The time has come: your first customer journey video is on the horizon! You've already made other Selling 7 videos but the customer journey video is new to you. So it's understandable that you still have a lot of questions:

• What exactly is a customer journey video?
• What makes this video different from a regular review video?
• What components does an effective customer journey video consist of?
• And what successful examples of other companies already exist?

As a head coach at Buzzlytics, I know these questions all too well. Not only have I personally created multiple customer journey videos with my team as a CMO at a SaaS company, in my current role I guide videographers daily in creating their first customer journey video. So I've been on both sides of the camera and know exactly what you might run into.

In this article, I'll explain exactly what a customer journey video is and how it differs from traditional review videos. You'll learn how best to build such a video for maximum effect. In addition, I share five inspiring examples of successful customer journey videos, complete with analysis of why they work so well. After reading this article, you'll know exactly how to create a customer journey video that appeals to your customers.

Customer journey videos use an ancient narrative structure: the hero's journey.

When you think of customer journey videos, you may think of enthusiastic customers talking about how great your company is. These types of videos can quickly come across as boastful and inauthentic.

A customer journey video is different. They use an ancient storytelling principle - the hero's journey - to draw your audience into the story and identify with your customer.

This narrative structure has been used for thousands of years, and for good reason: It is a proven recipe for captivating people and generating empathy. When the hero (in this case, your customer) overcomes his greatest obstacle, it shows that success is possible.

When you apply the hero's journey in a customer journey video, you make it easier for prospects to put themselves in your customer's shoes. They can better imagine how they, like your customer, can solve their problems by using your company as a guide.

The traditional hero's journey consists of 12 steps, intended for long, complex stories (think Lord of the Rings, for example). For customer journey videos, we simplify this to three essential parts:

This is where your client talks about the challenges, concerns and problems you helped him with. This is why he contacted you.

This is the story of how your company (the guide) helped your customer (the hero) solve his problems.

Here you show that with your help your client has solved his problem and everything is now fine.

When you apply the hero's journey in a customer journey video, prospects can more easily put themselves in your customer's shoes.

Ask a satisfied client if you can film their story. Most clients enjoy sharing what it's like to work with your company. Some will say "no," and that's fine. If you keep asking, you'll naturally find enough customers willing to collaborate and before you know it, you'll have a collection of customer journey videos to share with your customers.

The goal is that after watching, your audience will think, "That customer looks exactly like me. Look how this company helped him. They can probably help me, too."

We've selected some inspiring examples for you and elaborated on why they work so well for each video.

The company La-Z-Boy Southeast made this customer journey video about how the design and purchase process went with their regular customer Jean. Not only does the video use the hero's journey, but Jean manages to make it a wonderfully personal story.

• The problem: Jean talks about how her furniture didn't fit in her new home.
• The journey: The designer worked with her to create an interior design that Jean was happy with.
• The result: Jean now has the most beautiful interior of all the houses with the same layout and sends friends and family on.

In this customer journey video from Fire & Ice, their customer Jonathan talks about how his new HVAC system transformed their old home from being way too hot or too cold to always comfortable - being guided throughout the process by helpful and experienced staff.

• The problem: Jonathan had an installation that wasn't working properly, but didn't want to go with just any company for a new installation.
• The trip: The company took the time to install correctly and checked all the parts.
• The result: Jonathan now has perfectly working equipment and can control everything from his phone.

When the McDermotts wanted to renovate their backyard, they contacted California Pools & Landscape. Thanks to the perfect design and excellent service, the couple is now more than happy with their new outdoor space.

• The problem: The McDermott family wanted to create a relaxing outdoor space after their busy workdays.
• The Journey: The designers immediately understood their needs and incorporated the existing landscape into the design.
• The result: The McDermotts now enjoy their "vacation paradise" daily and enjoy sharing it with friends.

HubSpot is one of the best CMS companies out there. We use the platform ourselves at Buzzlytics and often recommend it to companies looking to get a handle on monitoring their website, marketing and sales growth.

Here is a customer journey video in which Endless Entertainment, an event production company working for an impressive list of clients (such as Amazon, Microsoft and iHeartMedia), explains how HubSpot has taken their marketing efforts to the next level.

• The problem: Endless Entertainment was struggling to keep track of all their blogging activity and wasting a lot of time trying to tie their inbound marketing to concrete ROI.
• The Journey: With video integrations in HubSpot, such as Wistia, Endless Entertainment can now see when people click on links and even which parts of their videos are regularly skipped or re-watched. This allows the company to more effectively market to their customers.
• The result: They used to have to beg companies to give their entertainment business a chance. Now that Endless Entertainment uses HubSpot, the company is actively approached and growing steadily.

ThriveHive is a marketing and software company focused on helping companies achieve their outreach and revenue goals.

In this customer journey video, the company explains how using Drift's chatbot technology has helped them better be able to communicate with customers in real time.

• The problem: ThriveHive had to find a way to reduce response time to customers.
• The Journey: With Drift, they were able to use chatbots to respond instantly and answer customer questions faster while their service was still top-of-mind with customers, rather than having to wait days.
• The result: Now the customer closes three times as many deals.

Creating an effective customer journey video doesn't have to be complicated. When you use the hero journey as a foundation and focus on the three essential parts of this story structure - the problem, the journey and the outcome - you create a story that appeals to prospects and inspires confidence that your company can truly help them with their challenges.

You do this by focusing on your client's story and showing how you as a guide have helped them overcome obstacles. That way, you make it easier for prospects to imagine how you can help them too.

At Buzzlytics, we have already helped many videographers create their first customer journey videos. Without exception, we see that companies who embrace this approach not only build more trust with their target audience, but also get better results from their marketing and sales efforts.

Learn more about the other Selling 7 videos? Then also read these articles:

• • [The Selling 7] How do you create an effective 80% video that speeds up your sales process?
  • [The Selling 7] Bio videos: Win prospects' trust in 2 minutes
  • [The Selling 7] How to create cost videos that speed up your sales cycle (incl. examples)
  • [The Selling 7] The "Claims we make" video: what is it and how do you make one?
  • [The Selling 7] Landing page video: the complete framework for more leads (+ examples)