Love them or hate them, video case stories are an integral part of any marketing strategy. It gives customers the chance to hear a story involving people just like them. They will not only see the results your business provided, they’ll see how grateful your customers are and the passion you have.

The problem is a video case story will only help your business if it’s successful. This is determined by every component put into it, both behind the scenes and on screen. So in order to guarantee your case story does its job, here are some best practices.

Be Realistic

Like spy movies and politicians, a history of wild and bizarre video case stories and testimonials have made them ripe for parody. Companies often overdo it or turn them into outright nonsense. Not only will your customers avoid this content, it will turn them off from working with you.

Take a step back and simply tell the story as it happened. Show real people giving honest feedback. Audiences can tell when a story is authentic, and the work will shine through.

Don’t Over-Boast

Another factor which has become crucial after decades of absurd claims from other businesses. Don’t promise your audience the world if you can’t deliver it. Stick to the story and keep your personal opinions on the work to yourself. All too often businesses remark on their own excellence or brilliance in approaching their work. Don’t do that. Much like being realistic, stick to the story and your genius will show through naturally.

Be careful when offering up numbers. Ambiguous statements such as “double the traffic” or “an average of five more sales” can lead to confusion. Did traffic double from three visitors per month, or 15,000? Was the average number of sales previously zero? Back these up with hard numbers. Give exact answers, not estimates, and, when possible, show them the proof.

Make It Accessible

This may possibly go beyond your video into other territories of your business or marketing. If you’ve spent the money on a video case story or testimonial, obviously you want people to see it. Host it on a website like YouTube, which guarantees easy playback on all devices from a trusted site. This will also prevent the possibility of losing the video should your website go down. Even if maintenance is occurring, people can still find it elsewhere.

You’ll also need a responsive site. Videos can be accessed anywhere, anytime, from any device and so should your site. If you haven’t already optimized your website to a responsive design, it’s time to update that end of your marketing and business strategy.

Your customers are waiting, all you need to do is let them press play. authenticWEB was started by Ian Garlic and Jessica Curry — fueled by the idea that businesses could evolve and grow through the web.  They realized that every small business has a unique story, and unique value to its clients. They also saw that most marketing professionals often treat businesses like products.  In doing so, these marketing professionals lose opportunities, and find themselves unable to convey the business’s message.