Case studies are an invaluable marketing tool for educating your audience and increasing conversions. When making a purchase decision about 78% of buyers turn to case studies, compared to other traditional sales materials. Why? Because marketing case studies provide credible customer success proof.
A case study is essentially a detailed story about a problem that a client was able to solve thanks to the company’s expertise and the quality of its products and services. It explores a customer’s journey in its entirety – from when they start looking for a solution to their problem until the issue is resolved. The plot is usually presented as a challenge that both the company and the client have to overcome together, then it describes how the situation was approached and what was the outcome.
Creating an engaging marketing case study that prospects want to read is a multifaceted process. You have to be diligent and focused with your analysis while showcasing your professionalism and dedication to solving the customer’s problems. Done right, this works wonderfully. It successfully gives curious prospects context and helps them determine if they are making the right choice by choosing your products and services.
In this article, we will be sharing nine powerful ways to use case studies in your marketing. We will give you practical tips on how to incorporate them into your marketing materials for maximum conversion success.
What Is a Marketing Case Study?
In marketing, a case study investigates a customer’s problem. It analyses the issues, examines potential solutions, and proposes the most effective one by using supporting evidence. It also shares the outcome – on a web page, document, or video – with others.
Case studies are one of the best instruments to show off your business expertise and convince customers to work with you. They act as customer success stories by leveraging customer reviews and testimonials and showing different perspectives of how a problem has been successfully resolved in the past.
The main objective of marketing case studies is to help potential clients make an informed decision, while also letting them know that your company is capable and trustworthy.
Related: How to Write a Case Study for a WordPress Company
Now that we’ve defined what case studies are and what they are used for, let’s move on to how they can support your marketing strategy.
9 Ways to Use Case Studies in Your Marketing
In their Not Another State of Marketing Report 2021, Hubspot discovered that case studies are among the top five most important forms of media that companies use in their content strategy. They come in fourth place right after videos, blogs, and infographics.
So how do case studies get the job done? And where can you position them to maximize their value?
Read on to find out.
1. As Part of Your Sales Materials
Case studies play a crucial role in the consideration stage of the customer journey. They act as valuable customer success proof and as such they are extremely effective when buyers are actively comparing available solutions and providers.
Because of this, case studies can be helpful to both marketing and sales teams. Marketers can include them on a dedicated page on their website or on a landing page, and sales reps can leverage them to overcome customer objections.
To make things easier you can use a case study template. However, we recommend you create your own. This way you can ensure that the design is consistent with your branding materials, that it showcases your professionalism, and will ultimately give your business an edge.
TIP: You can even include a link to a recent case study in your email signature.
2. In Your Email Marketing
One of the benefits of case studies is that they are targeted to a particular niche. This makes them very suitable for email marketing, especially when your email list is segmented by industry.
For instance, if you have a case study about migrating a static website to WordPress, emailing it to your contacts interested in learning more about website migration can help strengthen your lead nurturing campaign.
Additionally, case studies can be really effective in rekindling opportunities that have gone cold. They can provide a great way to reopen an old conversation with someone who was interested in your product/service.
TIP: Choose wisely when selecting which case study to include. Make sure that the content is relevant to the sales cycle stage your prospects are in.
3. In Your Newsletters
Newsletters are a superb and cost-effective way to maintain regular contact with your audience. They include relevant updates and news about your brand that your audience should be aware of. This makes them a great place to include a link to your latest marketing case study, especially if you have an industry segmented email list.
This will ensure that your subscribers are always getting the most relevant content, while also keeping them in the loop about what your company is doing to improve their experience with your brand.
Additionally, newsletters are great for grabbing your clients’ attention and building a sense of belonging. Customers are happy and proud when they feel like they are part of something.
If you want to help your prospects warm up to you, add a case study in your newsletter, showing them proof that you really look after your clients.
4. On Your Website
Case studies support both the customer journey in your sales cycle, and the user journey on your website. They help build brand trust and credibility and are powerful tools for increasing conversions and click-through rates.
According to TrustPulse, using case studies and customer success stories in your marketing is beneficial, because:
- About 58% of users will be more likely to convert.
- Your website can generate up to 62% more revenue per visitor.
- Visitors will be likely to buy 3% more per order.
That’s an impressive conversion power, isn’t it? Here is how you can leverage it.
On Your Homepage
The homepage is usually the first page visitors see when they land on your website. So, if you want to you can encourage users to stay and ultimately convert, profiling customer success stories is key.
