Case studies are used by copywriters and copy editors to help showcase skills, present previous successes, and improve marketing efforts. They work effectively to help business development and can help to secure future projects and build trusting B2B relationships.
What is a Case Study?
Persuasive and engaging, well written case studies are an excellent marketing tool.
They are a wonderful way to demonstrate your experience and proven results in proposals and tenders, brochures, business award submissions and websites since they show how your B2B service directly benefits your clients.
Why Do We Need Case Studies?
A good case study can help you stand out from the crowd by demonstrating the value you provide.
It will entice the reader to want to learn more about you. It will move them one step closer to buying from you by asking for more information.
Your case study will inform people about how amazing your business is by using the narrative of a satisfied client as a prime illustration of it in action. People enjoy reading about other people’s lives. If you can show them how you helped them solve a problem, they’ll understand because they’re dealing with the same issues.
Is your product or service more technical and requires more than a few words to explain? A compelling case study can help people understand. Education is crucial in these situations. The more information you provide to a potential consumer, the easier it will be for them to make a purchasing decision.
Case studies, while factual, are human-centred, making them more engaging to read. It can provide you instant credibility because it is based on genuine benefits. And without any of the sales rhetoric or self-promotional PR that is common in other forms of marketing.
Do Case Studies Boost Sales And Marketing?
Case studies are used in marketing as social proof – to offer purchasers the context they need to assess whether or not they are making the right decision. A case study is intended to persuade the reader that a process, product, or service may solve a problem they are experiencing.
Case studies are invaluable for sales presentations. They help to establish your company’s reputation and address hidden objections that a prospect might be hesitant to mention.
Case studies also empower your sales team to focus less on product details, and more on how and why your product or service delivers value, making case studies a useful tool in your sales enablement toolbox. Therefore using case studies can give your sales the boost they need.
How Do You Write A Case Study?
Case studies describe a client’s needs, how you addressed those needs, and the subsequent outcomes for your client. They often finish with a short testimonial from the client. The traditional format for a case study is:
- Client’s problem/brief
- Your solution/response
- The outcomes/results.
You don’t have to follow this structure, however. You could reverse the structure, if you chose to. Equally, the entire case study can be in the form of an interview with your client. This is an approach we take for Proof Communications’ case studies.
Your case studies might be as brief as a few lines or as long as a page, depending on how you want to use them.
Similarly, the tone and style of your case studies will vary depending on where you’re using them and your audience. If you’re writing a case study for a tender, report or white paper, the tone will be more professional than if you’re writing for a website. Use ‘you’ and ‘we’ to personalise and talk directly to your reader in more sales-oriented papers.
Here are some guidelines for writing a case study.
Make The Issue Intriguing
Case studies revolve around your clients’ issues. Give the problem context so that your reader may understand it.
‘When XXX Pty Ltd learned they owing the taxman 20% more than the previous quarter, they enlisted the assistance of XXX Accountants to figure out why. We cut their bill by 15%, legally, saving them more than $25,000 by employing tactics that can be used to reduce your company’s tax bill.’
Be Specific About How You Assisted
Wherever feasible, use facts and figures to explain the difference you made. Even if the distinction is intangible, make it clear. Perhaps you’ve boosted your client’s self-assurance, vitality or tax readiness. Let your reader know what you did. Using facts and figures in your case studies will help you win more business.
Include A Fantastic Title
Use the title to highlight your accomplishments. ‘How we saved XXX Pty Ltd $25k in one week’ is more intriguing than ‘Case Study: XXX Pty Ltd.’ But remember to check there are no errors or typos.
Include A Brief Quote From A Satisfied Customer
Trustworthy testimonials make marketing easier. It’s not necessary for the quote to be very long. Also, you don’t have to include it at the conclusion. It’s fine to be upfront about the results.
Finally, Make A Call To Action
Let your reader know how they may get in touch with you to boost their energy, gain confidence, prepare for tax season, or save money – whatever outcomes you deliver.
‘Call us today on… to find out how we can help you get the same outcomes,’ or ‘Call John on XXX to discuss how we can achieve the same results for you.’
Contact Proof Communications today or call 02 8036 5532 for professional case study writing that will help you win more business.