Want to use case studies to grow your business? Here’s an invite for you! We’re putting together a live Case Study Blueprint session on Thursday 22 July, 2021 at 10 Pacific. Sound fun?! I can’t wait! Sign up 👇🏽 and we’ll give you the details once we have everything organized. Save your spot here and if it’s OK with you I’ll also send you a PDF of a case study (preview above) that we just put together. Sound good? See you soon! Oooh, and during the live event, we’ll give you the worksheet we use when creating case studies.
Bringing Life to Your Next Case Study
“Case study” is a pretty dry name for content that can be one of your most powerful marketing tools. Done right, it can be an engaging and even inspiring story that speaks to your prospects.
The very structure of a case study dictates that it spell out a challenge and offer a solution to that challenge. Clearly, there’s value there! But what adds that extra bit of oomph to the case study as a marketing vehicle is the detail that gives readers a glimpse inside the business and what drives it.
Delving into the particulars of one company and how a product or service made a difference — more efficient, more productive, more profitable, etc. — the case study invites the reader to relate.
A strong case study will include beautiful images and ideally some telling metrics about how a product or service (your product or service!) has enabled the user to transform and improve some element of its operations. Just as important, however, are the quotes from the user.
Going into an interview for a case study, you likely will have expectations about what your customer will say about using your product or service. After all, you’ve probably been through requirements and solutions, from conversations before the sale to support services after installation or deployment. Don’t let that knowledge get in the way of getting great quotes out of your customer.
Chances are that your contact is passionate about the industry and highly invested in the work they’re doing and in the success of their business. Ask about it, and then ask again if necessary. If you’re able to tap into and share your customer’s energy, excitement, and commitment, you’ve got the material you need to create a great story.
Not every project is an interesting project. But every customer success story hinges on some kind of change or improvement that made a real difference. You might not get a flowery or effusive quote, but don’t forget that even the simple phrase “it just works” has power when it comes from a current user.
By bringing these elements into your next case study, you can add life to the story and help prospects to imagine how their operations or lives might be better if they follow a similar path.
