Success stories and testimonials make for great corporate videos, but no matter how experienced the team behind the production, testimonials videos are only ever as good as the response you get from your customer.
So how do you get those ideal answers, the ones that are honest and illuminating and positive? Well, with the right questions.
Every question you ask during a case study interview should be open-ended and broad. Let your client answer in their own way, revealing their own story and personality. The result will be a customer success story that feels natural, authentic and convincing, and a real asset to your future marketing and promotional campaigns.
Describe your business. What is your overall mission?
A compelling and emotive success story is really about your customer, not you. So when it comes time to share their story, prompt them to introduce and explain their company in detail.
It’s important the audience is able to picture themselves in their shoes, which means giving them the background information to do so. Whether your customer testimony is coming from a well recognised business or industry, or something a little more obscure or niche, this is where you set the scene.
What were you hoping to achieve with your corporate video?
Without a firm idea of what your customer was trying to achieve, its likely their testimonial will feel vague and unconvincing. Have them share their short and long-term objectives and goals.
Ultimately, knowing what your customer or client was hoping to achieve in working with you makes it easier to measure success. Ask your interviewees to outline specific targets, goals and hopes they began with to help create a compelling narrative arc.
Why did you choose us over the competition?
Now it’s time to shift the emphasis over to you, and have your customer pinpoint what it is that sets you apart from the rest. What is it that appealed about your USP?
Maybe you have fantastic green credentials, or maybe you have decades of experience under your belt? It’s useful for you too to understand what it is you have that no one else on the market can offer—you might even be inspired to explore that reputation going forward.
How have we improved your business/what is the outcome?
Remember the goals your customer spoke about earlier? Now encourage them to reflect on how those goals have been fulfilled.
Ask your client to describe all they ways they have benefitted by working with your business, large or small. Measurables and qualitative information are a real asset here, so if your client can offer evidence of how their sales have grown or their applications are up, take that hard data and evidence your success.
What advice would you give to businesses faced with a similar goal?
Peer to peer recommendations are hugely compelling. Direct endorsements from happy clients go a long way in convincing new and prospective customers to choose you.
Ask them to share what it is they’ve learned from working with you. If you can position yourself as a business that not only fulfills requirements but helps clients to learn and grow from that experience, your service will become a hot commodity.
Can you give us a final tidbit to describe your experience?
Ultimately, you want your happy clients to sum up their experience of working with you in one bite-sized morsel—something that’s memorable, shareable and descriptive.
Think of it like the film reviews you see splashed across billboards: “I left the theatre on cloud nine…”, “The cinematography is sensational…”, “I’ll be back to watch again and again…”. Detailed case studies are highly effective, but for maximum impact you’ll also need the perfect soundbite:
Essentially, your interview questions should set up your client so that they reveal the story and message of the case study through their answers. You want to encourage them to give answers that prove useful to you, but be sure not to put words in your client’s mouth.
Speak to us if you need help deciding what extra detail you should cover in your success story!
