It can be not easy to gain the trust of potential customers. You need to prove that you are capable of delivering on the promises made by your product or service before you can expect to win their business.
You could tell people that you are the best at X or that you are way ahead of your competition in Y. What you need is hard, cold-proof to get new business.
A compelling case study is one of the best ways to demonstrate your value. HubSpot’s State of Marketing 2020 report revealed that case studies were so persuasive that they were the fifth most popular type of content.
Case Study Definition
A Case Study is an in-depth look at a particular challenge that a company has faced and the solution it chose to overcome it. Case studies are usually long and include many details about the original challenge and solution. They can also be presented as a blog post, video, or white paper.
It’s not uncommon for case studies to be used in professional settings to describe a successful partnership between a client and a vendor. You might highlight the number of customers your client closed or the revenue you gained. These key performance indicators are all examples of the services provided by your company.
These examples can help you attract new customers by demonstrating the positive impact of your business on your existing and previous clients.
Why do you need to write a case study?
You might be thinking, “But why should I write one??” The truth is that case studies can be a powerful marketing tool that allows you to show the value of your products to potential clients using real-world cases. Here are some reasons you should write a case study.
Explain complex topics or concepts.
Case studies allow you to simplify complex ideas, concepts, and strategies and demonstrate how they can be used practically. Use real-world examples to tell a story. For example, you can take an existing customer and show how their product helped them solve their problem.
Show Expertise
Case studies can be a good way to show your expertise and knowledge on a particular topic or industry. You can use this opportunity to showcase your problem-solving abilities and the successful outcomes you have achieved for clients.
Credibility and Trustworthiness
Case studies can be a great way to establish credibility. These case studies are often filled with information and well-researched. This shows that you have done your research. Because they have read your explanation of the problem and the steps you took to resolve it, they can be confident in the solutions that you present. These elements, when combined, can help you build trust with your potential customers.
Create Social Proof
social evidence can be built by using existing clients who have had success with your brand. If you can show that other people have had success with your brand, they are more likely to choose it. Case studies are a great way to show your customers how successful you have been.
These attributes all work together to increase your client base. You can also use the quotes of customers who appear in these case studies to create other marketing materials. Let’s look at how long a case study should be now that you understand the benefits.
How long should the case study be?
The length of a Case Study will vary depending on how complex the topic or project is. As a guide, case studies usually range between 500 and 1,500 words.
It should be clear and concise, describing the problem, the solution, and the outcome. It may seem easier said than accomplished, but you need to find a balance to provide enough information to make your case study informative while still keeping the reader interested.
It is important to communicate clearly the main points and key takeaways from the case study. This shouldn’t just be a wall text. Use bullet points, headings, charts, and other graphics to make the content easier for readers to scan. Brands have also incorporated video elements in case studies on their website to create a more engaging experience.
The length of a case study is determined by how much information you need to include in order to tell the story and convey its impact. Let’s now look at a few templates that will take all the guesswork out.
Case Study Templates
We’ve created a guide that will help you create case studies for your company. You can also download free templates to make your own.
To give you even more options, let’s highlight some templates that are useful for different purposes. There are many ways to demonstrate the work that your business has accomplished.
General Case Study Template
A simple, generic template is a good foundation for your case studies. This first template allows your company to elaborate on the solution you provided to a happy customer, from their background to what made them do business with you to the results that they have seen.
Each section of the template is distinct, and each one outlines what information to include or how to proceed better to tell your story and that of your customers. When you download the template, you will also find bracket prompts to help you generate ideas and instructions on how to fill it out.
Data-Driven Case Study Format
HubSpot’s Data-Driven Template is an excellent template for those who want to showcase objective, numeric solutions. It is structured to highlight any notable achievements metrics a customer has experienced with your product or service.
This template has the same bracketed prompts, sections, and visual cues as the generic template. However, it is more visually appealing to highlight your customer’s successes.
Product-Specific Case Study Template
You’re trying hard to sell a product or service, but you don’t have enough testimonials or success stories. This Product Specific Case Study Template will help.
This template focuses less on metrics and more on the customer experience and satisfaction. You’ll be asked to focus more on the product’s benefits than the process your team uses when working with customers as you follow the template’s instructions.
Bold Social Media Business Study Template
You can find templates that represent different niches, industries, or strategies that your business has found success in — like a bold social media business case study template.
This template allows you to tell your story about how your social media strategy has helped your business or client, whether through collaboration or the sale of a service. You can customize it to show how your business has boosted traffic, engagement, followers, and other metrics.