Making the case for case studies

Case studies can often be overlooked when putting together a marketing communications strategy, which is unfortunate, as they are a powerful method to communicate expertise and capabilities.

Case studies are a particularly effective tool in the consideration stage of a customer’s journey, when they are actively comparing solutions and providers to solve a challenge they’re facing. This is because they not only offer a deep and exclusive look into how the customer can benefit from your products and/or services, but they also demonstrate quantifiable results, whilst providing proof of the value of your solutions by means of direct endorsement from satisfied customers.

Maximising value

There are several ways to use case studies, once written, to maximise value. The most obvious is to showcase them on your website. After all, when a customer is thinking of reaching out to you, visiting your website is likely to be one of the first things they’ll do.

Case studies are also great for sharing on social platforms, especially if they include interesting facts, impressive metrics and compelling quotes.

Additionally, case studies can be re-purposed as blogs or video content, both of which are powerful ways to communicate your value proposition. If your business has a podcast, you can even invite the customer to join you and share their experience.

Finally, you can add a link to your latest case study into your email signature, or use it in presentations to potential customers, as well as at networking and trade events.

Business benefits

The following are just some of the benefits of creating case studies:

·      Showcases your products and services: One of the more obvious benefits of creating and sharing case studies is showcasing what your products or services are and the tangible value they bring to your customers

·      Demonstrates your expertise and success: The point of a case study is to illustrate what sets you apart from your competitors and how your product or service gets results. By providing credible evidence backed by numbers, data, and analysis, case studies can show potential customers with a similar challenge how they can achieve comparable outcomes

·      Establishes credibility and trust: Instead of you telling prospects how great your brand is and how effective your products or services are, case studies let your customers do it for you, by endorsing your brand, establishing credibility and trust

·      Boosts SEO: Case studies that are informative and engaging will drive visitors to your site, signalling to search engines your content is interesting, valuable and relevant.

·      Supports sales: Having a selection of case studies can be hugely beneficial to your sales team, as it will allow them to show prospects with specific challenges, how similar problems were resolved by your company’s solutions.

As a B2B business, compelling case studies can be the difference between a prospective customer choosing your business over that of a competitor. If you are looking for a way to demonstrate your company’s value and convince customers you are the best choice, it’s time to create some case studies.

 With nearly 20 years’ experience and expertise developing and implementing successful digital and traditional PR campaigns for B2B clients in various sectors, including sustainable technologies, manufacturing, logistics and construction, amongst others, we are well versed in crafting compelling case studies.