The stats will vary depending on where you look, but one thing they’ll all agree on, a case study will help your business. Especially if it’s an interesting well-written factually rich and engaging case study.
First things first, what is a business case study?
A business case study is a story. A story about how one company solved a problem, overcame a challenge or achieved a change for another company or a customer.
Sometimes referred to as storytelling marketing, it paints a picture in words of what it’s like to work with you.
Why tell it as a story? Storytelling is essentially a mnemonic device. A highly effective way to share lots of information in a format that’s far easier to remember than a whole lot of facts or details.
How does a case study help to generate business?
It’s important to remember that a case study is not a sales page and is unlikely to lead directly to a sale. That’s not its purpose.
A Case Study inspires trust
A case study allows you to offer proof of what you’re like to work with, why you’re great at what you do and why your audience should trust you, work with you or buy from you.
Show me don’t tell me
For someone who’s never encountered your business before, it will give a flavour of what you do and how you do it.
For customers already aware of your brand and possibly even already in your sales pipeline, it will give them confidence that they’re with the right business and encourage them to take the next step.
For existing customers, it’s validation. Additional proof that you’re the right business to be working with or buying from.
A business case study is also a great addition to your inbound marketing and content strategy. A space to include some of the search engine optimised (SEO) keywords and phrases your audience may be using in searches, strengthening your organic marketing – the goal of every business no matter how big or small.
What form does a case study take?
Just like any good story, a case study should have a start, middle and end.
It should tell the hero’s tale (the hero being the other company or your customer, not you!) the struggle or problem they faced, the journey you went on together and how you helped them to overcome their challenge and achieve their goal.
While it may be your case study appearing on your company’s website, it’s their story. It’s about them, not you.
There should be a summary at the end, sharing the conclusion as to why this was a great result for your client. There should also be a call to action directing the reader what to do next: Book a call, Sign up, Share the post… And once written, it should look great.
Case Study Dos
Keep it interesting – well-paced snappy and rich in detail.
Give credit where it’s due – making sure you’ve got the correct names and titles.
Include quotes – the more the subject of your case study talks for you, the more trusted the content will be.
Accuracy – include specifics and details, checking they're accurate, and asking the subject of your case study to confirm they’re happy with them too.
Get approval – Having the subject sign off the copy will ensure you don’t share anything you shouldn’t, and that they’re happy with the content.
Add pictures, logos, images, diagrams and videos – all with relevant Alt tags, to make your story more visually appealing – a sea of grey words can look daunting.
Use headlines and subheads – to punctuate the copy and signpost each aspect. Much like a menu, readers usually scan the piece first before deciding if they want to invest time in reading further.
Consider SEO – where possible including search engine optimised (SEO) keywords or phrases people may be using in Google searches.
Case Study Don’ts
Sell – this isn’t your selling space, you’ve other pages on your website for that. This is your trust-building space.
Change people’s quotes – they can be edited for brevity, but never in such a way as to change the meaning of what they’re saying.
Have lots of links – pages can change and links break. Keep to a few important links, the subject’s website usually being one you’ll want to include.
Include anything private or classified – this isn’t an exposé, your story should be memorable for the right reasons.
Waffle, deviate or get distracted – keep it interesting and to the point. Edit, edit and edit again.
Use jargon, tech talk or lingo – even if you 100% believe your audience speaks the same industry language as you, it’s 100% certain that someone won’t. Be inclusive. Write in clear English everyone can understand, and if you must use acronyms, use the full name with the first appearance.
Brag – fight the urge to big yourself up. The details of the story should do that for you.
Be dull – in content or appearance.
What kind of business should have a Case Study?
Any business can create their own case studies, telling the story of how they overcame a challenge, developed a new product or went the extra mile for their customers, even what they did when they messed up - how a mistake is rectified says a lot about a company.
Below are some examples of case studies I’ve written for clients, each presented in their own brand style.
If you’d like to see more, or would like to talk about your business case study or any of your brand communications, please get in touch. All the best relationships begin with a simple hello and a friendly chat.
Click on a Case Study below to open a pdf and read the copy
