15 Ways to Double Your Revenue with Video Case Stories

We all have fallen for the “silver bullet” in marketing. Promises of doubling sales, leads blowing up our phone, and “set it and forget it” internet marketing. I’ve fallen for them.

I’ve been using internet marketing to build businesses for 15 years, and here’s the fact I’ve learned.

There are two constants.

The first constant is change. Platforms change. Content changes.

Paradoxically, the other constant lies in marketing fundamentals.

• Storytelling
• Great Copy
• Timing
• User-centricity

If you want to win in every part of your business game, you need to concentrate on the fundamentals. The ONE video that encompasses all of the fundamentals, is the Video Case Story. Unfortunately, it’s seldom executed correctly.

The Video Case Story (not a case study or testimonial) weaves together entertainment and marketing through the fundamentals of storytelling, great copy, timing, and user-centricity.

Despite having been around since the earliest iterations of video, the video case story is often done wrong. When done correctly, a video case story CAN double your traffic, leads and total sales.

In fact, MANY of the greatest marketing campaigns are based on case stories. Rick Cesari used case stories to explode brands like the Foreman Grill, Sonicare toothbrush, and the GoPro.

I’ve been creating Video Case Stories for over 13 years, and I’ve been REALLY serious about improving them in every way for the past 3. We’ve worked on perfecting, collecting, interviewing, producing, and marketing with them. It’s incredible how many of my clients I see reaping the rewards with this POWERFUL tool.

I’ve written a couple of articles on how to produce a Video Case Story, the right way, the only way.

• How to Make the Perfect Video Case Study that Sells
• 3 Ways to Double Leads with Video Case Stories, Plus 3 Video SEO Hacks

I’ve also created a Video Case Story Planner which you can download by clicking on the image below.

A properly created Video Case Story will:

• Always resonate with the right people
• Always stand out
• Be watched by people that might not need you now
• Be remembered
• Help you to feel “authentic” in your marketing

Why Video?

Don’t think video works FOR YOUR industry? Watch this short, well, video...

Video conveys more emotion, makes the person real (even if it’s just their voice and still images, or if they’re anonymous). Video engages sight and sound to tell a deeper story.

Video entertains. We love to see and hear great stories.

From docu-dramas to sci-fi/fantasy, romantic comedies to thrillers, we’re big fans of a good story.

Case Stories NOT testimonials

I cannot stress this point enough, case stories NOT testimonials. There are a hundred reasons why “Testimonials Stink.”

Testimonials have their time and place, but the number one reason is that testimonials are only about YOU. No offense, but no one cares about you, your business, or your service. Consumers only care what you can do for them. Authentic stories show your audience and your prospects what you can do. With story, they can experience the value and impact you can have on their life.

Science Proves Stories Are Powerful

Dr. Paul Zak, author of The Moral Molecule and Trust Factor, proved with chemical monitoring that stories trigger emotional responses in the brain. Listen his episode of the Garlic Marketing Show to learn more.

The dramatic arc increases cortisol and oxytocin levels. When combined, they increase empathy. When people feel empathy, they are more likely to make a positive decision, EVEN IF that decision has nothing to do with the story.

Yet, I still see people ignoring the fundamentals. I still haven’t figured out why people don’t focus on collecting, crafting, and delivering video case stories.

So here are 15 reasons why you need to start collecting Video Case Stories today to EASILY double your sales:

Increase Traffic Using Video Case Stories

“I’ll put these things on my testimonials page” and that’s it. I see so many businesses make this mistake. A testimonials page is the worst place to put them, but I’ll get into that later.

Video Case Stories (VCS)’s can drive great traffic.

Here are just a few of the ways

VCS Technique #1: Drive HIGHLY Qualified Traffic from YouTube

YouTube has overtaken Facebook in time spent on the internet.

People are using YouTube for entertainment, research, and to make a s*** ton of money. My five-year-old son, Max, loves to watch other kids play on YouTube. At five years old, Max knows how to navigate YouTube better than most. The kids he watches are making 7 figures a year, solely on live streaming. There is a ton of opportunity on YouTube. These kids are entertaining, telling their stories, and gaining thousands of views. They have built an empire of subscribers from their stories.

Great stories entertain and hold attention.

Where do you go first to learn how to do something? If you have the internet, YouTube. YouTube is the second most used search engine. This is your opportunity. Having your clients’ share their own personal story about how they overcame adversity because of YOU is a great video to answer questions.

