Real Stories
Empowering six local businesses through compelling video storytelling
The Shenandoah Valley, VA
Case Study
The Story
Hero Network recently deployed its first fully-remote production campaign in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, marking a significant milestone in our mission to empower local businesses and communities through compelling video storytelling.
This initiative, conducted in partnership with the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund (SCCF), demonstrated the power and scalability of our innovative approach to video marketing.
Why SCCF?
In communities across America, organizations like SCCF serve as vital lifelines for small businesses, providing resources, mentorship, and opportunities to local entrepreneurs. These support networks, often referred to as entrepreneurial ecosystems, represent a promising path forward for Hero Network.
By partnering with ecosystem builders like SCCF, Hero Network can efficiently reach a concentrated group of businesses primed for its services while addressing the common challenge these organizations face: helping their members effectively leverage video marketing for growth.
A Common Challenge
Short-form video offers a tremendous opportunity for small business owners, with low production costs (a smartphone is all you need), free distribution on social media, and a high return on effort. According to Hubspot's 2024 State of Marketing Report, short-form videos deliver the highest ROI among all content formats and are expected to see the most growth in 2024.
Despite the unprecedented opportunity, many small businesses struggle to get started. Here are the most common excuses (we've heard several more first-hand).
Reasons for not using video marketing
Source: Wyzowl Marketer Survey late 2023
The Superpower of Hero Network
We operate at the intersection of traditional marketing agency services and today's AI-powered tools, providing a guided, fully remote video production solution using just the client's phone; collaborative, effective, affordable and empowering.
Empowerment through video storytelling
In the Shenandoah Valley campaign, we showcased our ability to amplify local business stories, combining professional guidance with user-friendly technology. With our documentary approach, we crafted content that resulted in increased engagement, deeper customer relationships, and business owners who felt more empowered with new skills and strategies.
Through this partnership, Hero Network successfully produced a total of 18 impactful videos— three core Hero videos for each client, and provided a strategic roadmap that simplifies video marketing, empowering each client to take charge of their digital stories—all delivered remotely and affordably, fitting the budget of any small business.
"It's easy to post 'Watermelons are 99 cents.' It's hard for us to share our community impact and get people excited. It was definitely easier to be interviewed and have the editing done because I would not know where to start."
- Jon Henry, Jon Henry General Store
Impact beyond the numbers
Overall Impact:
*based on client average of 10 previous posts
284%
of increase in engagement rate on Hero-produced videos compared to client averages, across all businesses.
540%
of increase in Instagram likes for Hero videos on average.
Highlights:
Burrow and Vine achieved an 8.54%engagement rate, more than double their average of 3.98%.
Every business saw improvements in engagement rates, ranging from 150% to 650% increases.
View counts increased for all businesses across both platforms (where data was available)
Standout Performances: Jon Henry General Store
12x
increase in Instagram views
16x
increase in Instagram likes
12x
increase in Instagram comments
3.7x
increase in Facebook views
5x
increase in Facebook likes
Community Connections:
The Ripple Effect
When local businesses share their authentic stories, something magical happens. It's not just about views or likes—it's about real connections, and building trust with your audience. Our videos don't just reach customers; they touch neighbors, inspire locals, and strengthen community bonds. The reactions aren't just comments—they're conversations. Each like, share, and comment represents a deepening relationship between a business and its community. This engagement goes beyond the digital realm. It translates into foot traffic, word-of-mouth recommendations, and a stronger local economy, as Jon Henry has observed:
"We saw general visitor increases that week... It's hard to share our community impact and get people excited, but this does it."
-Jon Henry, Jon Henry General Store
A Month's Worth of Video Marketing Content
3 Hero Story Videos
+ 9 Short-Form Videos
+ Social Media Strategy
$749
Start your video Journey*Full satisfaction or your money back!
