Seasoned and start-up company owners know that business planning and strategy implementation play an essential part in its growth and success. But not all possess the skill to accomplish these. It is here that you require the assistance of the experts. Business case studies can impact marketing initiatives.
It is different from your average case study and requires significant knowledge and effort. The success of your business case study will provide worthy results. Thus, you will see a marked improvement in the sale and profit generation.
As mentioned, not all possess these specialized skills. They know nothing about how to go about the process. If you desire to hone your business case study writing skills, then it is the perfect article for you. It offers an in-sigh about the topic and highlights tips and tricks, which will ease the case study preparation process.
So, what exactly is a case study?
A case study is a content, which sheds light on the company’s effectiveness or success in handling a client. It is generally used for marketing, and it can be beneficial because it lets future clients know how the professional or the agency has done an excellent job in the past. So, for that reason, basically, every other successful online venture uses case studies (you should too!).
A common misconception that many people have about case studies is that these are nothing for those self-congratulatory marketing copies. The content does not boost the ego of the company owner. It is an informative piece that targets clients.
The case study helps clients to assess the potential of the company. It also highlights how the organization works to offer better services to enhance the satisfaction of the customers.
Step by step guide to writing a brilliant business case study
Once you gather information about the scope of the business case study, it is time to begin your task. What if you still have doubts? Don’t worry, as these five steps will tell you all that you need to know.
1. Recognize the best possible data source you have
To figure out which of all the cases that you have would fit the study the best, evaluate them from the angles given below.
A significant challenge: Anything can be seen as a challenge, from low sales, tight timeline, complicated glitches, to even the search for entirely new software installation.
A befitting solution: For the case study to tell your success story, it needs the kind of solution that your customers can find relatable.
A sequence of considerable benefits: The final part of selecting the right case is the benefits. Your brilliant case study needs to have a couple of benefits that should be relatable to your customers. It would be even better if you can incorporate actual statistics and numbers to drive your point home.
2. Get down to writing your case
Follow the five tips given below and ace writing your business case study:
Choose the voice wisely: Depending on the content of the research and your brand, you can choose between the third or first person. There is nothing wrong with any of these approaches, and case studies are a mix of both in most cases.
You can use the first-person and third-person tones while writing your business case study. It gives you the opportunity to use quotations easily. If you use only a first-person tone, then it may send a wrong message to your clients. Using the third-person narrative makes the case study less engaging for the readers.
Give an attention-grabbing and specific title: The title that you give is an essential component of your case study. Include proper action verbs and percentages to make it as attractive as possible. For instance, think of something like, ‘Company X doubles its yearly revenue,’ ‘Sign-up rates increased by 100%: Here’s how!’
Keep in mind that your titles will be attention-grabbing when you can make them as accurate as you can. That is the reason why using things like ‘100%’ or ‘doubles’ come up in so many case study titles.
Keep the language simple: It is a common misconception that one must use business terms in the case study. It makes the reading experience less pleasing for your target clients. Thankfully, that is not how it works. You will have to keep the language simple for the study and not make it overly complicated. It is better to avoid jargon and complex words in your work.
Less use of technical terms and business jargon makes the content more attractive. It gives it a natural flow. Both loyal clients and potential customers can get a clear picture. Such case studies prove to be beneficial for the company.
Make sure to include actual numbers: Customers desire facts more than flowery language. Facts in the case study title will highlight this aspect. It also assists clients to remember the subject matter of the business case study. Experts suggest that it is best to use figure subtly. You can get the shock element that urges the readers to read on.
So, keep this in mind and include actual numbers in the case studies. Using phrases such as ‘more than that’ ‘less than that’ are good, but they do not have the X factor that can take your study on to the top.
Write from start to finish: You would not want to leave out essential data in your case study. Instead, write from the start and keep in as chronological and accurate as it can be. Flesh out the complete scenario around the interactions that you had with your client and let the readers get an original idea about your impact.