When people are looking for answers, they are searching for someone who was in a similar situation and to see what worked for them. YouTube is the PERFECT place to showcase stories of how others were helped.

Some people are actually looking for stories about others’ experience.

Here is a group of stem cell patients I interviewed. They all used YouTube to learn more about stem cells. They wanted to see people like them having GENUINE success with stem cell therapy.

PRO TIP:

Optimize for words like “Stories”, “Does ____ work”, “How to ___” and “How does ___ work.” This allows the person with a need for your services to find you. Imagine if they typed “How to [insert your service]” and one of your client stories is there. Now you’ve shown them a clear path, provided proof, and told a story that most likely won’t be forgotten.

This drives HIGHLY qualified traffic. It doesn’t have to be high volume, especially if it’s very specific and you charge a lot for it.

I have a client that ranked high in YouTube for a VERY specific legal matter. The video had less than 20 views when someone commented on it, needing my client's help. The case was worth $50k. (I will not be sharing the video due to of the sensitive nature of the subject.)

VCS 2x Sales Technique #2: Video Case Stories Ranking for Your Most Competitive Terms in Google

Did you know video thumbnails can show up in the “universal” search results in Google?

For example “Federal Criminal Defense Attorney” is one of the most competitive searches on the internet. It costs $47 per click. When you search for that in Orlando, you will find one of our client's Video Case Stories.

It’s a powerful video case story. People will watch it and remember it. I was the director of the video, and still find myself watching it in its entirety.

Video Case Stories ranking in Google has three (3) major advantages.

Advantage #1: Even if the video is not number one, the eye is drawn to the thumbnail in the search results. Thumbnails are pleasing to the eye. Wouldn’t you click on the video first? So does everyone else.

Advantage #2: Unlike a TV commercial, a video case story isn’t ‘“selling.” It’s a real person sharing their experience, their story, and people would rather watch a story than a commercial. More watch time is a signal to YouTube and Google of a high-quality video. The formulas reward longer watch times with higher rankings.

Advantage #3: HERE’S THE BIG ONE. Let's say I'm searching for your industry on Google. There are tons of listings with everyone talking about themselves. Instead, you have your best client telling their story. Who do you think is getting the call? What can your competition say to compare to that story?

Did you know? According to some studies, people trust Google more than their family. When people find a video of your client telling a story on the first page, it says, Google trusts this, and I trust google, so it’s important.

VCS 2x Sales Technique #3: Cold Traffic Video Ads

If you are scrolling through Facebook and you see someone JUST LIKE YOU with a problem JUST LIKE yours, are you going to stop and watch their story? Of course. You might watch ANY problem. The human brain is attracted to conflict (a key part of the story format).

So you can spend days writing the PERFECT copy and HOPE people stop, watch, and remember

OR you can create a video case story.

We used one of our Dynamic Case Stories combined with Facebook messenger ads. We spent $150 on Facebook ads to get 3 leads and closed 1 in ONE CALL for a $4500 package.

Video Case Stories will make EVERYTHING convert better: websites, landing pages, and even direct mail.

Testimonials can help, but for conversion, we want to know the STORY. When you have these stories, everything converts better.

Conversion is NOT always shooting for the sale. Conversion is moving someone along their customer journey. The more YOU move them along the journey (AKA convert) the more they know, like, and trust you. The more they trust you, the more you become the only choice.

Don’t go for the kill. Get people to spend more time on your site, download something, and chat with your messenger. Stories are the conversation starter.

VCS 2x Sales Technique #4: Increase Homepage Conversion on Your Website

One of the BIGGEST mistakes I see on the homepage of businesses is talking about themselves right away. As mentioned, NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU. When someone goes to a website they want to know:

• What you do?
• How it will help them?
• Have you helped someone in their situation?

Answer these 3 questions RIGHT AWAY so people know they are in the right place.

What’s the best way to do that? Video Case Stories (You saw that coming).

Video Case Stories on a homepage have been shown to increase homepage conversion 80 to 200% Source

BOOM SALES DOUBLED WITH JUST STEP #4

THINK YOUR CLIENTS WON’T TELL THEIR STORIES? Too far away? Try Dynamic Case Stories. Click here to see an example and our process.

VCS Sales Doubler #5: About Us Page Optimization

What’s the second most used page on your website? YOUR ABOUT US PAGE. We manage hundreds of sites and the About Us/Bio is the second most used page 80% of the time.

The About Us/ Bio might be the most important. Why? When someone clicks on the About Us page it's a buying signal.

