OK, guys, look. We here at Zen Media have been around the block a few times when it comes to online marketing. In our years of experience, we’ve seen firsthand the impact that case studies can have on a business’s growth. But it’s not enough that we’ve seen it – we want you to get it, too! So, just for you, we decided to write a case study about…drum roll, please…case studies! Our goals are as follows:
- To improve our awesome blog readers’ understanding of what a case study is.
- To demonstrate how to put an awesome case study together.
- To show how effective case studies can be in establishing credibility and social proof…and awesomeness.
- To increase the use of case studies in awesome businesses across the nation!
The Strategy:
1. First, we’ve got to explain what exactly a case study is. (Hint: It’s awesome.)
- A case study is like a customer testimonial on steroids. (But not really, because then it would get ‘roid rage, and that would NOT attract new clients.)
- It’s basically a write-up, done by your company, in which you describe how you helped a client.
- But the great thing about it is that you can include interviews with the client, and all kinds of details about how exactly you helped them, so that other potential customers get a really in–depth idea of what it is that you’re capable of.
2. Next, we want to show you how to put one together.
- A case study, if you hadn’t noticed by now, is composed of 3 main sections:
- The Challenge
- The Strategy
- The Results
- You can write the whole thing out like an article, with eloquent descriptions of your client’s problem, how you went about solving it for them, and what the final results were. You can include quotes from your client, background information about their business, and specific stories illustrating both the problem and the solution.
- Or, you can be concise and to-the-point, providing bulleted lists that show at a glance what was needed, what was done, and what resulted.
- But no matter how you write it, the most important thing is to get your client’s permission first. Tell them you’d like to use them for a case study, which will give them some free visibility on your site. Ask them for some quotes you can use, and be sure they are okay with your sharing the stats on their success.
3. Finally, we want to show you how to make your case study truly, awesomely effective as a marketing tool.
- Of course you’ll feature your case studies on your own website – that goes without saying. But in order to really make them work for you, you’ll want to share them everywhere.
- By everywhere, we mean on every social media channel you use: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn… Spread the word to all your followers and fans about how you helped this client – because then they’ll see just how you can help them, too.
- Ask your client to share it, as well – both on their site and on their social media channels.
- Getting the word out will do two amazing things. It will establish credibility for your company – here is detailed proof, backed up by statistics, that you do good work. And it will provide social proof – a form of online peer pressure that motivates others to use your company, because they see that their peers have. (But Mom, everybody’s doing it!)
The Results:
- Well, the results of this particular case study are still open at this point, aren’t they? You’ll have to decide whether to put these tips into practice or not.
- But if you do, let us know in the comments section below – we’d love to be able to update our case study on case studies with your results!