You can use a quote from your marketing case study to grab their attention and provide a link to the piece so they can learn more. Add a clear CTA and make sure it’s not distracting.
On a Dedicated Case Study Page
A designated case study page is a well-organized place where you can showcase your experience. As you’re building a library of customer stories, it’s essential to present it in a meaningful way. So, by creating a separate page for this you’ll be able to provide a richer experience for your customers.
To Support Your Blog Content
Writing a blog post about your recent marketing case study enables you to expose your audience to it. However, this doesn’t mean just giving a recap of what the case study is about. Instead, it’s about showing your audience that you understand their needs.
For example, you can explain how your company overcame a recent challenge and use the case study to present how you approached it.
TIP: When writing such a blog post, focus the topic on the customer’s problem and needs and how these were addressed.
5. On a Relevant Landing Page
A good marketing case study can go a long way. You will not only have a plethora of data to pull from, but you’ll also have a wide range of quotes to include on your landing page.
When prospects are in the consideration stage, they are actively reviewing their options. So, strategically placing customer quotes from your case study, is an excellent way to help prospects move further down the funnel.
TIP: When you can, use quotes with quantitative data, such as “(What the company did) resulted in an XX% increase in sales over the past 6 months.”
6. In a Video
Video has become a preferred form of content for both marketers and users. According to a study done by Biteable, 60% of businesses use video in their marketing strategy and 62% of marketers consider it as a very important or extremely important marketing tool. So why not use it to promote your marketing case study?
Over 87% of consumers want to see more video from their favorite brands while 50% of both Millennials and Gen Z can’t live without video. This trend shows us that prospects are more likely to watch a video than read a long case study. So, leveraging this format is a really effective way to convey your value proposition.
Your video case studies can be on the shorter side (up to 15 min long) or you can have longer videos (up to 60 min long) covering the whole process, like we at DevriX did here.
7. On Social Media
Social media is a perfect place to share snippets and customer success stories from your case studies. You can use quotes from your feed and tag clients in the post or story. When you do, make sure to create engaging and relevant content to the right audience.
Furthermore, refrain from generic messages like New Case Study. Instead, clearly communicate the topic and the goals that were reached.
Alternatively, you can share your case studies with relevant online networks and communities, add them to your list of publications (perfect for LinkedIn), or point them out by updating your cover photo (work on Facebook and LinkedIn).
Related: Voice of the Customer: The Key Factor in Product Development
8. As Part of Training Materials
Customer success stories are a valuable resource when training and onboarding new employees. Through storytelling and data, they can help new team members to develop their understanding of your business, products, and services.
You can also use your case studies to create training materials for internal use. For instance, you can create presentations and demos that highlight the main points of a particular marketing case study. Then add the slides to your company’s internal database so they are available for any team member who wants to use them in the future.
9. At a Live Event
Marketing case studies are a powerful tool for any occasion, including speaking at or hosting an event. You can use it as supporting evidence, for example, to showcase the customer satisfaction from your service. Or, you can choose one of two case studies as the focus on the entire event. You can, later on, use the data and quotes you shared across channels to increase your engagement and conversion levels.
Final Thoughts
Case studies are a valuable marketing tool and there are so many ways you can use them to support your content and sales strategies. To craft a compelling marketing case study, think about what your prospects’ needs and challenges are. Consider how your products and services can help them overcome those challenges. Then demonstrate the results.
If you have recently finished a big project for a client successfully and it relates to the pain points your customers have, then you have great material to work with. All that is left to do is to present this information in a format your prospects will be interested in engaging with.
Team DevriX
This article is crafted by DevriX's seasoned marketing team, boasting over four decades of collective expertise in crafting sophisticated marketing funnels, devising comprehensive content frameworks and pillars, implementing engaging email campaigns, and creating impactful social media content designed for scalability.
Our marketing experts specialize in the complete spectrum of inbound marketing strategies. As an accredited HubSpot Agency Partner and a Semrush Partner, we engage in meticulous research, blending our extensive experience with the unique insights of our highly skilled team.
We set benchmarks in content creation by incorporating cutting-edge marketing trends, leveraging in-depth industry research, and utilizing state-of-the-art AI tools for data segmentation and captivating content hooks. Our proficiency extends across a diverse range of sectors, including working with SMEs, Fortune 1000 companies, global B2B brands, major publishing entities, WooCommerce platforms, business directories, and affiliate networks.
