Importance of Marketing Case Studies

Learning how to write a marketing case study is important for your business so you can reach more customers. Writing a marketing case study can convince a client that your business is the best service to use for their own projects. A study such as this can be as simple or as in depth as necessary. In this article we are going to define what a marketing case study is, what this might look like for your business, and tips to create a proper study.

writing a case study

Use Your Case Study to Tell A Story

A marketing case study is a story you tell that reveals how you helped past clients and how your business was successful. This is used to bring in new clients who are already considering using your services. How you write a marketing case study is very similar to how you might construct a story.

The Beginning

Like any good story, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning of a marketing case study defines the problem a past client had. This is the time to show why the client came to you and how you planned to tackle the problem. Identify the goals to solve the problem and show how you planned to execute it. Be as in depth as possible, with the client’s permission of course. It is important to note that when creating a case study with past client information, always get permission from them, and make sure to change their name. This will build that trust with past clients as well as working on building trust with new customers.

The Middle

The middle of the marketing case study should be used to show how you followed through with your plan. What were the obstacles and how did you overcome them? Show what steps you followed and how you succeeded in helping your client. Try to give as much information as possible to help a future client understand and believe in your tactics. Potential clients want the facts of the study. They want to know the details of your success. More information helps to build trust, and marketing case studies are the perfect place to begin building that customer relationship to show how you can do the job.

The End 

The end of the study needs to show how the project went, where you succeeded, and what the client gained choosing your company. This is the perfect time to show the “before and after” of how the client was doing before and how they are doing now. Use data and statistics that will prove your success. This could come in the form of a report that showcases the improvement.

customer satisfaction

Visual Aids Are Helpful

Great visuals are perfect for a case study because they are simple and get to the point. Readers are more drawn to these than big blocks of text. Use these to promote the best results from past projects and use quotes from your client to prove they are happy with the results. A small, but important note, is to never brag about your results. Be honest and show all the ways you won but make it modest.

Finding the Right Angles 

Remember that while you tell your story, it is not about you. The focus always needs to be on the potential client. Make sure to focus on what the point of the marketing case study is, but make it engaging to a large group of people. This means using a central point but including other angles too. Figure out what your customers are looking for and try to incorporate those points to bring more clients in. This can showcase different ways your business can be used with clients.

case study discussion

Tell the Reader What Comes Next 

Finally, always end with a call to action. Remind readers how they can contact you. Show them clear, concrete steps for moving forward. Bring in a hopeful, excited tone to move customers to use your resources. Set it up so if someone is really interested, they can provide their email to gain access to your other case studies. This means they might sign up to receive offers or emails from your business. This could potentially mean the customer comes around to use your products multiple times which can increase your website traffic.

Interviewing Past Clients

One of the most important parts of a good marketing case study is to interview past clients for your study. Providing quotes throughout the study of happy clients helps potential customers see they will receive quality work. Find clients who can help with your current case study and let them lead the way.

Be Prepared 

When creating interviews, make sure that you are well informed. Try to do your research on the client and the specific job that was done so that they do not have to fill in all the blanks. Remember that their time is valuable, and they are helping you, so be as prepared as you can.

Ask the Right Questions 

Create questions that can bring detailed, specific answers. Try to avoid questions that will only require a yes or no. Let the client do most of the work in this area. Do not interrupt or try to guide them but let the client say what they want about the project. This will help greatly with showing potential customers the genuine side of the business. When forming questions, figure out how they can help answer the beginning, middle, and end of your story. Such as:

  • What was your initial problem?
  • How did our business appeal to you in trying to solve your problem?
  • How well did our business execute the solution?
  • How has our services helped your business overall?
  • In what ways were you happy with the results?

Make sure to ask for a follow up interview in case you need more information. This way the client will not be caught off guard and they can make time for you if need be. Finally, let the client take control of the interview by letting them pick the day and time. Allow them to see your questions beforehand so they can think about the answers. When you decide which quotes to put in the study, let the client approve of them before you publish the case.

interviewing customer

Bring Your Case Study to Everyone

Your marketing case study will be one of the most useful assets for your business. Your business team can use them when trying to show their quality. Give the team multiple case studies to show off to potential clients. Another great way to improve your brand reputation is by noting other popular brands you might have worked with. This can bring customers to you if they like the companies you associate with.

Using Social Media 

Using social media can also be a great tool for showing off your marketing case studies. There are many different ways to do this as every media platform is different. For example, videos on Facebook are very popular, but if you mainly post videos on Twitter, they will likely not do very well. Make sure that your social media pages are up to date and easily accessible for your customers and potential clients. Reorganize and change up your case study to fit the popular formats so that you reach more users.

Utilize Your Website 

You can also post your marketing case study on your blog or website. Using your website as a place to advertise your success is always helpful. Users look over websites frequently to see if a business is the right fit for them. Make sure the website is easy to use and accessible to customers. This is a great place to go into depth while you keep it short and sweet on social media platforms.

Choose Your Format

A marketing case study can be done in many different forms. For one thing, there is no minimum or maximum length necessary for a marketing case study. It only needs to be as long or as short as necessary to tell your story and prove your point. This opens the doors for creativity. If you want to keep it short and sweet, you can create bullet points for your success and add a video to tell the main story. Another option is a PDF page that describes the project but does not go into detail. You could also consider a slideshow of important points to show your audience. It is also more than acceptable to create a study that goes into great detail and helps your clients see your entire project.

Think About Your Industry

A great way to decide which marketing case study style is best for you is to think about your industry and what template fits for your business and clients. To create a quality template, you must provide the important key points of the project. This is necessary whether you choose to create a detailed outline or if you are trying to keep it short and sweet.

writing a case study

Hook Your Reader 

Make sure to create a title that highlights the results as well as your business name. This will give your customer all the right information, so they know what they are clicking on. Throughout the study, however you choose to do it, make it visually appealing. Big blocks of texts can be boring and might chase your customer away. Other ways to break up the text is through using headers, bulleted lists, bold text, and quotes from clients.

Building A Relationship 

Let the customer lead. If you have an opportunity for a comment section, that can be helpful. Open up the study to questions or comments from readers. This is a great way you can interact with them, which helps grow that business relationship. This also allows for the reader to think on the subject for a longer period of time and keeps the conversation going.

Using A Case Study for Your Business

The best thing to do for your marketing case study is to structure it like a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Make it unique and different from your competition and encourage customers to contact you for more information. Center it on the customer and how you can help their business. All of this can create trust and build a relationship with future clients. Use case studies to market yourself on social media and during meetings. You will find that having a great example to look forward to can help your clients know what to expect, and bring you more business.

 

FAQ’s

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