With all the content that’s created on a daily basis, getting your ideal customer’s attention takes more than a fun Instagram post or a once a month blog. Especially for B2B organizations. It’s important to tangibly show the transformation your product or service can make in someone’s life. The best way to do that is with case studies.
A case study documents a real-life story where a customer used your product or service to overcome an obstacle or achieve a goal. Case studies are a window into your business to show your clients the results they, too, can get. They’re proof that your product or service is the real deal.
Case studies allow you to focus on your ideal customers, tell a great story that gets remembered, and build trust with the people you want to work with most.
#1: Case Studies Showcase a Transformation
Your marketing should focus on your customers. We think you’re awesome and love hearing about you. But your audience isn’t truly interested in your products or services. They’re interested in the transformation you can provide when they work with you, or buy your product.
How can your product or service help make their lives better? That’s what a case study shows them. Rather than focusing on the business or product case studies allow you to focus on the transformation one of your customers experienced. This social proof can build trust with potential customers that you’ll be able to change their life.
- Have you helped a unique organization divert an impressive amount of waste that would have otherwise been sent to landfills?
- Have you helped a business make a huge reduction to their carbon footprint?
- Did selling your products in bulk change the environmental impact of an organization?
All these situations would make great case studies, as they all involve transformations.
Case studies tell your customers that your main priority is their success and transformation. And case studies show them exactly how that transformation is possible for them, too.
#2: A Great Story Sells Itself
Everyone loves a true story that comes with a happy ending. As humans, we’re naturally connected with narratives and when a story is really great, we remember it. Sometimes even for years!
Case studies tell your business’ success story by using real-life experiences that your audience can relate to. Like most great stories, a case study has three important parts:
- relatable characters
- a conflict that must be overcome
- a resolution
Think of your case study customer as your hero. You’re a helpful narrator that moves the reader through the hero’s journey. An insurmountable problem is portrayed, and the hero finds a solution (or happy ending) in your product or service
This conveys to the readers that the hero’s best decision was choosing to go with your company’s product or service.
#3: Case Studies Build Trust with Prospective Clients
Working relationships are built on trust, and trust can often start with a case study. Roughly 95% of customers read reviews before purchasing something. They want to know if they can trust your business. They need their doubts addressed so they know that your product or service will do what you claim it will.
Focusing on real people and the benefits they’ve experienced creates immediate transparency and credibility for your business.
While a good story grabs your audience’s attention, facts move people to action. By providing results, cost savings, or before and after statistics in a case study, you’ll give your audience an idea of the results they can achieve if they buy your product/ service.
One case study could build this trust with 100s of potential customers. Which can lead to more clicks, calls, and sales.
#4: Case Studies are the Next Best Marketing to Word of Mouth
Another reason 95% of customers read reviews before purchasing something is because people like to learn from others before making a decision. This helps them avoid making a mistake they could’ve avoided.
And 90% of consumers in the last year have used the internet to find a local business. This is because most people know that one quick online search can save them from wasting their money or having a bad experience.
Case studies share real experiences with your business from real people. People who have the same struggles and desires they do. Reading a case study makes the audience feel understood, soothes doubts, and persuades the reader to take that next step.
#5: Case Studies are Quick and Easy to Read
An engaging case study educates the audience about your business in a short amount of time. The most valuable commodity anyone could give your business isn’t money, it’s their time. Case studies capitalize on the limited amount of time that people have and help them make big decisions.
Did you know that the average case study is only two to five pages? While there are some longer case studies, a shorter study can be just as persuasive, if not more so as the information is easy to digest.
In one quick glance a customer can learn about your business and the transformation you provide. After that, they’re one step closer to becoming a customer.
Creating a Case Study
Case studies are extremely effective but highly undervalued. In fact, most companies aren’t using case studies as one of their primary forms of marketing. These comprehensive yet quick reads will help your business stand out in the crowded sea of content on the internet.
So, how does one write a case study? Case studies can take a lot of time and research to get right. Let’s be honest, you have a business to run and a planet to help save. Consider teaming up with a case study copywriter.
A case study copywriter combines your story with client research, and copywriter best practices to keep your brand top of mind and to help your customers make a conversion.
Schedule a free 15 minute call. We can discuss your brand’s impact, the best customers to write case studies for, and how your case study fits into your client journey.
You can review reports that we did, similar to case studies in our portfolio.
