Brace yourself. It’s not often you’ll hear a copywriter tell you this. But sometimes, you might just be better off preparing a marketing piece yourself. A case study is a fine example. If you are an owner-manager or a small SME, you know your customers very well. So well in fact, that you can list off all their project details in your head …with ease.
A powerful marketing tool for web or print, I’m pretty sure you use case studies all the time without meaning to. For example, when you’re out selling, you may reference old projects or how you have helped other clients. A case study is just a more polished, considered version of telling a new customer or prospective customer that you have a track record. So how do you approach it?
It’s time to tell the world about your success stories. Follow this four step guide and put your case studies down on paper.
Write down these four headings and fill in the right info accordingly….
- The client – start your story with a brief synopsis of who your client is and what they do. For example….GlobalX is the leading producer of widgets in Europe. Backed by a workforce of 5000, they produce blah for the blah….
- The challenge – tell people why you were brought on board. What problems needed to be solved that only you could solve? For example…GlobalX noticed that more and more of their customers were choosing to buy online and they needed to design and implement a complete and customised ecommerce platform. Mention your previous track record and why you were a perfect fit for this project.
- The work – enlighten your audience as to what’s involved in a project this size. This part of the story is about the nuts and bolts of the project. I realise you don’t want to give anything away, but speak in broad terms of the tasks and mini-projects required to put together a first-class solution.
- The results – and this bit is your victory parade. If someone else has improved their business or increased profits or achieved major milestones because of you, it’s time to tell everyone. This is something to be proud of! Use numbers for real impact. For example…. Within six months of the new ecommerce system, sales increased by 75% and the new website has logged an average of 5,000 hits a week.
Case studies are about blowing your own trumpet. But when you’ve got something to shout about – why not? Use the above template to put together your case study and take no longer then 20 minutes. If you still want to polish it up and perfect it, perhaps then look for the help of a copywriter or content writer. Just like me!