A Case Study is an in-depth and detailed case study in a real-world setting.
In the context of business, a case is a content format that tells about the experience of solving the client’s problems. Such a narrative is built on the principles of storytelling: there is a main character who faces the enemy – the problem. On his way to solve it, he meets a helper – the company or the product. Together they defeat the enemy and become better.
Cases are created for the lower sectors of the sales funnel. They usually attract less traffic than optimized articles for a blog but are much more effective at convincing potential customers. After all, if the customer sees that you successfully solve a similar problem, there will be fewer reasons to doubt your choice.
Some statistics:
- Cases are the third most popular content format among B2B marketers, with 68% of experts using it.
- 66% of B2B marketers consider cases to be “very effective” in attracting potential clients and increasing sales, 32% – “fairly effective.
As you can see, many companies hire case study writer and win because of it.
How to Write a Case Study
- Goals
As with any other marketing activity, you should start preparing a case study by formulating goals for your business. When choosing KPIs, it is better to focus on the number of leads and sales growth rather than on traffic and coverage. As a reference point: the average conversion rate is 5% for organic search, 3.6% for contextual advertising, and 1.9% for social media. The figure will depend on the promotion method you choose.
Specify how much time, resources, and staff is required to prepare the material and how you plan to promote the finished case. Agree on a plan with the management.
When the work is completed, you will be able to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of the content created.
- Theme and Format
Goals set, you can move on to selecting the theme and client. Here it is important to strike a balance: the story should be interesting and relevant to potential clients at the same time. You shouldn’t choose projects with a rare problem that won’t resonate. The customer’s business peculiarities, circumstances, and methods of a solution may change, but the conflict should be familiar to the majority.
- Client selection
With the topic decided, now it is necessary to choose a suitable client.
- Agreeing with the client
Make sure that the selected client is willing to cooperate. To do this, describe what will be required of him and what benefits he will receive. You can write a letter, call or contact via messenger.
- Interview with the client and data collection
Consent is obtained. Now let’s move on to the interview. It can be conducted in a convenient format: by phone, video link, correspondence.
- Constructing History
The data collected is the basis of the future story. Now it must be constructed in the best traditions of storytelling. The most common choice for a case is the “Monomyth” story. What does it look like?
The narrative consists of three acts:
- The problem;
- solution;
- The result.
It’s important to remember that the main character of the story is your client, not the product or service. You are only an attendant on the road to success.
- Structure
Everything is ready for the most responsible step: writing the case. Start telling the story one step at a time:
Headline and subheadline.
Try to fit the description of the client, the problem, and the solution into this block. A good example: How Host Analytics Used LeadGnome To Increase Lead Quality By 80%. Bad example: LeadGnome Helps To Increase Lead Quality. Learn how to write effective headlines here.
Executive Summary or Executive Summary. In a few paragraphs, describe the case, list key figures, and conclusions.
Client. What the case is about: industry, size, company specifics.
The problem or challenge. Describe the problem your client faced or the goal they set for themselves.
Solution. How your product helped in solving the problem/achieving the result.
Results. In numbers, percentages, or before/after visuals.
Plans. If the project isn’t finished yet, tell us what else you plan to do to get better results.
A call to action. Invite potential customers to contact you, subscribe to your mailing list, or read similar cases.
Draft the material ready for further work.
- Reconciliation
Contact the client again, show the results of the work and, if necessary, make edits. It sounds simple, but the stage can be delayed.
- Design
The text is agreed upon, you can proceed with the design. The design will depend on the chosen format, placement site, and budget: sometimes a simple layout is enough, sometimes you need to create an infographic or even an animated clip.
Where to publish and how to promote cases:
Case study sites:
- Company website. You’re already bringing an interested audience here. The cases will help you decide to buy. Content can be published in the public domain or shown in exchange for contact information.
- Thematic sites. Publish your case study where your target audience spends time: on a blog for entrepreneurs or on Medium. A good option if you don’t have a lot of traffic on your site yet, but you want to increase your reach. As a bonus, get an external link from a reputable source.
- In social networks. Here are two approaches: posting your cases in their communities, or sharing them in theme groups (but no spamming).
The case is published, the link is received.
How to promote it? Here are a few options:
- Run targeted advertising on social networks. Add to your audience users who are already interested in your site or community.
- Set up contextual advertising. Check: maybe a case study on your topic is often searched for.
- Test seeding. Share the story in your communities, forums, and Q&A services.
- Ask the client to talk about the material on his sites.
- Tell the expert about your experience. He may find it interesting and share it with his audience.
Follow these steps to write an effective case and show it to as many potential clients as possible. But before you begin, look at successful case studies in English-a great source of inspiration.
