Posted by In recent years, case studies have become an essential marketing tool. According to some estimations, up to 78% of buyers turn to marketing case studies before making a purchase decision. The reason for their effectiveness is simple — they provide credible proof of success.
Simply put, a case study is an in-depth story about an issue that a client managed to solve thanks to your company’s expertise and the quality of your product or service. Case studies explore the entirety of a client’s journey, from the moment they start searching for a solution to the point they solve a problem. A good case study clearly defines the challenge and describes the approach, solution, and outcome.
8 ways to utilize marketing case studies
While the types of marketing material vary, case studies should be front and center for every business. They’re valuable assets that can boost your credibility and show off your success. More importantly, this type of content is very easy to repurpose by creating blogs, videos, press releases, and other content.
In fact, case studies have their place in the top five essential forms of media businesses use in their content strategies, right after blogs, videos, and infographics. Their primary purpose is to help potential clients learn more about your business and make informed decisions.
Here are eight ways to use marketing case studies and present your business as capable and trustworthy!
1. Email marketing
Most case studies are usually targeted to a particular niche. This advantage makes them ideal for email marketing, especially if your mailing list is segmented by industry. For example, let’s say you have a case study about how your services or products helped a law firm. You would email it to other law firms in your mailing list to improve your lead nurturing.
On top of that, case studies are a great way of reigniting old opportunities. They can easily restart an old conversation with people who were interested in your services at some point in the past. Including case studies in your newsletters ensures your subscribers always get the most relevant content. More importantly, you get to keep them in the loop about what you’re doing to improve their experience and how you look after your clients.
2. Sales materials
Case studies are an essential component of the consideration stage in a customer’s journey. They’re valuable proof of customer success, which makes them incredibly effective at the point where your potential clients start comparing available options. You can create a dedicated page on your website to include your case studies, and your sales reps can use them to convince potential clients to choose your business over the competition.
Most businesses use a template for creating marketing case studies. However, depending on the type of your business, you might need to create your own to show off your products and services the right way. A custom case study template will ensure the design follows your other branding materials and provide your business with an edge.
3. Website
As mentioned above, case studies work great as sales materials and website content. Using them on a dedicated page of your website can help build brand credibility and trust. More importantly, they can significantly increase your conversions and click-through rate.
According to recent studies, 93% of users say online reviews and customer testimonials impact their buying decisions. With this in mind, the incredible conversion power of case studies becomes obvious.
Your homepage is the first page a visitor sees when they land on your website, so offering customer success stories is key to encouraging them to stay (and convert). You can also create a dedicated page and build a library of case studies that showcase your experience and success with different types of clients.
4. Social Networks
Social media is another great place to share success stories from your case studies. You can use quotes and tag clients in your stories or posts. The key here is to create engaging content for the right audience. Don’t use generic messages like “Here’s our latest case study.” Instead, make sure you cover the client’s problem and how you managed to solve it.
You can make your case studies even more effective with a few simple tricks. For example, you can share them with relevant communities, use them in your LinkedIn publications, or draw attention to them using cover photos.
5. Videos
Video content is a crucial part of modern marketing. With over 88% of people wanting to see more video content from brands, there’s no reason not to use videos to promote your case studies. After all, people are probably more likely to watch a video than spend time reading a lengthy case study!
Combining marketing case studies with video content is a very effective way to present your value proposition. You can make short and quick clips that cover the essentials or create videos that cover the whole process in-depth. Don’t hesitate to experiment and discover what works best for your audience.
6. Blogs and other content
Once your case study is published, writing a blog post about it is the logical next step. It’s essential to do it in a way that helps you identify with the needs of your audience. So, instead of “Company XYZ Case Study”, you should focus on the challenge Company XYZ overcame thanks to your expertise. Make sure not to write about your product or service. Instead, the problem and the solution should take center stage.
For example, if your company helped one client improve their workflow without hiring additional employees, make sure to use that in your blog title. The post itself should contain stats, tips, and some illustrative examples from the case study.
7. Lead generation
You can create countless offers with your case studies. For example, you can put together a step-by-step guide on how to reach a specific goal and offer it as an ebook. Creating a template based on your client’s approach to success is another viable strategy.
Turning case studies into webinars is another excellent idea because they allow you to explain how clients can improve their operations by using your products. It’s a great type of middle-of-the-funnel content that helps convert your leads into sales.
8. Presentations and live events
Finally, marketing case studies are a fantastic source of material for building an archive of evergreen content your employees can use during presentations and demos. For example, you can use them to showcase the clients’ satisfaction with your service.
Putting together a few slides with the highlights of a particular case study is a quick and easy way to stir interest. You can also choose a couple of your best case studies and focus an entire event on them. Ensure the presentation creator explains the essentials to the rest of your team. That way, they’ll be able to use the same presentation and answer any questions the audience might have.
Final thoughts
Now that you understand how valuable case studies are and how they can boost your content marketing, it’s time to think about how to convince your target audience to become your clients. Have you recently helped a client accomplish a specific goal? Do you have a product or a service with demonstrable results? What is it that your potential clients expect from you?
Answering these questions will help you create the perfect content for your case studies. Once you put them together, all that’s left is getting it to your audience in a format they want to consume!