Take a minute and look at the path a user takes on your site on Google Analytics. Your BUYER’S path is generally the About Us page then the Contact form.

What’s on your About Us page? Probably a CV or boring Bio that no one will read or if they do, not understand or care.

The About Us needs Video Case Stories. Who better to talk about you than your best clients?

Pro Tip: You know where the worst place is for Video Case Stories? Your testimonials page. Very few people click on that if it’s called that. Part of the reason is most testimonial pages SUCK. It’s just people saying “this business is great”. Why is it great? Who are you? What was your problem? These are the parts of the story.

VCS Sales doubler #6: Landing Page Optimization

Landing pages and Video Case Stories make an incredible duo.

A landing page is where you send a person to “land” after they click on a link to learn more, sign up for a service, etc.

It is here that, once again, the video case story adds social proof, engages, and increases conversion rates. You can even pull out the part of the story directly related to that landing page and make it a quick story.

VCS Sales Doubler #7: Retargeting Campaigns

Don’t know what retargeting is? You’ve seen those ads follow you around the internet. Guess what? I’ve bet you bought something because of them. People rarely decide immediately. Only 4% of people are ready to buy anything RIGHT NOW. Guess what else is 4%? A great website conversion rate. It’s not a coincidence. So there are 96% of the people you need to be following up with.

The problem is people might LOVE your site, what you have to say, and want your service, but life gets in the way.

Life is distracting.

I’m not going into the mechanics of retargeting, but IT WORKS. People were on your site for a reason. You need to stay in front of them when they leave your site.

The BEST WAY to remind them is by putting your customer stories in front of prospects everywhere they are.

If your best customers were in their ear (and eyes) telling stories to your prospects, over and over, what do you think that would do for you?

One of our clients used a Dynamic Case Story to 10x their return on retargeting. BOOM 10x THE RETURN. I know I said double your sales but I had to throw that one in there.

Another client, The Jaguar Doctor, has been using the same case story for YEARS and it’s still performing in his retargeting. That’s an INCREDIBLE ROI from one video.

VCS Sales Doubler #7: Trade Shows & Exhibits

I love all of our clients but one of my favorite recent projects was working with KOMPAN, a kids playground company. We created a live case story for them. Seeing first hand how their playground equipment has a positive effect on the growth and development children has been unbelievably heartwarming.

There are a lot of features to their products that they demonstrate at tradeshows. Recently, KOMPAN took a Video Case Story compilation video and played it during their conference.

People were able to watch, teachers talk about it, children of varying development represented, and most important the smiles. People saw the smiles on the faces of those impacted by KOMPAN. That’s something amazing and memorable. Videos that tell the story can generate genuine conversations, and at a trade shows that can lead to great conversions.

The video has been a big hit. It looks fantastic and the show is going great! - KOMPAN

VCS Sales Doubler #8: On Stage

You can have an announcer talk about you before you get on stage (I always struggle for what to have them say) OR you can have one of your best clients talk about you.

Tanner Larsson, CEO of Build Grow Scale, recently held an event where he sold over $450,000 in products from the stage. He accounts a lot of the sales were due to the case story they used at the beginning. Here he is talking about that.

Video Case Stories Sales Doubler: Decrease Close Times and Increase Average Order Value

Now, let talk about the shortening close times and increasing prices.

The faster you close, the more sales you win. One of the best ways to double sales is to increase Average Order Value.

The more someone knows, likes, and trusts you, the more they will spend. The other factor is believing your service will work for them. Video Case Stories help further prove that.

Here are more ways to deliver Video Case Stories:

• Video Case Stories in Email Onboarding Campaigns
• Video Case Stories in Cold Outreach/Account Based Marketing
• Place them in Lobbies/Waiting Rooms
• Use Them to Explain Your Process
• Optimize Case Stories to show up for your name
• Use them in Listings on Google and Directories

Incredible Return on Your Investment

With all of these short term and long term results, it’s almost impossible to find a better return on your marketing dollar than video case stories. They last for years, work on almost every platform and never fail to convert.

Where to start?

The big mistake is using your case stories in just one place. Where to start first is another story. Feel free to reach out to me and I can give you advice.

You can message me on Facebook here: m.me/ianjgarlic

Or you can click here to set up a discovery call.

Or just hit me up on LinkedIn messenger.

The key is to GET STARTED. Every day your case stories are not out there, not in each of these places, you are losing money. You are losing sales. You are struggling more than you need to.