How to Create Case Studies for Your Business
Case studies can fast-track your brand presence and help convert leads into buyers as they are part of your social proof. But they must be done well and unfortunately, many brands fail in producing great case studies. That’s why to help you we’ve put together some terrific practices for you to follow when creating case studies.
The Importance of Case Studies (both in B2B & B2C)
You can’t underestimate the importance of case studies for your brand as they showcase your social proof, credibility, and expertise. Remember people buy from people they like, know, and trust. In particular, B2B marketers have identified that the top three marketing tactics for B2B businesses are in-person events, webinars, and case studies.
Out of the three case studies have been shown to build the most credibility as they show prospective clients how you solve problems. This can be applied to B2C marketing as well as after all what works in B2B also works in B2C and vice versa. So, knowing how to write case studies well is important as a business. In this age of AI even more so as consumers crave authenticity and genuine human storytelling.
How to Write Case Studies
We’ve put together for you some great techniques taken from both psychology and marketing that you can use for creating convincing and compelling case studies. These techniques will further help your buyers know, like, and trust your brand. They can be used for both B2B and B2C.
Ensure it Relates to Your Audience
All content you create as a business must relate to your audience. Case studies are no different. You must know their pain points, desires, and wants. This is established through conducting proper market research. Always put your audience at the top of your mind and ensure the solution being presented actually works for them.
Often businesses fail to convert prospects because their leads just don’t understand how the content relates to them. Your case study must be relevant to your audience and have both context and credibility.
Without this, they will be asking How does this even help me? or How does it relate to me? Ensure you answer these questions well or there’s no point in doing case studies.
Cognitive Fluency For Your Case Studies
Cognitive fluency simply means the feeling of ease or difficulty that something is. Psychologically humans are hardwired to seek simplicity over complexity. Hence the old saying "complexity is the enemy of execution." If something is too hard to understand it will affect conversion rate.
So, when it comes to your case studies, keep the KISS principle in mind (Keep It Simple Stupid). We aren’t calling you stupid, we are simply making a point!
Use clean and simple language throughout your case study. Only use industry jargon when needed but try to keep content conversational (how people talk) and easy to understand. Incorporate bullet points and have plenty of white space so it’s easy on the eye. Avoid large chunks of text.
Make your case studies visually appealing by inserting an infographic, a chart, and even a video. Visuals are proven to have high conversion rates. It’s not surprising given that half of the human brain is wired towards visuals.
Incorporate Principles of Influence
Robert Cialdini back in 1984 wrote a book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion which is still hailed as one of the greatest marketer’s handbooks. You can borrow its timeless wisdom to help you create your case studies. There are six principles of influence according to Cialdini:
- reciprocity
- commitment/consistency
- social proof
- authority
- liking
- scarcity
Conversions are all about persuasion according to Cialdini. Copywriters, advertisers, and marketers have always understood this. When it comes to case studies you want to turn your readers into buyers. That’s the conversion you’re aiming for.
The best way to do this is to incorporate Cialdini’s two principles of social proof and authority in your case studies. You do this through showcasing your expertise, thought leadership, how you help people, and customer endorsements (their words about how good you are and how you solve problems).
Along with testimonials on your website, don’t forget Google Reviews, local directory reviews like Yelp if you’re a food business, and even LinkedIn recommendations.
Follow a Proven Formula for Writing Case Studies
Time and time again WORD EMPIRE® has used and replicated this formula for successful and compelling case studies for various businesses: Problem → Solution → Results → Endorsement
This formula is essentially a form of storytelling and one which enables you to present a problem, then a solution to that problem followed by the results you got for your client, and then finally an endorsement from the client in their own words, not yours to prove you did what you said you did.
This will further reinforce social proof and credibility. If you follow this formula your case study will have great structure which is logical, clear, and easy to follow.
It’s important to present your solution as quickly as possible in a case study. Unlike in some forms of marketing and storytelling where the solution is often presented last, in a case study, your prospects want the solution presented as quickly as possible. So, don’t delay it.
Present it at the beginning and then follow up with other details in the rest of the case study. This will make it a great story with a winning formula. Replicate it for all your case studies.
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” Seth Godin
Take a Customer/Client Centric Approach
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Content is King”. WORD EMPIRE® says “Content is Emperor” in this day and age. Remember that your customers/clients help make content Emperor in the first place. After all, they are the ones engaging with it and ultimately buying from you. Without them, your content wouldn’t mean anything.
So, it’s important that your case studies shine the spotlight more on them and less on you. To do this you put them first- take a client-centric approach. Revolve your case studies around your client’s success story, their achievements, and their experience in working with you. You want your prospective clients to know that you treat your clients well and genuinely help them grow their business by delivering great results.
Emotional Engagement for Case Studies
Emotional engagement should be at the core of all case studies for them to be convincing and even compelling. Remember humans are emotional creatures and so connect with content that’s emotionally engaging. It hooks them right in. To do this you present a story as previously discussed, keep your language conversational, and limit your jargon.
Where appropriate consider also using humor. Remember if your case studies are for B2B don’t fall into the trap of making them all technical, and dry. Remember B2B marketing doesn’t need to be boring and dry. Infuse your B2B case studies with emotion and you’ll start seeing more engagement and traction.
Extra Pointers on Creating Case Studies for Your Business
Along with the above techniques presented to make your case studies compelling and convincing, we’ve also put together these extras for you that will further help you in creating great case studies:
- Create a headline/title that’s solution-focused. ‘How to’ headlines work really well.
- Present the goals and objectives of your client in discussion
- Ensure no confidential information about your client is discussed
- Don’t forget to include facts and figures. They showcase expertise and show you have attention to detail
- Always feature quotes directly from the client to showcase your credibility (ask their permission to quote them)
- Always have a call to action that directs prospects back to your brand
- Ensure technical information is presented in an easy-to-understand way
- Have impeccable grammar and spelling throughout the case study
- Don’t make your case study sound like a marketing or sales pitch
- Don’t overdo it with too much information. Stick to the fundamentals, don’t go off-topic, and remember the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid)
- Repurpose your case study into other forms of content for amplification like a social media post, a PDF guide, etc.
Case studies when done well can- do wonders for your brand especially if you're seeking investment. For more help with them and creating content for your business Book a Time with WORD EMPIRE® who help build business empires.