9 ways to get more payback from a case study

By Steve Slaunwhite
Contributing Writer

A case study is a valuable addition to your marketing arsenal. It not only features the success of your product in action, it also enjoys high readership among prospects and customers. After all, everyone loves a good story.

However, marketing professionals sometimes make the mistake of using a case study in only one way — as a press release, for example — rather than disseminating that success story across other sales, advertising, PR and marketing channels.

A case study is highly versatile. It can benefit your company at multiple points along the communications spectrum.

Part I: Making the case for case studies by Steve Slaunwhite Part II: Writing a successful case study by Steve Slaunwhite Top tips to write a persuasive case study by Debbie Weil How to Repackage Your Content for Profits: teleseminar with Marcia Yudkin (March 25, 2004)

Here are some ideas:

1. Use it in a press release

A case study can quickly be abridged and reformatted into a press release. Be sure to note that a longer, more complete case study version is available. Editors might pick it up.

2. Mail it to prospects and customers

This is a terrific way to keep in touch, raise awareness about a new product or service, and even convert prospects into customers.

3. Give it to sales

Sales people love case studies. They use them in presentations, to illustrate key points and as testimonials. A case study is often more convincing than a brochure.

4. Post it on your web site

Want to improve traffic to your site? Keep refreshing and adding solid content. A case study certainly qualifies.

5. Use in as a story in your newsletter or ezine

Success stories based on real-world applications get the highest readership in company newsletters and ezines.

6. As a speaking topic

If your executives speak at meetings and conferences, a case study makes an excellent presentation. The content can easily be converted into PowerPoint™ slides. The printed case study itself can be used as a handout.

7. In lead-generation programs

A case study makes a terrific “free giveaway” in an ad, email, direct mailer and on a website. In direct marketing, we call this strategy an Information Premium. It works!.

8. For testimonials

Testimonials help make benefits believable. The quotes you gleaned from happy customers for the case study can also be used — with permission, of course — in ads, brochures, websites and more.

9. As a trade show handout

Case studies are a great way to break through the clutter of flyers and brochures that permeate trade shows. One of my clients even had a case study enlarged and printed on a trade show exhibit wall!

A case study takes a lot of work to plan and prepare. But, if you leverage it throughout sales, marketing, advertising and PR, the payback is rapid.

Useful Resources Part I: Making the case for case studies by Steve Slaunwhite Part II: Writing a successful case study by Steve Slaunwhite Top tips to write a persuasive case study by Debbie Weil How to Repackage Your Content for Profits: teleseminar with Marcia Yudkin (March 25, 2004)

Part I: Making the case for case studies

By Steve Slaunwhite

Readers love a good story. That's why prospects, customers and editors have such an insatiable appetite for the best ones they can find. So if you've been racking your brains thinking of new ways to get the word out about your products and services, then consider producing a case study. It's easily the best kind of story you can tell.

If you're not familiar with the modern case study, rest assured it's not the dry, technical tome of yesteryear. Case studies — also known as customer profiles or case histories — are essentially success stories about your products and services… and the customers who use them.

Typically, a case study is written in standard feature article format. Just like you’d read in a trade or business magazine.

For example, I recently completed a case study for UPS. They have a logistics service that helps companies do business in Canada and Mexico. The story features how UPS helps a particular customer solve problems, save time and lower costs. Like any good story, this one includes plenty of quotes, examples and anecdotes from both UPS and the customer.

What makes a case study so effective?

* It moves your marketing communications several notches up the credibility ladder. Think about it. What is more powerful then enabling prospects and customers to see for themselves how your product or service is working in the real world?

* It breaks through the clutter. Especially if it is reasonably unbiased and timely, a case study will almost always gain the attention of readers. Just flip through the pages of any trade or professional magazine. You'll find a significant percentage of articles based on case study material.

* It enjoys a high readership. Readers want to know what their colleagues in other organizations are doing to solve similar problems. A case study allows them to be a fly on the wall.

Customers and prospects are inundated by ads, email, direct mail and expecially brochures. A case study, by contrast, is rarer and conjures visual images of your product or service in action. It’s told (at least in part) from the perspective of a happy customer. And that’s the kind of story that people find hard to resist.

Part II: Writing a successful case study

By Steve Slaunwhite

Readers love a good story. That's why these chronicles of success will often stand out on a prospects or editor's desk while press releases, media kits, brochures and other marketing communications fight a tough battle just to get noticed.

Case studies tell the story of a great product or service and a happy customer. Often (ideally) the customer is interviewed and quoted in the article.

Unlike a press release, there is no standardized format for writing a case study. They can be as short as a single paragraph, or as complex as a four-page document with sidebars, summaries and charts.

Having written hundreds over the years, I recommend you follow what I call "The Case Study Sequence."

* The customer. In the lead paragraph, focus on your customer, not on your product or company. Gain attention with an interesting lead.

* The challenge. Next, introduce the problem. What condition was your customer trying to change or improve? If possible, use the customer's own words in the form of a quotation.

* The journey. What steps were taken to solve the problem? What other products or services were investigated? Why didn't these work out? Many case study writers skip this section. Don't you skip it. This is the place in the story where the reader begins to identify and empathize.

* The discovery. How did the customer find out about you? In an ad? At a trade show? Through a media interview? This section often acts as a bridge to the remainder of the case study.

* The solution. This is where you have unbridled freedom to pitch your product or service without fear of sounding too promotional. The earlier sections have earned you this right.

* The implementation. How was your product or service implemented? Was there any downtime or disruption involved? How long was it before it was up and running at 100%? Be honest about any problems that arose and how they were resolved. Highlight instances where you went "the extra mile" to satisfy the customer.

* The results. How well did your product or service solve your customer's problem? Be as specific as you can here. If possible, use hard numbers such as savings, revenue gains, sales growth and return on investment. This is another good spot to include a customer quotation. And a great place to summarize and close your story.

These articles are reprinted with permission.