Marketing case studies: A business owner’s 9-point guide.
What is a case study?
A case study is used to highlight your best work. Case studies can be standalone success stories or form part of a larger portfolio. You’re showcasing what your business does and how well it does it.
Better than that, you're sharing with potential clients and customers the experience that previous clients have had at your hands. This carries a lot of weight for all companies, especially newer, smaller ones relying on positive word of mouth for growth.
What is the importance of case studies?
You can use case studies to build trust with potential new customers, promote previous good work, and add valuable site content. If you write them well, they will also help your site rise through Google rankings and convert readers into buyers.
In advertising, you shouldn't underestimate the value of word-of-mouth referral. People trust the opinions and experiences of their friends and families. This means they are more likely to be swayed by the positive experiences of others when it comes to making their own purchasing decisions.
By using case studies, you are showing the experience a third party has had with your company. This is like creating your own word of mouth advertising right on your site.
For all these reasons and more, a growing brand can’t afford to underestimate the importance of case studies.
How to structure a case study
Now you understand how beneficial they can be, let's look at our case study methodology which you can use in your own business.
1. Introductory line
A well-written introductory line gives context to your reader. For a case study, you should write an introductory line that is a brief summary of the work you did.
For example:
“Just Firewalls needed to migrate to a new updated content management system (CMS) built on modern technology systems. A complete overhaul of the content and design was also required.”
At a glance, a skim reader can then tell if this particular case study will be of interest.
2. The customer and their problems
After you have introduced the case study, your next step is to add detail. What problem did the customer have, exactly? Was there anything unique to this specific case? Which obstacles did the customer deal with that might trouble other customers?
For example:
“Just Firewalls initially contacted Ketchup because their existing ecommerce website was underperforming. Their overly complex site had become cumbersome.
Over time, it had accumulated a great deal of unnecessary content and the structure was no longer logical. This was making it very difficult for visitors to quickly navigate and find information on the products that were best suited to their requirements.
Moreover, the site was nowhere near close to fulfilling Just Firewalls’ search engine optimisation (SEO) requirements.
In addition, the site was running on an old technology that was due to be discontinued by the manufacturer within one year.”
This gives the reader the opportunity to recognise problems that are relevant to them. You’re showing the reader that the work you do is something they might need. This is an important step in converting readers to buyers.
3. Main Content: How your company approached and resolved these issues
Now the reader knows what problems your previous customer faced. If they’re still reading, it means they probably have the same problems. Therefore, this is your chance to turn your case study into a sales pitch. You can do this by showcasing how you served the customer effectively.
To get the most out of case studies, you need to use them effectively. As much as they are a true representation of previous work, they are also an advertisement to potential future customers, so make sure you're selling yourself in how you describe the work you've done.
For example:
“The Ketchup team migrated and extended Just Firewalls’ default CMS, making it possible for anyone to easily create different styles of content based on different designs within any given page on the website.
Customising sections on a page and re-positioning elements on a page is now straightforward and updates can quickly and easily be carried out client-side – giving Just Firewalls more control over their own content.
Ketchup’s expert web designers also built the new streamlined and easy-to-navigate site with innovative features to dramatically improve the user experience. For instance, custom integration lets Ketchup’s programmers add hardware bundles (related products) onto the site, and allows visitors to search by SKU codes.
This provides powerful cross-selling capabilities, which automatically appear on screen while visitors are browsing. Then there are the additional up-selling capabilities, notifying the customer of complementary products based on what’s in their basket.
Ultimately, Ketchup is helping Just Firewalls to fine-tune the customer experience and maximise sales opportunities at every interaction point, every time someone visits their site.”
This section of the case study outlines the value of your service. In the example above, which is taken from one of Ketchup’s own case studies, we’re demonstrating the depth and effectiveness of the service we provided, and advertising how well it resolved the issues Just Firewalls faced.
4. Quantify your results
Whether your results can be measured in a percentage, timeframe, quantity, or some other factor, include some reference wherever possible to how effective your service or product has been for your customer.
For example:
“Customising sections on a page and re-positioning elements on a page is now straightforward and updates can quickly and easily be carried out client-side – giving Just Firewalls more control over their own content.”
Statistics also work really well. For example, in our case study for The Melton Building Society, we’re keen to advertise that we increased mortgage enquiries by 278%.
