When a buyer who is in the market for a product or service has narrowed their choices down to a handful of options, being able to deliver a well-conceived and well-designed case study that speaks to relevant questions they may still have can be the key to closing the sale. Going beyond a testimonial, a case study can address last-minute concerns and objections while verifying the promise of a company’s value proposition through measurable examples.
Case studies come in many formats, and the choice of the best medium depends on many factors, including the target audience and where they are in the buyer’s journey. Here, members of Forbes Agency Council share their best tips on using case studies to effectively showcase how valuable a company’s products or services are and persuade shoppers to choose them.
Forbes Agency Council members share tips to help brands showcase their value proposition using case studies.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Share A ‘Case Story’ Relevant To Your Client’s Needs
It helps to demonstrate within a “case story” some of the core skills, deliverables and outcomes that are the closest analogs to your client’s needs and requirements so that they can see how a direct, practical application of your tool or service can meet their needs. Results should be specific, measurable, proven and tied to the measurement frameworks valued by your client. – Natanya Wachtel, New Solutions Factory
2. Include A Video Testimonial That Names Your Subject
Case studies that come with a video testimonial, including the name and title of the person you worked with, will have more credibility. It is important to do little to no editing of the video testimony so that it better engages prospective buyers. I also use this as part of my bottom-of-the-funnel tactics to convert the prospective buyer. – Sanil Subhash Chandra Bose, Ayruz Data Marketing
3. Empower Unique Personalization With A Toolkit Of Assets
Personalization matters, and as marketers, we must be savvy about marketing to marketers! We have a toolkit that includes one-pagers that serve as bite-sized study materials for an executive and video versions of presentations and pitches. It’s about creating a toolbox of assets that empowers your team to uniquely personalize the story, the industry context and results. – Lili Gil Valletta, CIEN+
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4. Determine The Format According To The Distribution Channel
The format of case studies depends on the distribution channel, but the structure of the case remains the same. We give brief characteristics of the campaign (the main objectives, locations and so on), then we reveal the solution—as a rule, it includes creative ideas or the choice of influencers for the particular campaign. In the end, we showcase the measurable results we got during the campaign. – Michael Kuzminov, HypeFactory
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5. Establish The Client As The Hero And Write With The Reader In Mind
Case studies should establish the client as the hero, showing how they identified the need and used your service as a true partner and collaborator. Remember, your potential client is reading these and thinking, “This could be me after I engage with this company—I, too, could be a success story!” Write the case study with the reader in mind. Use a combo of long-form, graphics, quotes and video. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
6. Tell How You Solved A Pain Point From The Customer’s Perspective
A case study should be about a specific pain point you helped your customer solve. Tell the story from the customer’s perspective, not the brand’s. The goal should be to ensure the reader sees themselves in the case study. When done properly, case studies can be useful throughout the customer journey, but typically they come into play during the consideration and purchase stages. – Robert Finlayson, Bold Marketing and Communications
7. Always Highlight Anything That Can Be Quantified
My No. 1 tip for presenting case studies is to clearly define and bold anything that is quantifiable. At the end of the day, most businesses care about the numbers. So, on top of making a visually appealing case study with client-focused content that shows what was executed for the client, always highlight anything that can be quantified. – Marilyn Cowley, PREM – PR & Social
8. Tell A Story That Puts The Outcome In Context
Case studies should include a strong storytelling component. Readers don’t want statistics and figures thrown at them without any context. Why do those numbers matter? Focus on the outcome rather than the input. There should definitely be a visual component, as long blocks of text will likely be skipped. – Jonathan Franchell, Ironpaper
9. Promote Case Studies Via Paid, Earned And Owned Channels
A happy customer willing to share their success with you is marketing gold—don’t diminish its shine by only posting a case study on your website. Leverage the success by promoting it via paid, earned and owned channels. Industry trade press and national media are drawn toward case studies demonstrating real business value, so uncover and share specific success metrics: dollars saved, churn reduced and so on. – Lindsey Groepper, BLASTmedia
10. Make Sure The Data, Brand And Story Are Well Represented
We take a “mixed media” approach to our case studies to highlight the key data points of the success story as clearly as possible. Some will want to read about the clients, the challenges and so on, while others care about the numbers and the impact on the bottom line. We combine these worlds, ensuring that the data, the brand and the story are all well represented. – Bernard May, National Positions
11. Invest In Video Case Studies And A Great Short-Video Editor
When it comes to conversion, or any call to action for form fills, video case studies have exponentially higher click-through rates compared to static sites. Videos should be distributed at the first or second interaction in the funnel. They help draw the new client in and, essentially, serve as “hype videos” for your company. Investing in a great short-video editor pays off! – Humphrey Ho, Hylink Digital
12. Never Underestimate Design And Style
When you think you’re done and everything is “legit,” give it to a designer to make it look nice. Never underestimate design and style, which should, in my opinion, be rated almost as high as rich content. If it’s not nice to look at, it won’t be read. – Joschka Weltgen, Compado
13. Always Include Quantifiable Results In A Case-Study’s Story
In a case study, nothing drives attention better, nor is more important to your audience, than measurable results. Every case study must tell a story—the challenge, the solution and the results—and it’s important for those results to be quantifiable, whether it’s through increased sales or revenue, improvements in brand awareness or conversions, higher click-through rates or something else. – Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc.
14. Don’t Focus On Dry Numbers In Bottom-Of-Funnel Case Studies
Case studies are bottom-of-the-funnel content, which means that most people who are going to read it already know a lot about you. Moreover, they are probably considering their options, but it doesn’t mean they are looking for dry numbers. Add some storytelling and share a bit of your company culture in those case studies. It can be a good place to start building relationships with your prospects. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
15. Highlight The ‘How’ Behind Problems Solved And Outcomes Achieved
Case studies are effective at both the awareness stage (when telling the story with video) and the pitching stage (when you respond to briefs and requests for proposals with deeper dives, via infographics and text). They can be personalized according to the vertical’s best practices and serve well to define a client’s moment-of-truth experiences with sticky, “aha!” narratives. Case studies should highlight the “how” behind problems solved and outcomes achieved. – Rachel Ooi, Dentsu International
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
