What is a case study? In some ways you can think of them as a detailed testimonial—a story about a client with a problem that you helped solve. The “case study” is your sharing that story, so others can see how you tackled a specific problem and the results you achieved for a client. It’s a customer success story that should attract other prospects and help persuade them to work with you too.
Case studies combine various elements of content marketing into one digestible package that can help solve problems faced by your target demographic:
They help position your company as an industry expert. The entire purpose of a case study is to show potential clients how you approached a similar problem with a previous client, the steps you took to solve it, and what your end results were. It’s a perfect opportunity for brands to showcase their mastery of their industry, along with their creative approaches to problem solving.
They also provide valuable insight for leads based on real use cases, meaning that many B2B companies (especially professional service provides) often can’t guarantee results. Case studies with similar clients, however, can provide a useful baseline for what potential clients can expect to see in terms of results and ROI.
Finally, case studies act as a built-in call-to-action (CTA). Who wouldn’t want to do business with someone who they know already understands and solves common industry problems?
Case studies themselves are rather simple, form-wise. They can be a single page, several pages, and involve graphics, other visual elements, and call-out quotes. But ultimately they only need a few key components to get the job done:
- An engaging title
- A summary that gives a brief overview of the client’s problem
- A explanation of how your company approached the client problem and what steps you took to solve it
- The results of the project
So, once you have a case study, what can you do with it?
Use It To Promote Your Brand
Once you have a case study you can announce and share it across your channels, whether that’s through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Make sure the information in the case study remains evergreen so you can share it again in the future.
Include It In Email Marketing
Increase your reach for your case study through email marketing, by including it in a weekly roundup of interesting content and company news. Or, send it as a targeted email campaign, along with a quick interview or Q&A from the client to give your case study more context and depth. Just be sure to add a strong call-to-action in your email to encourage prospects to reach out for more information or to find out how they can work with your brand to solve a similar issue.
Include It On Your Landing Pages
Case studies should always be available in multiple formats for prospects and leads, such as pdf formats that easy to pop into an email and downloadable case studies on your website for prospects that are browsing. But you should also consider including a relevant case study on a landing page to boost credibility and drive conversions for company products and services.
Repurpose It Into Other Content Formats
You took the time to create a detailed, well-researched case study. Now you can reformat it into different content types like video, a blog post, an infographic, and other document types such as ebooks, Slideshare, or webinar.
Even though case studies can be time-consuming to produce, consider this: Content that focuses on original data and research are the most effective B2B content marketing strategies, according to a Clutch survey, and 60 percent of B2B buyers search for peer reviews and testimonials. With that in mind, case studies can be (and should be) a worthwhile addition to your B2B content marketing strategy.
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