Direct Mail Is Essential for Nonprofit Organizations
Why Direct Mail Is Essential for Nonprofit Marketing
October 5, 2020
Colory Theory Political Graphic Design
How Color Theory Can Propel Your Political Campaign to the Podium
October 11, 2020
Direct Mail Is Essential for Nonprofit Organizations
Why Direct Mail Is Essential for Nonprofit Marketing
October 5, 2020
Colory Theory Political Graphic Design
How Color Theory Can Propel Your Political Campaign to the Podium
October 11, 2020

Harnessing The Marketing Power Of Case Studies

Marketing Case Studies

When someone wants to purchase a product, they will first look for past reviews about the product or service. A customer will also establish if the product serves the purpose it was intended for. The average consumer reads about ten reviews before they trust a business. Reading another person’s experience with the product or service helps a potential customer make the decision on whether to buy or not. Apart from word-of-mouth, online review content is the one that is mostly used by most shoppers. Online reviews can be found on various platforms such as social media, individual blogs, company websites, product review sites, flyers, among others.

A case study authenticates the position of your brand in the market when real people discuss their success stories after using your product or service. The authenticity is proven by the personal story. Statistics are important and also play a role in pushing your brand, but what are the experiences of those people who have actually used the product. Customers can be brutal but they speak the truth, be it positive or negative. Use the feedback to create a great promotion tool that will further solidify your brand.

 

Functions of Case Studies

Tell a story

It might be intimidating to create a sales study, but take it as any other story. People identify more with stories than statistics; therefore, develop your case study as a narrative. Give your potential customers real-life examples for a start, and illustrate how your brand will help in achieving their goals. This approach will help them picture themselves using the product and feel good when making the decision to purchase the product.

Help in leveraging your customer testimonials

People have a habit of copying what others are doing especially if it is working. If customers see that a product or service is working for others, then it will work for them. They are skeptical when they want to purchase a product; this happens when you try to explain to them that your product is superior to the others and that buying it is the best decision to make. When you include testimonials in the case study, it emphasizes that there is nothing to lose and they will relax their guards on whether or not the product is beneficial to them.

Put you ahead of your competition

Creating a case study will give you an advantage over your competition where you will appear like an expert. Marketers can use case studies to advance user generated content. When you consider this fact, this is the time to get ahead of your competition and incorporate sales studies in your marketing channels. This will increase your customer base and develop brand trust to give you a competitive push.

It’s a starting point for your sales team

A promotion strategy that includes a case study gives your sales team something to use to establish contact with your potential customers. You get the chance to prove the benefits of your product by emailing a detailed description of the product and how it has been beneficial to other customers. It is natural for a sales representative to brag about their product. As a result, potential customers are not quick to dismiss sales reps as just making idle chatter or just looking to earn a commission. A case study is a vigorous marketing tool that you can give to your sales team to further demonstrate product history and the bond that exists between your customers and the product. When success stories are shared, it will assist in building trust and convincing prospects that the case study is legitimate.

 

How to Write a Case Study

Think Ahead

It is crucial to think ahead to always be a step ahead of the competition. This means that you should start thinking about creating a case study before you even close your first sale. This will place you ahead and provide an opportunity to develop a fresh case study with feedback and fresh statistics. Just a single case study will authenticate your business model while building trust in an attempt to generate leads. Work in close collaboration with your sales team to obtain feedback from customers. The feedback should include computed outcomes detailing the problem and the solution provided by your product or service.

Interview a Relevant Customer

During the planning stages of a case study, pick a knowledgeable and eloquent customer to interview. The customer’s experience with your product should be a clear illustration of its relevance and value for potential future buyers. When conducting the interview, follow a comprehensive questionnaire to capture their special business circumstances. The questionnaire should follow the format of a narrative; cover the primary problem, its importance to business, the solution they were seeking, and how the problem was solved by your brand.

Conduct Research

Carry out research to accompany the information gathered from customers. You can compare competing products with yours and illustrate how your product is the superior product.

Take a Short Time to Complete the Case Study

A case study cannot be evergreen. The stories shared in a case study and their solutions may lose relevance within a year due to changing trends and advances in technology. Therefore, developing a case study should take no more than a week depending on scheduling and complexity.

Quote the Customer

Do not edit the words of the customer. If the wordings are not quotable, you can paraphrase or just leave it if you are unable to paraphrase.

Be Convincing but Brief

Your case study should be 400-750 words long to ensure that the reader reads it to the end. Use bullet points to shorten text and work with an outline to stay on topic.

Write Catchy Headlines

A persuasive headline will command attention and make people to go on reading the case study. If the headline is just bland, prospective customers will click on the next website leaving yours with its blandness.

Get Customer Approval

Before you publish the case study, seek approval from the customer. When promoting your product, your customers are your most valuable brand advocates. Your customer buy-in is vital for the case study promotional strategy to succeed.

Market the Case Study

A case study should be full of life with informative testimonials that should be displayed on your website’s homepage, company email list and newsletter, and all company social media sites. This will give prospective buyers a chance to learn about real-life experiences. You can further and write a press release to publicize about publishing the case study.

 

Elements Necessary for a Case Study

The Client

A summary of the identity of the client and his special needs will assist in building a relationship with the customer.

Challenge/Problem/Opportunities

At this stage, address the needs that your product meets. The need may be a problem the customer wanted to solve or an opportunity that was awaiting your discovery.

Solution

This is essentially the main part of a case study in product promotion. Be specific about what you offer and illustrate how it helps solve your customer’s needs. This is the point where you compare your product from others by stating its benefits.

Results

This is a critical element as it needs special attention in the case study to succeed in the sales strategy. It would be beneficial to state measurable benefits, for example, “saves 50% off your utility bills” for a solar HVAC system. This might be the ultimate nudge to make the prospect purchase your product.

 

SHARE THIS

Conveniently located in Burlington, NJ — just a short drive from Philadelphia or Trenton — we're your local source for marketing and visual communications.