3. Complete it with all the details of your contact information
Though there are different notions for the information that you need to include in the case study, generally, things like your website, phone number, email, a short bio, and your social media profiles should be included. This is enough information to let the interested parties contact you, and it will help you get more returns on your investments further down the line.
4. Get a designer to complete your product
Keep in mind that all great case studies come with an equally fantastic design. So, it will be helpful if you can get a designer to put in things of visual interest to the case study. It can be little details like having text boxes for the statistics, quotes, and key facts, charts and graphics, and so on that can make all the difference and can enhance the study in both interest and value.
5. Publishing your case study
Publishing the case study is the final phase of the process. To make the most out of the case study that you have created, you need to post it in places where your prospective clients and actual audiences are. So, depending on that, you can publish the study on your blog, reach out to the relevant publishing platforms, or use it for driving the email signups for your business.
Moreover, you can break the case study into new and unique formats, like an infographic, a YouTube video, or a podcast. You can use more than one form as well, like having it as a blog post first and then on your landing page.
The reasons to learn to write the business case study
So, why at all would you give so much effort and time to write your case study? Here are the significant reasons why spending all that time is worth it and why you need to put together your case study.
Case studies let you use the method of storytelling for bringing the product to life
It is a highly effective way to simplify your complex products and can genuinely help you in positively modifying your clients’ perception of your offerings.
Case studies offer the opportunity of peer-to-peer influence
Peer-to-peer influence is an essential thing, and the case studies are great at fulfilling it as they provide the view of the customer and not a company. Though a company publishes the case study, the subject matter of it is based on reporting the customer’s experience. The use of statistics, direct quotes from the client, and the likes are standard practices. These are wonderful tools to make prospective clients deem a company valuable.
1. Case studies are all about providing real-life examples
The importance of customer reviews for driving conversion rates has long been known. But, case studies raise the bar higher. By offering real-life examples of your product, along with raving customer reviews, the case studies help the new customer to feel confident about your products and consider availing it.
2. Case studies are great for word-of-the-mouth publicity
The company has to ask the client for permission before using his data in the case study. This inclusion of the customer shows the brand in the right light and helps with the conversion rates.
But, what if you do not have the time to write a case study?
Writing a case study needs quite some time, and you need to have the confidence to deliver it effectively yourself. The owner of the company needs to take care of several business aspects. He/she may not have time to write a business case study.
Several other business owners fail to attain the necessary confidence. In that case, you must hire a professional business case study writer. These experts are well-aware of the skills and will be able to implement these correctly.
Before you hire such a professional, make sure he/she can accomplish the task properly. It will not just make the research more efficient, but also help you create great content without neglecting your actual business for it.
If you want a well-written business case study for your company, then brief the writer accordingly. Give him the necessary material and facts, which must be highlighted in the case study. Also, make sure that they have all the details about the case to prepare the business case study. Following is the information that your writer needs to have:
- Pay close attention to the word count
- The services, goods, or products you want to promote through the case study
- The struggle faced before it by the client
- The way you resolved the struggle
- The benefits derived by the client
- The facts (statistics, direct quotes from your client, percentages)
- The deadline for submitting the work
Informing the writer about all these will help him create the best possible case study, and the result will be more beneficial to your company, as well.
Wrapping it up
Case studies are instrumental and have a significant impact on content marketing. You may develop the notion that you cannot complete this task. Yes! It seems complicated, but once you get into the flow, you will create engaging content. The published material is a useful marketing tool that attracts the attention of the target clients.
They can acquire in-depth information about the goods and services that the company offers. The case studies also provide a platform where your new clients can see your products or services at work. In most cases, that is all they need to believe in your brand and convert.
If you are good with words, then the tips mentioned above can come in handy. Some assistance from the experts smoothen the rough edges. Time, effort, and practice will pave the path for confidence. Soon, you will realize that you can draft your business case study without any additional assistance.