
Video case studies work as sales tools because they allow your prospects to see your product or service through the eyes of a business that's similar to theirs or that's facing similar challenges. While it's easy for you to say you solve a particular problem, it's a LOT more convincing if one of your customers talks about the solution you provided.
How to use a video case study
Place your video case study on a dedicated page on your website, and add a text discussion. Your sales force can now use that page as a powerful sales tool. You might also think about placing the video case study on a landing page, and then using it in your lead generation program.
Bottom line
Testimonial marketing is effective because people trust the authentic voice of a customer, and like to buy a product or service that's worked for someone else. Using a video case study is much more powerful than a straight testimonial, because it also gives information that's directly related to the problem your lead or prospect is experiencing.
(Check out the full Grafton Suburban case study here)
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 @ 06:30 AM
 |
There are many reasons to use video on your website - excellent communication, emotional connection, engagement, relationship-building, message-conveying, etc. But perhaps the most important reason, the one big over-arching reason, is this: video allows you to differentiate your company. It lets you tell your story. Video is the best medium on the planet |
for conveying story, and your story tells potential customers who you are and how you're different.
You'd think this is what your website does, but the problem with websites is that to someone who's looking for what you sell, they all look the same. If you're an accountant, they all have a CPA-ish look. If you're a marketing agency, they're all creative but in the same general way. Law firm? University? Hotel? Software firm? Your websites have the same menu buttons. Click the ‘services' button and they list the same services. You've spent hours and hours picking your color scheme and agonized over just the right logo, but to people who are out there on the web looking for what you sell, well, you've got services and menu buttons and colors and a logo, just like everybody else. Your website just doesn't communicate - in an easily-accessible way - how you're different. What you offer. Why you'd be a good match - or not.
So why does video do the job? Because by its very nature - by being a little movie that tells your story - it fulfills the differentiation formula:
A+B+C=D
A= Authenticity. When I watch a video of you explaining an aspect of your services, or a testimonial video with one of your customers talking about one of your products, or video of your employees operating your equipment and making your product, I'm watching real people and I know it. It's authentic, you're authentic, and I get that immediately.
B= Believability. Do you know what you're talking about? Are you knowledgeable? Are you an expert? These are qualities we pick up on right away when we watch someone speak. You can fake it in text, but not when you're speaking. Do we believe that the customer who's giving a testimonial is real, and is really enthusiastic about your product? Again, you can fake it in text but not in video.
C=Chemistry. Chemistry is, simply, a feeling of connection. We have chemistry when we talk to someone we like, or someone we feel we could do business with. Chemistry goes a long way toward initiating a buy decision if people are already looking for your product or service. And if you're a business that involves face-to-face interaction (accountant, attorney, etc.), then chemistry is essential. It tells your potential customers if they could indeed do business with you.
D= Differentiation. This is what happens when your potential customers see that you have Authenticity and Believability, and when they feel Chemistry. Now you're different - now you're no longer one of the crowd of generic companies that all offer the same thing. Now there's a connection, and your potential customer has a reason to stay on your website and dig deeper, to find out more about you, and to choose you.
So - if you're wondering if video is a good idea for your website, ask yourself if it's important that people who visit your website understand how you're different from your competitors. If the answer is yes, then you know what to do.
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 @ 07:17 AM
Green screens aren't just for Hollywood special effects. They're fairly common for corporate video production because they provide options.
Here are three reasons why you might want to use a green screen for your next business video:
- If you can't find a location with a good background. You can shoot against a green screen and drop in the perfect background during post-production
- If you don't want your interview subject in a real location but prefer a virtual, abstract background, or all white or all black
- If you're planning to shoot several interviews at once but don't want them all to have the same background
The bottom line? Using a green screen for your business video projects gives you options, and just might give you a better product.
FYI, I've been shooting my video blog posts against a green screen because I like the look of a clean white background for my video blog (personal preference). But getting a clean white background in the real world can be complicated. You need to have good distance between you and your white background so you don't cast shadows, and so any imperfections in that white wall or drape are less noticeable. And then you need to light that background separately, so it's white and not gray.
I'd advise caution if you're going for a white background for your vlog and you plan to hang a white sheet behind you. You'll see lots of videos on YouTube with 'white backgrounds' that use a wrinkled bed sheet hung on a wall, and guess what? It looks like... wrinkled bed sheets nailed to a wall. Finding a flat white wall to shoot against will probably give you better results.
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Tue, May 26, 2009 @ 06:53 AM
Video testimonials are powerful marketing tools, but some are better than others. Here are some tips to help you make very effective video testimonials for your website.
- Effective video testimonials should not be "cheerleader" testimonials that are full of words like "awesome" and "terrific" but give little solid information.
- Structure your testimonials like case studies, and use each one to examine a particular aspect of the products or services you deliver.
- During the testimonial interview, ask your customer several questions that lead to detailed answers. You want a lot of raw material to work with.
- During the editing process, take just the kernels of excellence that give the viewer the important information in a short time frame. Assemble those kernels into a watchable, short testimonial. Two to four minutes is the length you want.
- Place your testimonials throughout your website. If you have a page that talks about a particular aspect of your product or service, place a testimonial on that page that shows a customer who's very happy with that particular product or service.
The bottom line: testimonial marketing is very powerful, and effective, well-made video testimonials take it to a whole new level.
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Fri, Apr 17, 2009 @ 11:55 AM
Business Concepts, Inc. is very good at what they do. But how do you know that before you hire them? They can tell you how good they are. They can show you attractive, well-designed marketing materials. But they can't prove with 100% certainty that they'll be as good as they promise. And that's a problem all businesses have. How do you get potential customers to believe that your product or service does what you say it does?
The answer is to give potential customers direct, visual access to your satisfied customers, and to let your satisfied customers sell your product. Nobody can sell what you do better than someone who's bought it and is glad they did. Like Peter Gracey, president and co-founder of AG Salesworks, one of many satisfied Business Concepts customers:
Companies use testimonial marketing because testimonials work. You have a better chance of selling your product to me if I can watch someone I identify with as they talk about buying from you and being glad they did. So, if I'm a software company, I want to know if your product worked for other software companies. If I'm an entrepreneur, then I want to watch an entrepreneur talk about your product. And so on.
Customers who like your product will usually be happy to do a testimonial for you. Some may refuse because they're camera-shy, but most love to help out a company they believe in. So ask them. If you plan to make several testimonials, why not hold your own Video Testimonial Event? Invite several happy customers to your location, have a little food, make it fun for them and more efficient for you.
Then, place your testimonials on your website. Where? Don't quarantine them on a single, dedicated testimonial page. Video testimonials are one of your best marketing tools - so don't make people hunt for them. Put them right out there in plain sight. Place a general testimonial on your home page, and a more specific testimonial on a page that's more specific to your product. Put a testimonial on each of your most-visited pages, to make sure visitors to your website get the message: people who buy your product are glad they did.