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Nothing is better marketing for your business than the endorsement of someone who sings the praises of your product or service. And it’s even better when that endorsement comes in their words while taking people behind the scenes so they can see what actually happens in your business.
Case studies combine all of these ingredients, but are an underrated marketing tool in business for some reason. I’m going to show you how to create great stories that will get people wanting to work with you or buy your product now.
Show how your product or service is actually used by your customers by telling the story behind it. The media loves seeing how a business works from the customer’s perspective and it lets customers see how they can use your product or service, plus you get third-party endorsement from the customer giving the case study.
To create a case study use this template as a guide:
• Introduce the customer’s situation and provide a background to set the scene for the story, ie what was it like before they worked with you or used your product?
• Explain the problem and/or project scope and time frame
• Show how your product, service or advice solved that problem
• Quantify the results, ie give figures or statistics on how much money was saved, how much extra time they now have, how many new customers they have etc. Ultimately the benefits your business provides need to be real and measurable
• Use the customer’s own words in quotes to explain how they came to work with or found your business, what that experience was like for them and why they would recommend your business to others
• Include photos to illustrate the customer with your product or how they have benefited from your service.
Once you’ve collated all the information above, put it together as a story with sub headings and lists. You can then use this story as a blog post, on the testimonials page of your website, in a brochure, as an example in an article/media release and you can send it to the media next time you’re asked for examples of what you do.
If you’re planning on using the information in a few different ways, consider an interview format for text, turning the story into a podcast/video (if you recorded the answers) or creating an infographic that illustrates the results.
The hardest bit will be the asking, but I think you’ll be surprised when you see how many customers will be happy to sing your praises in a case study.
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