Business Case Studies
Probizwriters, LLC |
A Very Powerful Business-Growth Tool
Business Case Studies – Marketing Case Studies
(aka Customer Profiles or Case Histories)
What is a Case Study?
Case Studies are basic, highly effective business and sales tools. Like white papers, they take a company’s solution (and its useful tales) beyond abstraction or concept to a “concrete example,” which prospects can relate to and readily grasp. They feature a product or service’s success in action through the story of a happy customer’s experience. Ideally, the customer is quoted in the article.
Case studies are usually written in standard feature article format, and focus on how a product or service helps a customer solve problems, save time, and lower costs. Because they present a story, they include lots of quotes, examples, and anecdotes. They’re not dry or overly technical, but tell a positive success story, both about the company and the customer, that readers relate to.
Case studies range in length from 1-4 pages, though they’re sometimes longer when the subject is particularly technical or complex; they feature sidebars, set-off quotes, charts, and other visual aids. A case study usually has the following elements:
-
The Challenge – An explanation of the customer and the problem at hand, aka “the customers’ pain.”
-
The Solution – A review of the commonly available options to address the problem and why they weren’t acceptable; an explanation of the solution chosen, why it’s unique and how it’s different, and how the customer came to choose it. This includes a discussion of how the customer found your company and its solution.
-
Implementation and Approach – A narrative description of how the solution was implemented, the steps taken, challenges involved, time required.
-
Results / Outcome – A statement clarifying the positive outcome, detailing specific improvements or advantages the customer experienced, especially financial benefits like lowering costs or increasing sales.
-
Costs to Customer – An analysis of costs the customer incurred to solve its problem, compared to other alternatives if possible. How did the value of the solution chosen compare to its cost?
-
Customer Experience – Detail about the customer’s satisfaction with your processes, procedures, and solutions, how it made the customer’s outcome better, what burdens it relieved, customer endorsements, comments, interest in using your services or products in the future.
Usually designed to provide a reliable foundation for action by decision makers, a good case study educates readers about how to solve a problem; it often serves as justification for implementing a particular solution.
What are Case Studies Used For?
Effective marketing programs require quality written material suitable for varied distribution channels and wide readership by prospects and customers. Great customer stories are in demand, especially those detailing how unique ideas, solutions, methods, processes, or products solve mission-critical business issues and problems. Case studies are a valuable addition to any marketing plan.
Because case studies are “success stories” they can be used in many ways and disseminated across sales, advertising, PR, and marketing channels. A case study requires work to plan and prepare, but the return on effort is significant and quick when leveraged through sales, marketing, advertising, and PR tools. Some marketing professionals make the mistake of using a case study in only one way — as a press release, for example. A case study is highly versatile because it delivers high-utility information at many communication points.
-
Demonstrate capability.
-
Illustrate unique problems and unique solutions, methods, or processes.
-
Demonstrate how the company adds value for the customer.
-
Illustrate through a series of studies the range of services (solutions) provided.
Seven Ways Case Studies
Can Generate Business:
-
Press Releases – Press releases can be created by reformatting case studies.
-
Presentations – Sales people and executives can use case studies for presentations, meetings, and conferences, both as the basis of a speech and as a handout.
-
Mail and Email – They can be mailed and emailed to customers and prospects, enhancing customer and market communication.
-
Website – Posting case studies on your website increases traffic and educates those seeking useful information.
-
Newsletters & Ezines – A case study provides solid, interesting information to enhance the impact of these communication tools.
-
Trade Show Tool – Trade show attendees look for useful information, not fluff; case studies at trade shows distinguish your organization.
-
Information Premium – Case studies can be offered as a “free giveaway” in lead-generation campaigns.
Why are Case Studies so Effective?
- They take marketing communications to a much higher level of credibility – by enabling prospects and customers to see for themselves how a product or service works in the real world. It’s not just a sales pitch, it’s reality. As such, it’s perceived as highly reliable information.
- When timely and unbiased they are an attention-getting way for readers to cut through common advertising clutter and gain some useful knowledge from other’s problem-solving experience.
- Because these windows into other organizations are relatively brief, they’re simple to read and understand; so readership is high.
- Case studies are rare among the mass of marketing communications today, and they’re usually very positive – so they stand out and appeal to readers.
What’s Involved in Writing a Case Study?
A typical 1,500-word case study or feature article (about 3 full 8.5x11 single-spaced pages) requires between 20 and 30 hours of professional time to research, develop, and write, including a minimum of two revisions.
What Makes a Good Case Study? Below are things to consider when selecting case study subjects.
What was the problem that was solved? Was it a unique problem? Was the solution unique or innovative or tricky? The problem section must carry a punch. It has to have significant business impact for the reader. Can the case study story demonstrate how the company solved a critical business issue?
Does the case study subject illustrate how the company is different or better than the others in the business? Does it clearly differentiate the company from other suppliers?
Can the story be supported with measurable results – statistics, figures, and tables where appropriate?
Is the case study subject interesting; does it offer the reader a chance to learn something useful, change their mind about preconceptions they have, or improve their business?
Does the story depict something unexpected or innovative, something that readers wouldn’t have thought of on their own?
Development Issues to consider:
-
Is the customer willing to participate in the case study writing process, including phone interviews or answering questions by email? Will they agree to be quoted?
-
Always think of “who can the writer interview” to gain a real understanding of how the project went from the client’s perspective. Being able to pepper the case study with client quotes is very persuasive.
-
Does the customer have a compelling background? Do you know the driving forces that led them to your company? What other options had they tried in the past and why did those fail?
-
Were there any barriers or challenges faced during implementation? Is the customer satisfied with the outcome enough to give favourable opinions of the process?
-
Can you focus on the benefits that the customer received from the company’s services rather than overloading the case study with too much technical information?
-
Can the customer demonstrate measurable results? For example, instead of calling the case study “Customer Case Study,” can you say “Case study on How Customer X Improved Overseas Sales by 240%?”
-
How does the customer feel about the future with the company’s services? Is there a satisfying conclusion to the story?
-
Is the reader going to be able to relate to or identify with the story?
Why Use Case Studies Now?
Case Studies help businesses generate leads and distinguish themselves, especially during economic downtimes. When the economy slows (or melts down), businesses suffer and the pressure is on to market effectively, smartly. The time to write and deploy marketing case studies is before the enonomy rebounds.
CASE STUDIES SERVE BUSINESSES WELL IN BOTH
GOOD AND BAD ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.
Case studies have become an exceptionally powerful marketing tool – helping businesses sell “under the radar” to discerning customers. They are tools that deliver educational resources to customers, rather than overt sales tactics.
"Tuned in” businesses secure great results through case studies, and stand out.
How are Case Studies Best Presented?
Unfortunately, many businesses that could use case studies don't, and many businesses that do produce case studies don't maximize their utility.
With the right layout and design, critical information can be transformed into a high value business tool. A good case study writer masters layout techniques, and never presents a dull document.
To be useful, Case Studies must also be accessible. Staging the landing page for your case study can be critical - does it offer enough of a glimpse to make the sale?
To learn more about how Probizwriters can help
your business develop and use case studies—
|
|
|
Case Studies are effective tools
when carefully crafted.If your company could benefit from developing quality case studies, or you need an expert case-study writer to refine and improve an existing case study, Probizwriters welcomes your inquiry.
Case Studies By Probizwriters
Recent case studies of note written by Probizwriters include the following series on technology in political campaigns, written for a leading provider of campaign-communication technology:
