Are you developing case studies—a valuable type of content that influences purchase decisions?

Man standing in front of screen presenting a customer success story to influence four potential buyers sitting on a couch in an office setting.

Case studies and customer testimonials are proven to be a highly effective marketing tactic that support increasing sales.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 73% of B2B buyers find case studies to be the most influential type of content when making a purchasing decision.

As potential buyers get to know your business, there’s a point in their decision-making process where case studies will help seal the deal—especially with complex or technical solutions. 

A case study offers a look at a business challenge a real customer needed to overcome, explains why they selected your company, and demonstrates how the solutions you provided helped the customer address their challenge.

Quality content requires following a process, so to help you maximize your clients’ success by creating compelling success stories, we’ve compiled five considerations:

1 | Identify customers to showcase.

First and foremost—be authentic. Testimonials should be real and never fake. This means you need to generate a list of potential customers.

Start by considering which customers fit key parameters, such as the type of projects, services or industries your company wants to showcase. The customers you choose should reflect your ideal prospective buyers—and focus on distinct solutions and benefits they’re seeking.

If there are multiple customers involved in a project, consider which customer can provide the perspective that would be most meaningful to the pain points of your prospective customers and approach that person individually.

2 | Ask the right questions.

When you’re writing a case study, know the end story you want to tell. Use a prepared list of questions to guide the discussion and be sure to cover valuable aspects like why your company was selected and how you helped their business.

Knowing the format of how you will tell your client success story will help guide the questions to ask when the content agency interviews your customer. 

Below is an overly simplified framework for questions you’ll want to ask.

• Overview: What business challenge was the company looking to address?

  
  

• Approach: How did the company solve the solution with your product or services? 

  
  

• Results: What was the measured impact on the company from implementing or using your solutions?

As long as the customer agrees, using a quote from the interview can be valuable.

It’s okay to finesse it, but always do share the final version with your client so they have the opportunity to refine and approve it. And, when possible or allowed, include elements such as your client’s name and title, along with their company logo.

3 | Consider various formats.

What types of formats should you use for sharing your customer case studies? We recommend creating a range of formats, allowing them to be integrated across your communications.

• Written: Develop a one- or two-page PDF that shares the story in logical flow from title, scenario, and approach to results. Consider call-outs to highlight quotes and metrics.

• Infographic: Create static or interactive infographics to provide an easy-to-read visual story for use across social media, brochures, newsletters and website pages.

• Video: Produce a video version since hearing a story can provide an emotional and persuasive way to bring your customer case study to life.

Where should you share your case studies?

• Website: Post your success story on your company’s website. It does not need to be limited to one section of the site, but could be incorporated into a home page, product page or other relevant ones, such as a resource center.

• Social posts: More visual or snackable excerpts from a full case study, such as infographics or video clips, could be posted on relevant social channels like LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or Facebook.

• Newsletters: In digital channels, like a newsletter, a snapshot of the case study can be accompanied by a link to “learn more,” allowing the reader to access a full version.

• Sales team: Provide the sales team access to use case studies with their direct client or buyer communications either via their digital communications or in real life at trade shows or user events.

Ready to start influencing decisions with compelling customer success stories?

As an Atlanta-based strategic communications agency, our writing lab produces a range of digital marketing content, such as blogs, eBooks, customer testimonials, case studies, white paper reports, solution sheets and more!

Do need the expertise and capacity to keep up with producing fresh digital content? We know what it takes to produce quality content that drives results. We’re here to help! Contact us today!

About C.E.K. & Partners

Established in 2009, C.E.K. & Partners has a proven track record as a reliable and responsive woman-owned small business. We are a marketing research and strategic communications firm serving companies across technology, fintech/payments, manufacturing, energy, non-profits, healthcare, energy, retail and government.

We competitively position brands, capture insights that reduce risk and help inform strategic business decisions, and create content that establishes thought leadership and generates demand.