A Plain English Guide to Internet Marketing 

Case Study Marketing…What Is It?

Case Studies are simply success stories.  They tell how you solved a problem for one of your customers.  Case Study Marketing is the process of making a case study available to your prospects through a variety of means.  

Using case studies is one of the easiest ways to tell a marketing story.  Why?  Because a satisfied customer is telling your story for you.  In fact, in the Eccolo Media B2B Technology Content Survey Report 2014, small business owners ranked case studies 3rd behind product brochures and white papers in influencing prospects to buy.

The good news for you, is most companies don’t take advantage of this method of marketing.  This can put you one up on your competition.

OK, What Goes Into Case Studies?

Case studies are made up of three elements:  

  •  The Problem or business challenged faced.  You can also include some back story here.  Think “Once Upon a Time.”
  • The solution, including what you proposed and why.  (You can brag about your brilliance here)  You might also cover if there were multiple solutions.  Then go into why the customer chose your solution.
  • The Outcome.  Here you can discuss what happened.  How the customer is using your product or service and the benefits gained. Be sure to use direct quotes from the customer or members of his team. 

This sounds simple, but there is a bit more to it.  Write  about someone your ideal customer can relate to.  Make the case study a mirror.  You want your ideal customer to nod and smile half way through saying, “Yup, that’s me.  I have the same problem.”

Put real numbers in your case study.  If you use a graph or a chart, but in bubble notes to emphasize important points. 

Make it scannable.  Use headlines, sub-heads, etc.  Keep paragraphs as short as possible. 

Always include a call to action at the end. Your goal is to get prospects to act.  If you post the case study online, include a link leading to a landing page or contact form.  If it is a brochure or a PDF, include a phone number.  Your call to action should start with a verb such as: Download, schedule, contact, get.  Be sure you tell them what they will receive

How Long Are Case Studies?

There are generally two types of case studies.  A long form and a short form

Long form case studies are usually 1500 to 3500 words.  The target audience is researchers and evaluators.  They generally cover more expensive, complicated, technical products and services.  The message here is “This is interesting work, and we’d love to do more.”

Short form case studies are usually 500 words, plus or minus.  The target audience is evaluators and buyers.  The message here is, “We do this work routinely.”

OK, I Have a Case Study, How Do I Get It Published?

There are lots of ways to publish case studies.  You can:

  • Post them on your website
  • Use them in a news letter. 
  • Use them in an email or blog post. 
  • Share them through social media channels. 
  • Have a PDF you can attach to emails to prospects asking for information
  • Print them  as a flyer or brochure. 

As always, you have a choice as to whether you want to do this yourself or hire outside help. 

If you have more questions, you may email me using the contact form below. 

If you would like my help, go to my Services Page and check out the Case Studies section.  

Questions? Contact Me

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