This article can be downloaded as a pdf under “Free”.
Case studies are very versatile – they can be used in just about any marketing, sales or public relations communication. But many companies are not using them to their best advantage. Here are some ideas to make full use of your company’s case studies.
Develop Presentations Based on Your Case Studies
Case studies make great presentations and the materials can easily be converted into slides. Talking about a real-life story will be much more interesting to listeners than you dryly describing the benefits of your product or service. Printed case studies make great take-aways at the end.
Feature in Social Media
Success stories are the type of information that gets shared and discussed via social media. A case study makes your business into a personal story.
Start a Success Stories Blog
Start a blog of success stories. Research is suggesting that being able to comment on or share materials via social media makes the information more attractive to readers.
Post on Your Website
Success stories provide new and updated content for your website that can help you increase traffic. But don’t just post the stories on your site – use Twitter, Facebook or posts on industry websites to point people to them. Encourage sharing and discussion.
Use for Testimonials
Your case studies are a source of quotes from satisfied customers that can be used as testimonials on your website and in various other sales and marketing materials. Make sure to gain consent from your client to use their words in all your marketing materials. This is rarely a problem since it provides free advertising for their company.
Feature in Trade Show and Conference Handouts and Exhibits
Trying to find ways to get the attention of your target client in the midst of frenzied trade show activity? Case studies will help. As handouts, they are often much more powerful than company brochures. And you can create powerful exhibits based on success stories that will grab people’s attention much more rapidly than the standard fare.
Develop into Press Releases
Case studies can easily be abridged to develop press releases and used to garner publicity in trade publications, industry websites, monthly magazines and other media. Case studies are attractive to reporters because they supply both the story context and the proof – a concrete example of how a business or product improved someone’s life. And having that story appear in the pages of a magazine or newspaper is even more persuasive than you telling a prospect about a client’s success.
Give to Salespeople
Case studies do a lot of the selling for you. Case studies are powerful because they feature a third party talking about the benefits you deliver. Someone else talking about the benefits you provide will always be more powerful than you doing it. For this reason, case studies are often more influential in purchase decisions than other marketing materials such as brochures.
Send to Prospects
If you have a number of case studies on hand, then salespeople can choose an appropriate one to forward to someone who has expressed an interest in your service or products. Examples of people who struggled with the same problems and challenges and overcame them with your company’s help are memorable and influential.
Send to Current Clients
You might not think to send success stories to your current customers, but they are a good way to stay in touch and to remind customers of the value they are receiving in using your product or service. They serve to revalidate the choice your client made in going with your company. Case studies are often the most-read material in newsletters and other company communications.
The material from your case studies will help any time you are trying to demonstrate the benefits of your product or service. Telling the story of how your product or service improved the life of your client will bring the benefits of your product or service to life for your audience. Leveraging your case studies will enable you to get the most for your dollars spent.