Case Studies: A simple yet powerful marketing tool for your business
Do case studies feature in your current marketing strategy?
Case studies are a compelling marketing tool for your business.
The best part? ➡️ They’re right at your fingertips, waiting to be captured and shared to convince potential customers that yours are the ideal products or services for them.
They’re as relevant to small businesses as they are to large multinationals - and whether you sell to other companies or directly to consumers.
In this article, I’ll explore how telling your customer’s stories is a brilliant way to engage with new customers and win new business. I’ll cover questions including:
What is a ‘case study’?
Why case studies work
Key benefits (💫including how they help you avoid the ‘hard sell’ approach)
How they differ from testimonials
What exactly is a cASE STUDY?
Case studies share examples of how your business has helped previous clients and customers. A good case study should be a beautiful blend of storytelling and testimonials, detailing how your product or service was significant in helping a customer overcome a problem or meet a need.
As this Forbes Agency Council article explains:
“As humans, we are naturally drawn toward a good story. This is especially true of consumers: They want to understand how a product or service has helped someone else, to see how it might help them.”
CASE STUDY FOR D STANLEY ASSOCIATES:
Why do case studies work?
Let’s be honest, it’s easy to make bold, sweeping statements about our business.
We’ve all read statements such as:
We offer unparalleled customer service
100% of previous clients would recommend us to a friend.
Whilst these claims may offer some level of reassurance to potential customers - they are often not enough to prompt action and generate sales. At worst, they can sound quite generic.
As explained by Rena Fallstrom - Vice President of Global Communications at Pure Storage:
“There is nothing wrong with saying, ‘Our company has a wonderful product that helps people achieve these outcomes,’ but it is far more powerful and effective when your customers communicate this message for you in their own words and validate your company” (link to article).
Case studies work by telling a compelling narrative and speaking directly to your audience in their own language. They help your customers visualize what it would be like for them if they bought your product and service, focusing firmly on the key benefits they would receive ✨.
Not surprisingly, case studies are a proven marketing tool used by marketers globally. In fact, a Content Marketing Insights - 2022 B2B Report (link) highlighted that 73% of the most successful content marketers used case studies.
What benefits do customer stories offer my business?
Standout from the competition
Because they are completely unique to your business, case studies showcase the best of what you do and the amazing value only you offer to your customers. This can really sharpen your competitive edge.
Reach your target customers
If you pick the right stories, you streamline your marketing efforts by speaking directly to the customers and clients that you’re hoping to connect with. Chances are, if you demonstrate how you have helped other customers just like them in the past, you will reach the audience that is the best fit for your business.
Overcome objections
Are you receiving similar objections regularly? Perhaps you receive feedback that your price is too high, or your process isn’t clear? Sharing a success story of a customer who had the same objections initially, but now has clearly benefited from the value you offer and is very happily telling the world about it - can really help shift perceptions about your product or service.
Ready-to-go library of content (including social media)
Once you’ve gathered your customer’s story, you have compelling content for your future marketing activities. There are endless uses for case study (so many, that I’ll create a separate article dedicated to this topic) - but as a starting point, you can include them in your website copy, marketing brochures, and social media captions.
No ‘hard sell’
Case studies are a great option for those of us who aren’t looking for the ‘hard sell’ 🙋♀️. Firmly in the “show, don’t tell” marketing category (which focuses on helping potential customers visualise how your product or service may benefit them and making sure you’re the right fit for them) - they offer a far gentler and engaging way to connect with your audience.
I have lots of testimonials, do I still need customer stories 💭?
Testimonials are a fantastic, bite-size way to showcase positive feedback from your customers and clients.
They certainly have a place within your marketing strategy. In fact, a lot of the testimonials you read on company websites or in their marketing literature may have been pulled from a longer case study…
But that’s the crunch - testimonials are a snapshot.
They’re not the full customer story. And often, when it comes to taking the plunge and making a purchase, people like to hear specifics and will be more influenced by the full story.
Imagine this: you read a short testimonial about a person’s resounding success with a financial adviser who saved them over £2000 a year on their mortgage.
It sounds great at first glance, but at the back of your mind, you might have some niggling doubts - Is this person in the same situation as me? Will I receive the same benefit?
In short, you might not be completely convinced…
…But if you read the longer customer story - you might feel differently. You now discover that the person was, like yourself, also buying their second home, in the same price bracket and area of the city as you - and wow - suddenly you take more notice. Most likely, the chance of you reaching out to that particular financial adviser has increased considerably.
What next?
I hope you’ve seen the benefits of case studies and how they might fit into your marketing activities. I’ll publish another article soon that dives into the many ways you can use customer stories.
If you’d like more information in the meantime, or help gathering and creating customer stories from your business - please get in touch.
Hi, I’m Rachel
WEBSITE DESIGNER + COPYWRITER
Founder of Bright Avenue - and passionate about bringing your business to life using websites and words.
CASE STUDY OFFER
Will a customer story help sell your product or service? Access the offer below for my case study writing service →
What you’ll receive:
30 minute interview with your chosen customer or client
Creation of a compelling case study following a proven formula
A 2-page PDF presentation of your customer story (and the original copy in Google Documents)
✨ Investment: £345 ✨