Marketing case studies are one of the best marketing tools available to businesses. They tell the story of a happy customer who solved a challenge they faced by using a particular product or service. It’s the ultimate testimonial.
Most business owners know they can put the completed case study on their website, but there are many ways to use case studies to solidify the value of your product or service in the minds of prospects. Read on for 13 ways to make the most of your case studies.
1. Create a case study booklet
If you have several case studies, you can create a booklet or brochure featuring these magic stories. Use them as printed materials to include in sales packets, mailings, or to give to prospects at meetings. Or, use a digital version that can be downloaded from your website.
2. Make them part of your newsletter
You send out a monthly newsletter to clients (either digitally or by mail). Why not include a case study? It’s a great soft-sell marketing piece that appears nonthreatening to clients and prospects perusing your copy. Yet, its powerful message from your happy customer can move those readers down the sales funnel much more quickly.
3. Put them on your website
This is the most obvious and well-known use of case studies for marketing. Take the time to create an attractive layout for them using your company colors, appropriate photos and plenty of white space. Make them appealing to look at and to read. Then make sure they’re easy to find.
4. Turn them into a press release
If you have a really powerful case study, don’t be afraid to turn it into a press release and send it to media outlets. It can make a great business feature story full of good news. We could all use a bit more of that.
5. Include them in direct marketing mailers
Do you send out direct marketing mailers and need fresh material? Case studies make a powerful case for your product or service. If you don’t have a case study yet and send direct mail to your customers, I would strongly suggest you get some created ASAP.
6. Slip them into email campaigns
You’ve probably seen this done before in sales emails you’ve stopped to read through. It can be most effective when beginning the email with the case study to grab the reader’s attention. Many times the company uses a shortened version of the case study to avoid an email that’s too long.
7. Spice up your advertising
Another place to surprise a prospect with an unexpected twist is to pop a case study into advertising. Again, using a shortened version is probably in order here since space is at a premium.
8. Wake up sales presentations with case studies
Use your best case study in a sales presentation to win the prospect over. You can even personalize it to specific prospects by matching up the case study with the prospect’s own situation. Show them exactly what to expect when they use your product or service.
9. Win them over by putting them in your proposals
Including a case study or two in a proposal can be the last push needed to convince your prospect to do business with you. This is a powerful method to firm up the deal.
10. Use case studies in articles for trade magazines
Industry trade magazines are always looking for contributed articles. Case studies offer a great basis for one, needing only a few modifications to get attention from editors. Articles in trade magazines get far more attention than ads, so don’t be afraid to get your case studies out there.
11. Turn case studies into blog posts
Feel like you’re always looking for your next blog post subject? Use your case studies to help fill your posting calendar.
12. Raise more money by including them in grant proposals and fund-raising campaigns
If you’re a nonprofit, case studies are like a secret weapon for winning grant proposals and creating successful fund-raising campaigns. Show your success stories to those you solicit for funds, and they’ll be happy to help out a nonprofit that proves it helps others.
13. Fill up your social media feeds
Post case studies to your social media accounts to spread the word to others about how happy you make your customers. Prospects trust the testimony of their peers more than anything, so make sure they see it in their social feeds.
This is not an exhaustive list. There are other ways to use case studies, probably some no one has thought of yet. Their versatile and powerful nature makes them easy to work into almost any type of existing marketing.
Do you need to create a case study?
Now that you’ve seen all the ways you can use case studies and you know how important they are from my previous post, contact me today to get one started. Why wait? You owe it to your business to give it the best shot at success. Show your prospects what success looks like when they work with you. Get in touch today and we’ll get started.