Case studies are a valuable in video marketing, social media marketing, and sales. They make your features and benefits more tangible for prospects. And they help viewers digest and remember key points.
The question is, what does a good case study video look like?
Below, we give you answers in the form of our favorite case studies. We cover video content from giants like Freshbooks as well as SMBs like Moovs. But first, let's talk about...
What is a Case Study Video?
A case study video is a piece of content that shows prospects how others are using - and succeeding with - a product. They usually feature some or all of the following...
- A customer story
- Testimonials
- Use cases, e.g. helping sales teams drive more revenue for Sendspark
- Stats and figures
- Before/after stories
- Benefit-driven narratives
- Problem resolution scenarios
Case studies can be used to sell to a potential customer, help retain current customers, and more. They are easy to use across all channels; social media, email marketing campaigns, etc.
5 Features of Successful Case Study Videos
Case study videos, including the 8 below, tend to have a few recurring features. These are...
- They’re customer-centric. A case study video isn’t really about your brand. It’s about your customer, their story, and how the product figures in that story.
- They cover important information. Viewers retain 9.5x more information when viewing videos (WordStream). That’s why it’s important to address key points, yourself or through customers, with case study videos.
- They are mobile-optimized. 75% of all videos views come from mobile devices (eMarketer). You need to avoid small type, distant shots, and overwhelming images where too much is happening all at once. Record desktop; think mobile.
- They’re big on emotions. 95% of communication comes from non-verbal cues. Customers’ gestures, facial expressions, body language and voice tone all have a huge impact (Inc.com). Use them!
- They’re engaging. Make things fun. Create an exciting narrative around the customer story. Go through slides or shots without stalling to avoid dragging out the video.
Now let's dive into the actual examples!
7 Case Study Video Examples
1. Freshbooks Case Study (Sarah)
Case Study Type: Testimonial
This is a short, benefit-driven testimonial video. It features Sarah: an SMB owner using Freshbooks for 2 years.
Sarah explains how she benefits from using Freshbooks. For example, she...
- Gets an extra 12 hours each week
- Always knows who owes her money
- Can use the app from her mobile phone
Any busy entrepreneur can relate to Sarah. She turns dry accounting software features into attractive benefits. Her messaging is a lot more persuasive than anything Freshbooks could tell you.
The main takeaway is that testimonials from happy customers add a new dimension to case studies. And asking for them doesn’t have to be hard; all you need is a free Sendspark account and the Request Videos feature.
2. Slack Case Study (Sendie)
Case Study Type: Customer Success Story
In this video, Sendie - a hybrid company - has its COO, CPO, and CTO talk about Slack. They explain how the software helps them manage distributed teams and remote workers across time zones.
The CTO talks about Slack enabling a virtual “open door policy” remotely. The COO covers asynchronous communication with partners and employees.
The video itself is standard (if very well-made). What’s special is its timing. It was released at the height of the pandemic, when most teams were looking for new ways to collaborate online. This made it a valuable way to showcase how Slack can help remote teams work better.
The takeaway is that using customers to address hot topics - like “how do we work remotely postpandemic?” here - makes for powerful case studies.
3. Resource/Ammirati Case Study (Wendy’s)
Case Study Type: Video Infographic
This video explains how Resource/Ammirate created a valuable app for Wendy’s. It covers:
- App features (e.g. mobile payment)
- App user experience (e.g. nutrition-based orders)
- Value-adds (e.g. customized meal orders)
By showing off the app’s key features and benefits, Resource/Ammirati give viewers a taste of what they can do.
What makes this app stand out is the visuals. Graphics, stats, and screenshots are all used to emphasize and imprint talking points. For example:
The takeaway is that you don’t need high production values to create a visually appealing case study video. You can simply just a Google Slide presentation and go through it using Sendspark’s screen recorder feature - all for free.
4. Zappos Case Study Video
Case Study Type: Combo Video
This video has a bit of everything. Zappo’s corporate history, customer service recordings, puppets... It’s all there.
The one thing that really shines through is Zappo’s fun, helpful energy. You can tell the brand cares about serving customers and entertaining you with this odd-but-fun case study.
We have two main takeaways here. One is that you can combine different video types to make a case study. The second is that being informal and letting your personality shine through can make for good case studies; especially in the B2C space.
5. GoPro Case Study
Case Study Type: User-Generated Content Case Study
This GoPro case study combines customer testimonials with user-generated content. The result is a fun, fast-paced case study. GoPro is positioned as a gamechanging technology as we see early adopters use it.
The takeaway here is to use a combination of product videos and in-person footage. Seeing people use a product in real-time offers a preview of what using it for yourself is like.
The cool part is that creating UGC for digital products is very easy. All you have to do is request a video using SendSpark, asking customers to show themselves using the product.
6. Google Ads (Princess Polly)
Case Study Type: Customer Success Story
Princess Polly is an environmentally conscious e-commerce company. Their case study explains how they used Google ads to scale their business by appearing top of page 1 for target keywords.
This video has a different feel to most of the ones on this page. Its focus is on warming up leads instead of introducing them to the product. Its talking points overcome objections while positioning Ads as the perfect product for e-commerce and SMB customers.
The takeaway is to use case studies to qualify leads, highlight benefits, close sales, and overcome objections - not just generate leads.
7. Duda Case Study (Moovs)
Case Study Type: Feature Review
In this video, Duda customer Amir Ghorbani explains how they whitelabel the software to serve their 200+ customers. Unlike most case studies, this one focuses on features; not benefits. Amir goes through key features that made whitelabeling preferable to building in-house.
This kind of video is useful when you’re deep into the customer journey. It helps close sales and warm up leads who are already in the sales pipeline.
The takeaway here is that you can make feature-focused case studies to help convert leads into customers. User testimonials and product demos - or a combination of both - work well for that purpose.
8. HubSpot with EZ Texting
Case Study Type: In-Depth Use Case
This video focuses on one person - Shawn Lucas, Director of Sales Operations - and one use case: sales.
This makes this video unique. It’s a deep dive into one specific customer avatar’s needs and benefits. It’s highly persuasive - but only if your work is somehow connected to sales, marketing, and customer-facing operations.
The takeaway is that you don’t have to make case studies with everyone in mind. Given how easy it is to create and upload videos, you can make a bunch of videos for different situations and target audiences.
In closing
Now you know how big brands make case study videos. Use the examples above to inspire your sales team, improve video marketing efforts, and impress your target audience.
Just remember: you don't need a huge budget to get huge results from your case studies. All you need to get started is a webcam and a free Sendspark account.
With our software, you can put together beautiful, personalized videos that combine selfie shots and screen recordings. You can also ask customers to send their stories and testimonials in using the request video feature.
If you want to see more videos from cool brands, check out our article on prospecting video examples. Thank you for reading!