You can space images throughout the text or tie them into a slideshow or gallery within the case study page.
For example, take a look at our own case study for the work we did for Stamford Stone at Home. We’ve included an image reel of the stunning new website we created so our clients can trust we’re good at what we do.
5. Testimonials
Third-party reviews are the most trusted form of rating a business. So, if a customer loves your product or thinks you’ve done a job well, you want to make sure all your future customers hear about it.
Ketchup makes sure our glowing reviews are featured on every page of our site. We want our present and future clients to know that people love the work we do and that they’re making the right choice when they choose us.
What’s more, we try to include a testimonial in every one of our case studies. It’s one thing to advertise ourselves but it packs a whole lot more punch when our customers are the ones singing our praises.
You can request testimonials from previous customers through direct email, phone calls or LinkedIn.
6. Call to action
The final part of any case study should be a call to action.
This is the vital step not to be missed; it is the whole reason for having customer case studies on your website to begin with. We are aiming to convert as many readers as possible into potential customers.
Keep in mind that the people most likely to be reading about the work you've done before are the ones in the market for your help today. Do not be shy about asking them to contact you off the back of what they've read.
For example:
“Ketchup is a fully-outsourced marketing department committed to helping your business scale up and build your brand for future success.
Our expert team includes graphic artists, web and print designers, PR marketers, SEO specialists, copywriters, and experienced strategists.
We can completely run your marketing campaigns or support an existing marketing team. Our fully qualified experts are highly experienced in managing marketing for customers in the long-term. We also support companies in the run-up to key events in their calendar and new product launches. All this for a small monthly fee.
You’ll find us being creative in our Nottingham office. We’re located in the city centre at 20 Bath Street, Nottingham, NG1 1DF. Or, you can call us on 0115 671 3868. Just make sure you get in touch soon if you’re serious about marketing your company."
In this paragraph, we've identified our target audience — companies needing help with their marketing — and encouraged them to get in touch. This is known as a ‘call to action’ - literally an attempt at having a site visitor take another step, in this case 'get in touch'.
7. Include links
Linking content between pages on your site allows readers to easily find what they are looking for.
Consider your links to be a series of signposts guiding your site visitors towards their end goal. This might be further information, getting in touch, advice, or even a purchase. Part of the importance of case studies is the way you can use them to drive traffic to key landing pages throughout your site.
There should be pages on your website which outline your key services, contact details, and other relevant information. Where there are references to the content of these pages in your case study, you should create links so the reader can easily find more information.
For Example:
Consider the following. The phrases highlighted in bold would link to the relevant pages.
“Ketchup’s expert web designers also built the new streamlined and easy-to-navigate site with innovative features to dramatically improve the user experience. For instance, custom integration lets Ketchup’s programmers add hardware bundles (related products) onto the site, and allows visitors to search by SKU codes.”
In this example, the links may lead to a page about Ketchup’s web design team and to Ketchup’s home page.
8. Include images
Some products and services work better with pictures than others. For example, a wedding planner could post beautiful pictures of a successful wedding, or a pet groomer could have an image of a smiling pup with fluffy fur.
Images draw the eye and lend authenticity to a text. Readers can imagine results from your descriptions, but seeing results really helps cement their new-found trust in your company.
When you follow our approach to case studies, you'll have all the bases covered... but there is one more area you need to think about in all of the above steps.
9. Reinforcing your own brand voice
What is your brand voice? Are you knowledgeable and professional? Quirky and fun? Traditional or alternative?
Whatever your brand personality, be sure it shines through in your case study. For a company that prides itself on its friendliness, for example, the case study may mention how lovely their customer was. On the other hand, for a company that prides itself on its expertise, the study may go into more technical detail than another would choose to include.
It all depends on your audience and how you want to be appear to your readers.
How Ketchup can help
We understand the importance of case studies. With 25 case studies of our own on this very website, plus countless more we have written for our clients, we know how to turn your previous work into future customers.
From wording the case study just right to ensuring all links are fully functional, we are experts from the first line of a case study to the final call to action. If you don't have the time to write a case study, we can help!
Read more about our capabilities here. Or, you can contact us today for more information about how we can help you create effective case studies for your website and print promotions.