Real Stories
The Shenandoah Valley
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).
A 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.
"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
By the Numbers
Based on the business average of 10 previous video posts
284%
Increase in engagement rate. (Likes, Comments, Shares)
540%
Average increase in Instagram likes
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% 650% increases.
View counts increased for all businesses across both platforms (where data was available)
Standout Performances: Jon Henry General Store
12x
increase in views
16x
increase in likes
12x
increase in comments
5x
increase in likes
4x
increase in views
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
Get Your First Video Edited On Us
Video Made Simple
Start Creating More Video:
+ Guided Story Capture
No scripts. Just a remote conversation
+ Nothing to Download
Host a recorded call, and upload from the camera roll
+ Professional Editing
We deliver studio-quality video in days, not weeks.
New User?
Claim My Free Video
