There’s no denying it, case studies are invaluable. But they also just make sense. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes, if you’re parting with your hard earned cash, it’s only natural to want a bit of reassurance before you buy, right?
You can scream about how brilliant your brand is until you’re blue in the face, but at the end of the day it’s the words of others that validates what you’re saying’s actually true.
Did you know, in the B2B world, the vast majority (78% to be precise) of buyers seek out case studies during their product or service research?
So, what does this mean for you? Well, quite frankly, it means you could be missing out on masses of opportunities without them. If a business is doing their pre-purchase research and fail to find the recommendations they’re looking for on your site, it could end their journey with you.
Make them visible
A common mistake many businesses make is building a bank of brilliant case studies, but making them navigationally hard to find. Try to avoid uploading them as blog articles, because as more time passes, the further down your feed they’ll be pushed, and the harder they’ll be to come across.
I know it’s a coveted space and there’s only so much that can fit there, but, if possible, try to squeeze your case studies into your main menu. They’ll be significantly more visible and, given the impact they can have on conversions, are arguably worth the space.
6 questions to ask
More often than not, you only have one shot to get your case study right. It’s hard enough as it is getting people to say yes, never mind getting them to sign up to a round two. So, to make sure you’re getting the most out of your opportunities, here’s some question inspiration to get you going.
1. How has our product/service helped your business?
Until businesses buy off you and experience it for themselves, they’ll never truly know how much you can help them. So, let other businesses give them an insight into how you make their life easier. From this, prospects will be able to easily identify how your offerings can apply to them, too.
2. What was the tipping point to buying our product/service?
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. Often, businesses will do things a certain way because it’s how they’ve always done it, and they might not even realise it’s a struggle until they see a better way of doing things.
By adding in this question, you’ll bring pain points to life that prospects can resonate with - who knows, it might even give them that gentle prod to get in touch.
3. Which part of our product/service do you find most valuable?
Get your clients to brag about your best bits for you! It’s easy marketing and it might even give you a new idea or angle to target your advertising with.
4. Would you recommend us to other businesses? And if so, why?
The all-important seal of approval. In a world where you’re constantly fighting your competition for clients, get as many people as you can to shout about why they opted for you over them.
5. If you had to describe our business in one sentence, what would it be?
Adding in a nice little one-liner's a great way to get a short and snappy overview of your business. While questions one to four are all great and absolutely needed, sometimes you just need something a little less lengthy.
If you’re lucky enough to get clients recommending you on camera, this one’s ideal for creating a to-the-point video compilation that brings the words of many together, too. A bit like this:
6. Do you think there’s any way we could improve our product/service?
This one’s not for your actual case study, but why not kill two birds with one stone and do a bit of market research while you’re at it? This’ll help you find out where your gaps are and, if there are any trends emerging, tweak your product or service accordingly.
The gift that keeps on giving
Once you’ve got a bank of case studies, you’re armed for every single marketing touchpoint.
Whether it’s splattering an excerpt on social media or including a banner in your emails - and everything else in between, don’t hide them away. Use them to support your messages and take the opportunity to point your audience back to your site.
Need a hand creating your case studies?
You’ve asked the questions. You’ve got the answers. But can you bring them to life?
No? Not a problem - I can help. To see some samples of case studies I’ve put together, head here, here and here.
To see some more examples or chat about what I can do for you, you can reach me on bryonypearce@yahoo.com or +44 7824 394 237.
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