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5 Elements of Successful Case Studies

March 26, 2009 in Case studies | No comments

As you’ve seen in my previous posts on this subject, customer case studies can help to improve credibility, expand your reach, and shorten the sales cycle. However, for case studies to be effective they must be well-crafted and relevant.

The most effective case studies contain five important elements:

  • A good story. The story must resonate with your target audience. You may choose to write about customers by industry, business application, or an important niche.
  • A strong intro and summary. Don’t forget to summarize your story, including the important details you want your prospects to take away. Remember, many people only read the first and last paragraphs so put extra effort here.
  • Details, details, details. Be specific. Was there a technology that helped speed up turnaround time? A process that increased cost savings? Or a service that increased employee productivity? Please, don’t rehash generic solutions to common business problems. Explain, in detail, the challenge your customer faced, how and what you delivered, and the end success.
  • Scanable content. Make it easy for readers to get information quickly. Use subheads, short paragraphs, and bold type to accent key facts.
  • Keep it brief. Depending where your story is being used, you may need different versions, but in all cases it should be brief.

It’s time to assemble your anecdotes and start building an arsenal of solid, highly relevant customer success stories to bring to your next sales call. Whether online, in print, or communicated verbally, case studies will serve you well in all your business endeavors.

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Repurpose case studies to expand your reach

March 11, 2009 in Case studies | No comments

As I mentioned in my introductory post about case studies, Build your brand with customer case studies, most sales start with prospective buyers conducting research about your company and products. We talked about the power of featuring real customers, with real stories to tell via case studies, or success stories, in my last post,  Case studies increase credibility. Now, we are going to take that one step further and look at repurposing this valuable content to expand your marketing efforts and deliver it to prospects through a variety of vehicles. One size does not fit all so it is important to reinforce your message through a variety of mediums.

• Pitch a unique or interesting story to the press. Coverage in news and trade media not only provides powerful exposure, but lends credibility to your  message since it is coming from an impartial party.
• Post on your Web site/blog to aid customers in their research. Seeing the story in multiple locations reinforces your message.
• Add to sales presentation. Add a printed copy to your sales proposal or speak anecdotally during your presentation. A series of short, targeted stories that relate to the prospect will open up conversations and energize your discussions.
• Feature at trade shows. Display key customer quotes from case studies in booth graphics and feature in advertising for the event to drive additional traffic to your booth. Then hand out printed copies of the case studies to visitors to deliver the full story.
• Promote through email/direct marketing. Design an email or direct marketing program around your successes. Feature key customers and their stories as part of a serial campaign.

Tidbit: If you have a good story to tell, then share it.

Next: How case studies can help to shorten the sales cycle.

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Case studies increase credibility

March 10, 2009 in Case studies | No comments

Look at virtually any B2B Web site, from small consulting firms to Fortune 1000 companies, and you’ll find customer stories. The reason: they work. When you demonstrate your ability to successfully solve problems to real business challenges for real companies, prospects and customers listen. Moreover, when you hone your message to a particular audience, whether targeting an industry or reaching out to a broader segment of the population, clearly illustrating the problem, solution, and benefit to the reader will put your offering into consideration.

To build your business credibility through case studies, consider the following:

•    Identify the pain. Focus on the one thing plaguing your audience and structure the story around it. What is the problem your product or service solves? What can the customer do faster, better, or easier with your offering? What value-add do you provide to make them work smarter, be more efficient, or save money?
•    Segment your stories. When building your arsenal of stories, think about your target audience and segment your stories to focus on specific verticals or applications.
•    Name names. A case study that omits the company name often portrays the wrong image. It makes the reader stop and question whether this story is true or simply the imagination of someone in the marketing department. Identify your customer’s business name and those involved in the process to personalize and verify your story,
•    Add quotes. A short, poignant quote from your customer can be run within the text and/or used as a call out in the document to draw the reader’s attention to your strengths.
•    Stay relevant. Don’t stray into the past and get nostalgic. Keep your message current and on topic. Remember, the objective here is to solve real challenges customers are facing today.

Add credibility to your business today by sharing your customer successes. See what a difference a little storytelling can make.

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Build your brand with customer case studies

February 18, 2009 in Case studies | No comments

A 3-part look inside this powerful marketing tool.

Let’s face it. In today’s wired world, most sales start with prospective customers conducting research about you, your products, and your services online. They visit your Web site to see what you have to offer. They look for reviews in trade publications and the business press. And, they seek advice from others across social networking sites—blogs, wikis, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter—what top analysts Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff at Forrester Research call the “Groundswell,” a social phenomenon that is forever changing the way we do business. One way to ensure you make the short list in this raucous sales environment is to let your customers speak, praise, even enlighten prospects through customer case studies—comprehensive stories that demonstrate your ability to solve real life business problems. These are not fluff marketing pieces, but rather detailed accounts of customer challenges and the solutions you provided for successful results. Customer case studies can help you build your brand and grow your business in three distinct ways:

• Increase credibility. The more you demonstrate your success through actual customer stories, the more your audience will believe you are a viable problem solver. Customer testimonials woven throughout your case studies will support your message and identify you as a reliable source.

• Expand reach. Case studies can be repurposed to expand your marketing efforts. Use it to pitch a unique or interesting story to the press, reference during sales calls to reinforce your claims, use at trade shows to drive traffic to your booth, and post on your Web site/blog to aid customers in their research.

• Shorten the sales cycle. Potential customers can see a quick snapshot of what you’ve done for others and relate these experiences to their own situations. By illustrating the problem/solution cycle in advance with actual cases, you can highlight your expertise, often shortening the time it takes to close a sale.

In subsequent posts we will cover each of these topics in more detail, as well as get into the nuts and bolts of writing these pieces, to help you build your arsenal of effective customer case studies.

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