Benefits

One of the most powerful aspects of good video storytelling is that we as an audience go on a journey with the characters. We empathize. We imagine what we would do in those same situations. That is why client success stories, (also known as case studies) are so powerful. Your prospective customer is imagining what it would be like to be your client. If done correctly, they will relate to the challenges the character is facing and eagerly watch as they see how the character met those challenges using your product or service. It shows your product or service being used- not in a shiny brochure or slick photo- but in someone’s actual everyday life.

Challenges & Approach

However, that does not mean that all it takes is sitting a customer in front of a camera and filming a testimonial. “Talking heads” are less believable since they seem to force-feed the marketing message. The audience is not being taken on a journey and is much more likely to stop watching. And since it is visually stale, it comes across as boring and is more difficult to engage with.

Storytelling is what grabs an audience’s attention and makes them want to see what happens next. That means we must harness the craft of storytelling and that requires a deliberate process.

At Honest Motion, we assist you throughout the entire process including story research, character vetting, storyboarding, filming and post-production. We can even assist with promotion.

In our process of crafting the right customer story, we are looking for three main ingredients:

1. Messaging sync
2. Elements of story
3. Cinematic visual interest

Messaging Sync

While we are eager to tell a visual and compelling story, we recognize that the bottom-line objective is to communicate one or more marketing messages to make a direct impact on sales. Therefore, we always begin with a deep understanding of your messaging, audience and objectives. Only once we fully understand that will we begin to craft a story. Once we have an understanding of the messaging as well as the story we will make sure we balance those two- not being too direct or “salesy” but at the same time not allowing the message to be lost in the story.

Elements of Story in a Client Success Story Video

In order for us to create a video that your audience will WANT to watch we harness the craft of storytelling. That means we rely on an age-old process of taking an audience on a journey. Whether you are B2B or B2C, a maker of surfboards or industrial machinery, all audiences enjoy a good story. That means we are relying on the same principles of story that have been used by everyone from Shakespeare to Spielberg.

• Characters: They key to any customer story is finding the right person. Just like casting for a Hollywood blockbuster, casting the right lead character can make or break a story. Ideally, we are looking for someone with a strong desire or drive to accomplish something or solve a problem. We also want someone who is unique. Someone who stands out from the crowd.
• Conflict/Drama: The element that moves all story forward and keeps our eyes glued to the screen is conflict and drama. What is at stake? How is this going to end? Will the hero get his desire? While we often think of this as reserved for novels and movies, it is equally important in corporate marketing. Knowing what is at stake for a client or a company makes us want to see what happens next.
• A Journey: With our character and conflict established we want to take the audience on a journey to see how that conflict was resolved by that particular character. In some cases this can be done through a literal retelling of events. However, it can also be done by shaping the interview and subsequent edit in a narrative style.
• A Victory– In the end the audience is rooting for the hero and wants to see how they overcame the challenges to reach their objective. This is when we make the key connection for the audience that your product or service was integral to that victory. This connection can lean towards direct or discreet.

Cinematic Visual Interest

Obviously, video is a visual medium. What makes it so powerful is that it is moving at 24 frames per second and every cut moves our eye to a new place. In addition, audiences have come to expect a fairly high level of production value, even from marketing videos. Therefore, it is critical that we always work towards making the video as visual as possible. By using the latest cinematography equipment and always thinking with a cinematic vision we make sure that the audience is connected with both their minds and eyes.