Case Study Tips and Tricks
Case studies have long been a key component of marketing strategy, and in particular, content marketing strategy. However, telling a customer’s story and why they selected your product or service isn't enough. While it may provide important information, readers bombarded with case studies are likely to ignore yours IF it doesn’t stand out in some way. So, as a leading Denver marketing company, we encourage our clients to rethink the way they approach case studies and follow these case study tips and tricks.
How to Set Your Case Studies Apart
If you’re looking to breathe new life into your case studies, try one or more of these approaches:
Rename them
For some people, the term “case study” has become synonymous with “dry” or “boring,” even if the information the study contains is exciting and engaging. But, if they don’t open it, they’ll never know. What if you started calling them New User Narratives or Customer Stories or Client Chronicles? Odds are your open and engagement rates would increase.
Add some drama
Which of these two opening sentences would grab your attention: 1) XYZ Corporation was struggling to keep up with incoming correspondence from clients. In order to address this issue, they needed to implement an enterprise content management system. Or, 2) Sara could almost hear the clock on the wall ticking as she frantically raced to log the latest client communications. Dropping her head to her desk in exasperation, she came to the realization that she needed help. If her company didn’t start taking advantage of process automation, she’d be burned out in a month.
Put the emphasis on visuals
As any Denver marketing company will tell you (and as your own personal experience tells you), people prefer to learn new information through visuals like charts, graphs and images. Yet, we continue to think of case studies as marketing content that can, and should be, text-heavy. Instead, try creating a case study in two formats and see which one creates more engagement.
Use more engaging headings
Case studies are often broken into sections like client, challenge, solution, and results. If you want to keep a prospect reading, try something new like:
- Meet [Company Name]
- Buried in Paperwork
- Automation to the Rescue
- Cruise Control
Write studies that are more raw and real
Case studies tend to paint the most positive picture possible of a customer’s purchase and implementation of a product. But we all know that that kind of process rarely goes completely smoothly, and it makes us a little skeptical when we hear one portrayed that way. Tell the story “warts and all,” so to speak. If there were struggles, acknowledge them. Also, if you read the quotes in case studies, they are often very sanitized. Try being more true to what the customer really said, even if it’s not perfect prose.
Making the Case for More Engaging Studies
If you want to create case studies that people will read, it’s important to work with a full-service marketing company like A-Train Marketing that can not only help you create the piece but also integrate it effectively into your content marketing strategy. Get in touch and let’s talk about your needs.