Using case studies can effectively promote your business and build credibility with your customers
In today’s competitive business environment there is a continuous search for the latest and greatest techniques as businesses strive to maintain top-of-mind awareness with their audiences. Sometimes, however, the best answer may lie in the tried and true, such as using case studies in your marketing efforts.
What is a case study?
A case study, as defined by HubSpot, is the analysis of a particular instance (or “case”) of something to demonstrate quantifiable results as a result of the application of something. When you highlight the positive results of the study, you’re proving how your product or service can solve a problem. In marketing, case studies are used to provide buyers with the context needed to determine whether they’re making a good purchase decision.
Case studies give you far more credibility than you telling people how great you are. They allow your prospects to identify with a similar issue and see that, if you were able to solve it for another company, then you can probably help their company, too.
In fact, 54% of B2B buyers engage with case studies during their buying process and 98% feel that it’s important to see them on vendor websites.
Benefits of using case studies
In today’s market, consumers seek out customer reviews to help them make smart buying decisions. “Case studies are like customer reviews on steroids,” explains Mark Holland, Director of Marketing Services, Marketing Direction. “By telling the customer’s story, a case study becomes interesting, and far more engaging than a short review or testimonial.”
Case studies are extremely effective at connecting with prospects in designated industries. “Case studies help your potential customers feel that their specific needs are being addressed.,” says Steve Hoffman, author at MarketingProfs.com.
Another key benefit of using case studies in your marketing efforts is SEO. Because case studies utilize a structured “problem and solution” format, keyword-optimized case studies are great for SEO. “This helps consumers find answers to questions much more easily than if you provided a simple list of features and benefits on your website,” explains Holland.
Case studies show success. “The benefits of the solution can be documented,” states Hoffman. Case studies represent a symbol of the successful relationship between the customer and the solution provider.
“Case studies are also great reference materials to help your sales team educate prospects who are in similar situations and enable them to close more deals,” Holland explains.
8 Case study tips to remember
When done correctly, case studies are a simple yet powerful marketing strategy that can generate effective sales leads. To get the most out of your case studies, consider the following tips:
- The more in-depth information you can provide—whether written or video or both—the better your case study will resonate with those who see it.
- Give potential customers a reason to read further by including actual results using graphs, images and/or infographics.
- Include customer quotes and a call to action to track conversions. Interview your customers directly or provide them with a set of questions to ensure the answers you receive are relevant and robust.
- Include video content whenever possible to make your case studies even more engaging and trustworthy. It is recommended to use both written and video formats as people absorb information differently. Some people may want to listen while they’re driving or, if they’re seriously considering your services, they’ll listen to one and then read the other.
- Make sure your case studies are up to date. Since the benefits of case studies are for a short period of time, you will need to create new ones regularly.
- Publish case studies on a dedicated page on your website and add a shortcut to the most recent studies on your home page.
- Post a case study on social media and tag the customer in the post—more than once.
- Send case studies as a follow-up to prospect meetings.
Leveraging the power of case studies
Case studies take more time and effort to create than traditional marketing materials or even other forms of content marketing such as articles and blog posts. To ensure you get the most out of this powerful tool ensure you have a clear strategy before adding them to your sales and marketing arsenal.
“Have a clear understanding of your goals for creating them, how they fit into your overall marketing strategy and where and when you plan to publish them in order to make them work for your business,” Holland explains. “When done right, case studies can be an invaluable asset for building trust and credibility and ultimately driving more sales.”
