Case studies are awesome. They’re an often neglected tactic within the marketing world and a crucial tool that we depend on here at Out-Smarts. Other than generating leads and influencing sales, case studies construct trust, strengthen credibility, drive traffic to our site and show potential clients the worth we will add. We use case studies on a regular basis in each our marketing process and our sales cycles.
Blog posts are great. that, you’re reading this! Nonetheless, case studies is usually a more versatile and private approach to tell the story of the impact your enterprise has and the issues you solve for clients.
This guide to every part you want to learn about using case studies for your enterprise will kick-start your creativity and provide you with a step-by-step outline to make it easier to write and market your successes.
What’s a client case study?
Case studies are an underutilized, yet high-performing content marketing tool to showcase recent successful projects. We prefer to call them success stories because they describe the way you’ve successfully added value for clients. Used to offer an in-depth description of the services you offer and to show the worth of your services in a private way, case studies, although typically written content, can be shared in the shape of video, podcast, and too.
Often, a case study will draw prospective customers in by highlighting the quantifiable outcomes of your work. As an example, one in every of our recent search engine optimization success stories focuses on the results of an 81.9% increase in organic search traffic. Case studies typically also include a customer review, providing prospects with insight into the ways your services may benefit them.
Why would you employ a client case study for your enterprise?
Irrespective of the scale of your enterprise, or the services or products you offer, in the event you’re not using case studies in your marketing tactics, you’re overlooking an incredibly useful gizmo.
Why you need to be using case studies:
- They work – In a 2020 survey, case studies were found to contribute to
- 13% of nurtured leads
- 23% of converted leads
- They grow brand awareness – Case studies are an important tool to extend organic traffic to your website and make it easier to stand out from competitors.
- They may be more useful than blog posts – Within the survey mentioned above, case studies ranked higher than blog posts and social media for converting leads into customers.
- They support credibility – Potential clients are less prone to work with a business that doesn’t show examples of their work. By showing a private story about your approach, and including testimonials from clients, you construct trust and prove the worth of your enterprise.
- They’ll make it easier to get the clients you would like – Do you like working with clients in a certain area of interest? Case studies may be an important approach to show your capabilities in certain spheres and convey in similar clients.
- They may be utilized in your sales cycle – Past success stories are great to have available to incorporate in proposals. Like a portfolio, they supply insight into your abilities and the work you’ve done for others.
Finding inspiration in your success stories
When you’re recent to case studies, familiarizing yourself with some examples is an important place to start out. Gather some inspiration from stories shared by other businesses. Pick elements of stories that encourage or interest you, and gain an understanding of the writing styles used. Hub Spot’s 28 Case Study Examples Every Marketer Should See is an important resource to get you began.
The way to write a client case study
Before you begin writing your case study, gather some information. We’ve made a checklist to make it easy.
It could seem daunting to jot down your first case study. Don’t worry, we’re here to guide you thru it. Step one to writing an efficient case study is to create the framework of your content. Organize it like a story with a starting, middle and end.
Create a case study outline
- Background information – Provide a transient introduction to who your client is and what they do. This can also be a very good place to elucidate why they selected to work with you.
- Share the issue – Discover the issue your client was coping with. Share what their goals and expectations were for the project.
- Discuss the answer – Explain your solution to their problem, including specific approaches and techniques.
- Explain your process – Tell a story of the way you implemented your solution and what tactics were used.
- Be personal – Don’t be afraid to indicate any challenges you encountered. Customers know that obstacles arise, be transparent and explain the way you overcame them.
- Reveal the outcomes – Now could be the time to present your success. Reveal the outcomes of your project and speak about the way it solved your client’s initial problem.
- Talk numbers – This can also be an important place to incorporate any metrics and data of quantified results, to point out just how effective your project was.
- Client testimonials – Positive reviews out of your clients are incredibly helpful in constructing the credibility of your case study. Reach out to them and ask them for a transient testimonial concerning the project.
- Get permission – Ensure to ask your client to review your case study before you post it and to ask them in the event that they have any changes or additions they’d wish to add.
Other things to incorporate in your success stories
No one goes to be drawn in by the words in your page alone. Make your case study eye-catching and fascinating by including supplemental elements resembling:
- Visuals – images, graphs and infographics help break up groups of text, making your page more visually appealing.
- We wish to make a highlighted graphic like this, to summarize our projects in a digestible way.
- Headers – Guide your reader through your story and add headers, introducing recent sections in order that they will scan and skim the pertinent sections easily..
- Calls to motion – Increase your case study’s power to convert readers into leads by including a transient CTA message at the tip. Ensure your intended motion is evident and simple in your audience.
- Some inspiration for CTA messages include:
- Schedule a consultation
- Share this case study on social media
- Request a quote or trial
- Contact us for more information
- Some inspiration for CTA messages include:
How long should a case study be?
Every project is different and varies in complexity, so the length of your case study will rely upon the context of the project. An excellent rule of thumb is to have around 500 to 1,500 words, ensuring that you just provide your readers with enough information to know the complete scope of your project in an attractive way. Although each little aspect of your project is significant to your final result, don’t forget to edit out unnecessary details. Ensure to get to the purpose and don’t drag on. An excessively long story will lose your reader’s attention.
Be mindful that your readers and potential clients is probably not aware of your services or the tools you employ. Make your content digestible to a large audience and avoid using technical jargon.
The way to Market your case studies
Post them to your website
When you’ve written your case study, it’s time to point out off your success and begin attracting recent leads. The very first thing to do is get your story on the market and post it in your website. To make your case studies easy to search out, we propose creating a selected page or section that’s featured in your website. Take a take a look at our success stories page for some inspiration. You’ll want to include META titles and descriptions that include top-performing keywords to make sure visibility (search engine optimization) and attract recent visitors, and use these keywords effectively in your headers and duplicate too.
Share along with your followers
Don’t depend on only posting your success stories in your website. Reap the benefits of all of your channels and increase your reach by promoting your success stories in your social media streams. Include a call to motion, suggesting readers view the entire case in your site or share your case study on their platform.
Email marketing campaigns are one other great approach to remind your network of your expertise by showcasing your recent successes
Use them in your sales cycle
Highlight your case studies in your proposals to potential clients to point out you’re experienced in facing similar challenges. This offers you a bonus over your competitors by constructing trust and demonstrating credibility, proving the worth of case studies in your sales cycle.
Are you able to start along with your own case studies?
The facility of case studies goes beyond their ability to generate and convert leads, increase sales and improve your marketing tactics. They strengthen your customer and prospect relationships by constructing trust and redibility, they usually construct brand trust too. Would you pay for a service in the event you didn’t feel confident it could succeed? Probably not, and the identical goes in your potential clients. Trust is arguably an important aspect of business. Clients reach out to you in a time of need and depend on you to assist them succeed. Potential clients have to see that your enterprise is credible before they put their trust in your hands and choose to decide on your organization. Case studies are an important tool to have available to point out your expertise and success, while being transparent and private, giving clients peace of mind when deciding to work with you. In addition they show clients that you just are happy with the work you do, influencing them to succeed in out for help with future projects.
Check with the Out-Smarts Team about marketing your case studies
By now, we’re sure you’re looking forward to writing case studies of your personal successes. This text gives you an important framework to get going, and don’t worry, we’re all the time here to assist.
Book a free consultation today to get probably the most out of your case studies.
