Call it a case study. Call it a customer story. We like to call it influence.
All the success stories that are happening in and around your brand have the power to persuade, convince and drive sales. If only you can capture them, cut them and package them so they reach the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
In a nutshell, that’s what we do for brands. Now it’s your turn.
From story & video production, to digital marketing strategy, to activation on web platforms & mobile devices, we’re built to create success stories that drive influence for your brand anywhere in the world.
It’s Hard Out Here for a Brand
People are hit with hundreds if not thousands of ads every day, each declaring their product or service to be the first, the best, the most, or the greatest.
It’s a lot of noise.
Over time it’s conditioned us to be more than a little skeptical when a company opens its mouth. Unless someone has already experienced your brand, convincing them that your product or service really is the first, the best, the most, or the greatest is an uphill battle.
But hey, that’s why you’re here! And that’s why we’re stoked to share this approach to brand success stories that’s been proven to:
- Cultivate influence using real stories from real people who know your brand.
- Spark new lead generation, site traffic, & online engagement.
- Help drive sales. Period.
The Rise of Review Culture Is Opening Doors for Brands
The most valued source of information is personal experience, and with the technology we have at hand today, consumers have more outlets than ever to seek and share their personal experiences. For brands, this cuts two ways.
On one hand, it means that control of your brand isn’t solely in your hands. Which is a little scary… You can do everything right, and one unintended negative experience slips onto the web and dampens your reputation.
On the other hand, it offers you a potent opportunity to shape the conversation in your favor. By surfacing and sharing the personal experiences that back up your brand’s claims, it creates a homogenous value story that feels real, authentic & human.
Video Success Stories & Case Studies For the Win
One of the most effective, difference-making, revenue-generating ways to tap into the influence of real stories from real people is through expertly crafted video success stories.
- Video success stories speak to your brand’s authority.
- They empower your sales teams with proof of concept.
- They add credibility behind your company’s words & deeds.
- They can earn trust, share news, accelerate leads, and drive sales.
- Most importantly, they’re a barometer of your ability to make other people successful. For the viewer, it’s a real world answer to “What's in it for me?”
If you ask us though, what’s really sweet about case study videos isn’t just the success it brings your organization. It’s the privilege of documenting real human stories in your company’s history. Stories that over time make brands into legends!
A 5-Step Workflow For Brand Success Story Videos
Nerd alert: We freaking love video production. As a global branding agency, we’ve shot videos all over the world, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that no two productions are exactly the same.
However, we’ve been around long enough to notice some similarities between productions, which we’ve detailed in our 5-step video production workflow. Is this a dramatic oversimplification of our approach to success videos? Yes. Yes it is. But it’s easier to digest this way.
1. Activation
We’ll start off with the basics: recording your project goals, identifying milestones, and briefing the team for what’s ahead.
2. Pre-Production
The more we can intake up front, the smoother EVERYTHING goes down the line. During pre-production, we’ll sort out logistics like location permits, camera gear & calendars. We get to know everyone involved in your story so we can lock down a script and build a master production book.
3. Production
Here’s where all the juicy video, photo & digital content gets made. The MAG Production Team will scout locations, shoot interviews, capture tons of b-roll, and manage the media assets that come with it all.
4. Post-Production
Back in the lab, our producers & editors lay out your story, pair it with footage, add in graphics & text, and put music behind it all.
5. Delivery
Finally, it’s time to output your video in formats that support your brand & digital marketing strategy. We’ll cut and optimize your video for web, mobile, inbound, trade shows, sales support, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn… even one of those sweet new smart refrigerators with the screens.
Not All Video Productions Are Hollywood Blockbusters
We admit it. We’re suckers for highly polished, cinematic pieces of art that make your eyes well up with pride, but not every brand has a need or appetite for high production film. That’s why we make video productions available in 3 tiers:
Tier 1, Green Diamond Production: Wake up early, hike to the objective and summit all within a day! This tier of production would typically be isolated to a series of interviews or a live stream. It features little to no b-roll, keeping focus on the subject, which is perfect for events or team gatherings, and typically occurs with a minimal crew.
Tier 2, Blue Diamond Production: Typically a multi-day adventure, but not always. This tier is where most brand success story videos fall. While quality standards are still high, the primary focus of these productions are content relevancy and message, and likely feature a leaner team.
Tier 3, Black Diamond Production: A full on adventure, with more people, more gear, and a big/serious objective! This tier might include high concept brand videos, branded promotional content, or conference opening videos, and involve a robust team from multiple disciplines to ensure pristine quality output.
If You’re Not Optimizing Video for the Web, Why Bother?
You spent time, energy & resources creating amazing video content. How do you get the most out of your investment? How do you cut, stage, and optimize your videos so they don’t fall on deaf ears? How do you transform these stories into influence?
That depends on a myriad of factors, like:
- Where your consumers hang out online
- How they prefer to engage
- What they’re searching for
- Where they’re searching for it
- When they’re most likely to be receptive
Until knowing you and your unique circumstances, it’s hard to say exactly what to do. Nevertheless, there are several tricks in our bag we tend to recommend when optimizing your brand success story videos.
Using Video in Your Inbound Marketing Strategy
Inbound marketing involves a strategic combination of tactics for leading customers through the purchasing funnel and building brand authority online. At Magnetic, we understand how to extract and apply the content captured during your success story production so that: (a) it has the best chance of reaching your desired audience, and (b) it feeds leads directly to your sales teams and/or ecommerce platform.
Integrating Video Into Your Organic Social Content
Video has repeatedly shown to be THE most effective and engagement form of online content. Incorporating success story videos into your regular social media content calendar is a great way to feed your current fans and followers with authentic stories from real people.
Placing Video in Paid Social Media
By contrast to organic social media, paid social video is far more effective at connecting your brand to new audiences and garnering new leads. In fact, 27% of internet users discover new products through social media ads. Even conservative media budgets placed behind your video content can amplify its reach and resonance.
Optimizing Video for YouTube
You might think of YouTube as a haven for cat videos and internet stars, but in fact, YouTube is one of the world’s largest search engines, processing more than 3 billion searches a month. Simple optimization tactics like proper titling, descriptions, channel organization, and thumbnails can go a long way towards your brand success stories reaching more people.
If There’s Ever A Time For Brands To Consider Success Stories Videos…
There are stories happening outside your walls that have the power to sway your next sale one way or the other. That influence may not belong to you directly, but it can be yours to direct.
With the rise of Review Culture, consumers are expecting to find stories from other people about their experience with your brand. Will you join the conversation or let it happen with you? And with the global health crisis of COVID-19, trust and humanity are needed now more than ever. Will your brand choose to tell stories by real people, or continue making your features and benefits the hero?
If There’s Ever An Agency To Do Video Success Stories Right…
At Magnetic, we’re built for this. We have an approach that’s agnostic to industry, a battle-tested video production workflow, and the team in place to piece it all together before, during and after, including a full roster of
- Account & Project Managers
- Video Producers
- Cinematographers
- Videographers
- Video Editors
- Drone Operators
- Audio Engineers
- Photographers
- Scriptwriters
- Digital Marketing Strategists
- Web Developers
- Graphic Designers
- Copywriters
Plus, with locations in multiple continents, our clients are immediately set up to capture stories and harness influence anywhere in the world. It’s kinda perfect.