Over 10 years ago, cloud-based VoIP service company Nextiva started using Wistia to host internal videos for their team.

Fast forward to today, and Nextiva’s team has grown to 1,500+ employees and they’ve made video a core part of their strategy to market their product, increase brand awareness, and engage their customers. And Wistia has been with them every step of the way, providing all the video tools they needed to grow.

<PullQuote>If we could encapsulate the variety of ways we’ve used Wistia here at Nextiva in one word, that word would be “journey.” -

Dmitry Dragilev</PullQuote>

Let’s dive into Nextiva’s journey with Wistia and see all the different ways they’ve used video to grow!

Strengthening team connections with an internal video series

Nextiva started their video journey with NextTV, an internal video series hosted on Wistia, to improve transparency and strengthen connections within their team.

“From the beginning, NexTV has helped unify the company around our software solutions and create transparency by keeping everyone in the loop of what’s going on in different departments and the company as a whole,” said Max Anderson, a former video producer at Nextiva.

“The first 49 episodes were set up like high school morning announcements, with one or two rotating anchors reading off a teleprompter, but it got monotonous after a while.”

“We knew that people weren’t watching based on declining view count and what they were saying. More and more people said that they didn’t watch the show because it got predictable. That’s when we knew we had to change things up.”

Nextiva evolved their series into a “man on the street” style of filming that involved various team members instead of the same talking heads. Check out this example:

This dynamic style sent the engagement levels back up and successfully brought together a growing team of 1,000+ employees, even though so many of them were remote.

Nextiva’s learnings from NexTV had them thinking: “If we could have this success internally, imagine if we expanded our video strategy?”

And they did just that! They’ve since moved beyond just internal communications and are now creating high-performing brand marketing, product marketing, and discovery videos — and hosting them all on Wistia.

By applying the best practices learned from NexTV (and gathering new insights along the way), Nextiva makes sure their videos resonate with everyone from key stakeholders to customers.

Showcasing product benefits with branded commercials

During the rise of remote work, Nextiva decided to tap into this trend with a 30-second brand commercial to highlight how their product could help remote workers connect with their own customers and teammates anywhere, anytime.

As the Nextiva product evolved into an all-in-one solution for customer-focused teams, they decided that another brand commercial would be fitting. This time, the focus was on using Nextiva to consolidate all the conversations and interactions a team has had with their own customers. Here’s the final cut:

With these brand commercials, Nextiva made a point to speak directly to their audiences’ pain points and show off the power of their product in a fun and engaging way.

Increasing sign-ups by A/B testing lead generation videos

One of the most impactful ways Nextiva has used Wistia was by A/B testing different videos next to their lead generation forms. The idea was to highlight their offerings and discover which version most effectively encouraged prospects to sign up for a demo.

The first video Nextiva tested was your classic “computer screen with vibrant charts and graphics that may or may not be related to the product” video. While simple to create, this style of content didn’t do much to convince their audience to fill out the lead gen forms. Nextiva hit the drawing board again and decided to lead with one of their own employees (a.k.a. a Nextie), who had a fun and inviting personality. Here’s the final cut:

The empty chair next to the Nextie made it feel like you were invited for a personal chat with the company, and the on-screen call to action (CTA) had an arrow pointing right to the lead generation form. Pretty clever, if you ask us!

This approach was a hit. Swapping the impersonal graphic video with the Nextie’s consultative, friendly demeanor led to 4x more form fills. Without the ability to A/B test these videos and analyze the results in Wistia, Nextiva wouldn’t have known what the audience preferred.

Doubling down on what works

Since this project, Nextiva has leaned into pairing videos with demo forms. They assess where buyers hesitate and explore how video can help move them from curiosity to action.

The demo forms were focal points on several web pages where bounce rates were high. These videos offer a fun preview of what to expect when filling out the form. They also reinforce Nextiva’s commitment to helping businesses succeed. This effective strategy is now a staple across many of their landing pages.

Helping customers see value quickly with product marketing videos

Using what they learned from earlier videos, Nextiva added personality to their product marketing videos while keeping a clear focus on showing how their products work. Here’s a good example:

When it comes to specific features of their contact center software, they get a bit more tactical, showing step-by-step how to use Nextiva and see its value quickly. And, yep, we’ve got another example right here!

Sharing customer success stories for brand affinity

Finally, Nextiva uses video to show how they build strong, lasting relationships with their customers.

Take for example this featured story about the Florida Panthers, where team members Bryce and Taralynn share how Nextiva has been integral in enhancing fan engagement and operational flexibility:

Not only are customer success stories solid endorsements for Nextiva and all that it offers, but they also show the human side of how their team listens to pain points and diagnoses these gaps through the product. And what better way to show that than with video?

Wistia helps Nextiva take their videos to the next level

Over the years, Wistia has been more than just a place to host Nextiva’s videos; we’ve also been a key partner in shaping their brand story.

Our robust video analytics have helped them understand their audience deeply and tailor their content to their audience’s preferences, resulting in a more engaging and impactful viewer experience.

We’ve also helped Nextiva take their brand and product marketing to the next level. Their videos, which showcase the human side of their brand, have captivated audiences from internal team members to potential clients. Our platform has enabled Nextiva to share their story authentically and effectively, whether they’re creating compelling customer stories or documenting their own growth and product innovation.

Thanks to Wistia, Nextiva has been able to forge stronger connections, foster lasting partnerships, and drive their business forward with video.