Success Stories
Proven Impact, Two Ways to Deliver
Case studies and customer success stories are consistently ranked as the #1 most influential and trusted content format for B2B buyers. These B2B buying committees are inherently risk-averse; they want proof that a vendor has successfully solved their exact problem before spending corporate budgets.
Though they are often grouped together and used interchangeably, there is a difference
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A Success Story: The focus is on the people—the stress the team felt before, the relief they felt after, how easy the transition was, and their relationship with the vendor. It sells a “feeling”. The core purpose is human connection and emotional transformation
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A Case Study: The focus is on screensharing the product, explaining the exact step-by-step implementation process, and breaking down complex data or architecture. It sells “logic and data.” The core purpose is Analytical proof & technical methodology.
At both PayPal and EIS, we relied more heavily on customer success stories than case studies, in part because of the data sensitivity associated with the latter. This is the biggest hurdle to content production.
Success stories can be written text or video format, each serving different strategic purposes, but both providing an emotional connection.
Written Successes: The Strategic Journey
Best for a quick, skimmable breakdown of how we navigate complex organizational challenges.
Success stories in text format are budget-friendly, fast to produce, simple to edit, and require zero client camera-prowlness.
Written stories have emotional hooks and human interest milestones. Their format makes them easily distributed via multiple channels and perfect reads for active 'skimmers'.
When we launched the PayPal for Nonprofits business, we relied on written success stories from our key customers, like Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco.
Video Successes: The Human Connection
Best for seeing partnerships in action and hearing clients' authentic experiences.
Success stories in video format elevate your successes and add authenticity to marketing efforts.
Videos are more engaging and interactive; they add credibility by allowing customers to speak for themselves.
At EIS, we leaned heavily on our customers to tell our story in video.
Here are two examples >>
Hybrid Model: Leverage Both for Full-Funnel Coverage
Leveraging a hybrid model, using both video and written success stories, creates a high-performance content engine because they target different stages of the buyer's journey, satisfies different learning styles, and maximizes your search visibility.
Additional Thoughts on the Power of Video
Over the last decade, video has transformed from a tactical asset into a cornerstone of successful B2B marketing. Today, it is a non-negotiable component of a modern growth strategy and a central pillar of any corporate social strategy.
Because video is inherently easy to consume, it possesses the unique ability to explain complex concepts quickly, captivate distracted audiences, build deep human trust, and ultimately accelerate conversions.
Beyond customer success stories, video serves multiple strategic purposes across an organization. Here are a couple of additional examples of the diverse video formats our team at EIS has created to drive brand equity and market clarity:
>> Corporate Brand Video >> Explainer Video
Best for establishing high-level market positioning, communicating corporate values, and humanizing our overarching mission.
Best for showing the product in action, stepping through complex workflows, and breaking down intricate methodologies quickly.