Everyone loves a great case study.
Prospects love them because it allows them to see what's possible and provides social proof – someone has already done it.
Marketers love them because it builds trust with prospects, reinforces credibility, and can be used as an extremely effective lead generation tool. (You know, they need to opt-in to get it).
Sure, you don't have to use it for lead generation. If you already have a successful lead magnet/ freemium/ whatever you want to call the thing they need to opt in to get, that's great.
You can publish the case study on your blog and link to your lead gen piece (which they will be more likely to opt-in for, because you're building trust).
But there's a difference between haphazardly ‘throwing a case study together' and crafting a killer case study that actually builds trust and leads.
Luckily, all you have to do is follow this formula from our friends at HubSpot.
Check it out…
1) Find the Right Case Study Candidate
Writing about your previous projects requires more than picking a client and telling a story. You need permission, quotes, and a plan. To start, here are a few things to look for in potential candidates.
Product Knowledge
It helps to select a customer who's well-versed in the logistics of your product or service. That way, he or she can better speak to the value of what you offer in a way that makes sense for future customers.
Remarkable Results
Clients that have seen the best results are going to make the strongest case studies. If their own businesses have seen an exemplary ROI from your product or service, they're more likely to convey the enthusiasm that you want prospects to feel, too.
One part of this step is to choose clients who have experienced unexpected success from your product or service. When you've provided non-traditional customers — in industries that you don't usually work with, for example — with positive results, it can help to remove doubts from prospects.
Recognizable Names
While small companies can have powerful stories, bigger or more notable brands tend to lend credibility to your own — in some cases, having brand recognition can lead to 24.4X as much growth as companies without it.
Switchers
Customers that came to you after working with a competitor help highlight your competitive advantage, and might even sway decisions in your favor.
2) Reach Out to Case Study Participants
To get the right case study participants on board, you have to set the stage for clear and open communication. That means outlining expectations and a timeline right away — not having those is one of the biggest culprits in delayed case study creation.
It's helpful to know what you'll need from the participants, like permission to use any brand names and share the project information publicly. Kick off the process with an email that runs through exactly what they can expect from you, as well as what is expected of them.
Case Study Release Form
This document can vary, depending on factors like the size of your business, the nature of your work, and what you intend to do with the case studies once they are completed.
The Questionnaire
To ensure that you have a productive interview — which is one of the best ways to collect information for the case study — you'll want to ask the participant to complete a questionnaire prior to this conversation. That will provide your team with the necessary foundation to organize the interview, and get the most out of it.
The Interview
Once the questionnaire is completed, someone on your team should reach out to the participant to schedule a 30-60 minute interview, which should include a series of custom questions related to the customer's experience with your product or service.
3) Ensure You're Asking the Right Questions
A strong case study results from being prepared to ask the right questions. What do those look like? Here are a few examples to get you started:
- What are your goals?
- What challenges were you experiencing prior to purchasing our product or service?
- What made our product or service stand out against our competitors?
- What did your decision-making process look like?
- How have you benefited from using our product or service? (Where applicable, always ask for data.)
Keep in mind that the questionnaire is designed to help you gain insights into what sort of strong, success-focused questions to ask during the actual interview.
If you're looking to craft a compelling story, “yes” or “no” answers won't provide the details you need. Focus on questions that invite elaboration, such as, “Can you describe …?” or, “Tell me about …”
4) Lay Out Your Case Study
When it comes to recommending written case studies, we recommend focusing on seven sections, which we've outlined here. Note — even if you do elect to use a visual case study, it should still include all of this information, but presented in a different format.
- Title: Keep it short. Focus on highlighting the most compelling accomplishment.
- Executive Summary: A 2-4 sentence summary of the entire story. You'll want to follow it with 2-3 bullet points that display metrics showcasing success.
- About: An introduction to the person or company, which can be pulled from a LinkedIn profile or website.
- Challenges: A 2-3 paragraph description of the customer's challenges, prior to using your product or service. This section should also include the goals that the customer set out to achieve.
- How You Helped: A 2-3 paragraph section that describes how your product or service provided a solution to their problem.
- Results: A 2-3 paragraph testimonial that proves how your product or service specifically impacted the person or company, and helped achieve goals. Include numbers to quantify your contributions.
- Supporting Visuals or Quotes: Pick one or two powerful quotes that you would feature at the bottom of the sections above, as well as a visual that supports the story you are telling.
Pretty awesome, right? Now you've got what you need to create a killer case study that builds trust and converts prospects into leads.
And if you want to read more about crafting the perfect case study, head over to HubSpot.
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