So, you know that video can be an effective part of your HVAC marketing, you've gathered all the gear you'll need, and you're ready to start shooting. Perfect! If you're trying to generate more sales and grow your business using video, our data tells us that case study videos are the best way to go.

Before recording video at a customer's residence or business, make sure you have their permission. And, if you're planning on interviewing your customer on camera, get them to sign a release form. It isn't always necessary, but you never know if somebody will change their mind in the future.

Case study videos are certain to help your HVAC marketing and sales efforts, and video shoots can be a lot of fun. They are also a lot of work. 

Rather than go over technical details such as lighting and the best microphones to use, this article will concentrate on best practices for planning your video shoot and collecting the best footage possible to help you tell your customer's story.

Choosing the Perfect Job for a Video Case Study

Almost any HVAC job will make for an effective written case study. Since written case studies are relatively easy to produce, you should do as many as you can.

Video case studies require a greater investment of time and money, so solid planning and forethought will help you keep a handle on the cost.

While your video case study should reside on the same website page as the article version of the same case study, producing videos is much more time and resource consuming than writing an article. Creating the right circumstances for your video production will save you from headaches and get you the best return on your investment.

Sometimes beggars can't be choosers. That said, when you're looking to produce the best HVAC video case study you can, consider the following:

Shoot Case Study Videos of Jobs That You Want to Get More Of - If you are looking to sell more ductless mini-split systems, or there's a particular town, development or neighborhood that you would like to work in more often, create video case studies of mini-split installations in those places to  these places to attract the kind of customers you want. This will dramatically improve your local SEO in those places at the same time.

Our client ECI Comfort identified these Philadelphia-area homeowners, with a gorgeous historic home, who were eager to tell their story of choosing high-velocity and ductless systems for their home. 

Identify Customers Who are Potentially Great Storytellers - This can be tricky since most people are camera-shy, but you might be surprised how many homeowners are willing to tell their stories. If you do find a customer who is comfortable discussing their experience on camera, that's the Holy Grail of HVAC case study video content.

Showcase a Special Job or Installation - We strongly advise against  "Hey, look at me!" style marketing tactics. When creating case studies for your HVAC marketing strategy, your customer is the star, or the home is the star and the neighborhood is the star. Let people see themselves in your story and you will foster trust and build your authority. Great subjects include locally renowned establishments (like churches or restaurants), celebrity's or influencer's homes, or simply a beautiful property.

Planning the Main Shots of Your HVAC Marketing Video

The primary goal when you're recording the main footage (or shots) for your case study video will be to tell the story of the service or installation.

What were the customer's pain points and how did your company solve their problem?

The best way to do this is to have someone from your company speak on camera, preferably a customer-facing employee from your business (sales people and techs are perfect).

If you're stuck for on-screen talent, you can always do a voice-over instead, but you are missing out on an opportunity for a deeper connection with your viewer. 

At a minimum, these are the shots you'll want to get with a member of your staff (or yourself):

In the rain, NETR salesperson, James Smithell, records and intro and outro for their ductless installation case study in Cambridge, MA. 

Intro - Record an introduction that sets up what the viewer can expect to see in your video. A great place to do this is with an establishing shot outside, in front of the home or business, if possible. 

Job Details - Problem/Solution - This is the meat of the story you're telling and should include information about the customer's pain, what kind of home or building you're working in, and the solution your HVAC company designed to solve the homeowner or business owner's comfort issues.

Outro - It'd be silly to have an intro without an outro, wouldn't it? This is where you position your call to action, mention a promotion (this could limit the shelf life if your video), or whatever other info you want the viewer to take away from the video.

Since you're in control of the dialogue here, you should loosely consider SEO value and what kind of key words you want your video to be found for. Be real, be natural and be yourself. You talk about this stuff every day and you are the expert.

Get B-roll, Lots of B-roll for Your HVAC Marketing Video

What is b-roll anyway? B-roll is basically all of the video recording you do that is not part of the main story. In other words, it's recorded video that is sprinkled throughout your video to support the feel and place of the main story.

Here's the kind of b-roll you want to collect for your HVAC case study video:

House or Building Exterior From Multiple Angles - You'll never be upset with yourself for getting too much of this footage, but you'll want to kick yourself in the keister for not getting enough. If possible, the best time to do this is during what photographers refer to as "golden hour"; just after sunrise or before sunset.  

The Neighborhood - Think about it, if a rock band on stage mentioning the name of the city or town they're performing it, it makes the crowd go bananas! It's simply human nature to react positively to an area you consider home. Other than footage of the home, make sure to shoot video down the street or consider including video of some local landmarks.  

Various Points of Install of Service - Not only does this support the main narrative that you're relating, but it can also set a potential customer's expectations as to what having work done in their house will look like. Since this is the case, it's extremely important that your work area be neat. Keep any and all litter, detritus, and other messes out of your shot. Depending on the season, certain kinds of exposed tattoos and improper or inappropriate work attire can reflect poorly on your company.

What could have been a useful shot is ruined by an unexpected Mountain Dew bottle cameo. Keep your shots tidy!

Anything Mentioned in Your Main Shot and Interviews - During your intro, did you mention that you were down the street from the local Sizzler? If so, you should get a shot of the Sizzler. Same goes for anything that a customer mentions in an interview that you may want to illustrate visually. 

Tips For the Customer Interview

Though not entirely necessary, scoring a customer interview for your HVAC marketing case study will add more authenticity  and credibility to your video. If your customer is willing to get in front of a camera to talk about your business and the work you did in their home, you must have done something right.

So, how do you go about getting the best sound bites out of your interviewee for your video? 

Avoid asking questions in the first place. People have a tendency to not answer questions in complete sentences giving you half answers that are awkward to edit into your video. 

Instead, treat your interview like a conversation using questions like, "Tell me how you realized that you needed to replace your heater" or "Describe the process of finding an HVAC company". When prompted like this, interviewees tend to answer more naturally and in complete sentences.  

Download the HVAC Marketing Video Planning Form

There is a lot to consider when you're looking to produce any kind of video for your HVAC marketing strategy. That's why we created the HVAC Video Planning Form. 

We use this form when we work with clients to help us plan and organize our thoughts for their video project. 

We've made it into a free download so it can help you with your next big video idea as well.