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.
Case studies are made up of three elements:
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
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.”
There are lots of ways to publish case studies. You can:
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.