Case studies are a popular marketing tool for convincing potential customers of the company’s products and services. But success of a case study depends to a large extent on how informative it is. We provide you with tips on how to create a powerful case study.
A case study makes it comparatively easy for companies to explain the advantages of their products and services to potential customers. It also helps companies to better highlight the relevance of certain topics – usually always with a product reference. Marketing case studies are therefore a popular tool for communicating topics, products and services to customers. It is not uncommon for a case study to be used for lead generation. But how can companies actually create a successful case study that generates leads?
Creating a case study: important aspects for a case study
In order for case studies to be read and even downloaded by customers, they should take three key aspects into account:
- The case study tells a story: Case studies are well received by customers because they illustrate the effectiveness of products or services in a tangible way. It is best if a case study tells a story with a common thread. This makes it easy for customers to follow the case study.
- A case study should always be limited to a few top solutions – or even just one solution that you want to highlight as a company. This makes it easier for customers to grasp the information in the case study and to see the specific added value of the solution.
- The case study has the permission of the customer: Creating a case study together with customers while the business relationship still exists is the ideal case and, last but not least, strengthens customer loyalty. What you should always ask for, however, is permission to tell the customer’s story – if only for legal reasons.
The Case Study Structure
If you have an informative story that can be prepared into a vivid case study, the first step is to create the structure. Based on this, you will interview your contact person at the customer later in the production of the case study. A complete case study includes the following information:
(Working) title of the case study
This does not have to be the finished title of the case study. However, a working title helps you to keep the core message of the case study in mind. If you already want to define the finished title at the beginning, it should attract attention and clearly state the topic of the case study.
Information about the customer
The first section of the case study introduces your customer. What kind of company is it? What industry does it come from? Provide information and details about your customer here. If more than one company has been involved in the case study, such as additional software implementers, they should also be briefly introduced.
The problem definition
This is the starting point of the case study and addresses why your customer approached you. The customer’s existing problem should be outlined in detail. What were the customer’s top challenges? What was his vision? These questions slowly transition from the problem to the solution.
The Solution(s)
The main part of your case study deals with the solution or solutions that helped your customer with their existing challenges. Whether it’s software, hardware, or services: Remember here that potential new customers want to know exactly how you solved your customer’s problem. Details are very important here – of course, only to the extent that your customer agrees for the case study. To make the main section clearer, you can also briefly summarize key aspects of the solution as bullet points and only then go through the solution specifically and step by step in detail.
The results
What benefits did your solution bring to your customer. Time to write a resume in which you summarize the most important results of the case study. For example, did your solutions significantly reduce the client’s content marketing production costs? Or did your solutions help simplify the client’s marketing overall? It’s ideal if your client can provide you with concrete numbers here to back up the results.
Graphics and call-to-action
Case studies that include only text will generate less attention than case studies that include graphics. Images lighten up the case study. If relevant, numbers can also be better visualized in graphics rather than just stating them in text. Highlighted quotes can also enhance the case study and make it appear more valuable overall.
Last but not least, a call-to-action should of course be placed at the end of the case study. The case study should ultimately help you to generate new customers. Therefore, at the end of the case study, provide a contact that potential customers can get in touch with if they have any questions or are interested. The contact should always respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner.
Questions about questions: This is what you should consider in the case study interview.
The structure of the case study is only part of the whole. To fill the case study with content, you should prepare detailed questions for your customers to use to create the case study, in addition to doing your own good research. Here are two tips for the case study interview:
- Ask questions that follow the story: Before the interview, you should have an idea of the story you want to tell in the case study. You should then choose your questions so that they follow the thread of your story.
- Ask open-ended questions: By asking open-ended questions, you will get your client to provide you with more information at one time and go into more detail on their own.
- Arrange a follow-up: Sometimes, despite a detailed interview, queries develop once it gets to the text of the case study. In order to clarify such questions, it is a good idea to set a follow-up date at the end of the first interview. However, remember to cancel the follow-up appointment in consultation if there are no more questions.
In addition, you should make sure that your customer always feels in control of the information for the case study. The same applies to communication around the case study. Also, before it is published, you should always get a release from the customer. This is a matter of respect, but also legally important.
Conclusion: Successfully creating a case study with a good structure and detailed information
If you want to create a successful case study, nothing beats a meaningful story, a good structure and details around the problem, solution and outcome. Your case study should end up being a vivid example for potential customers of how your company can solve their challenges. So use a powerful case study to demonstrate the work you do for your customers and how you can help other customers as well.
