If you’re looking to convince your customers about your company’s worth, showing them case studies of what you’ve done before is a great way to start! You don’t even have to write case studies yourself: you can leave it to content development experts who can help you put together the ideal case study based on your own past successes.
So why do case studies work so well? Consider two reasons: one, people like to see real-life examples rather than hypothetical scenarios, and two, they want to know you will work hard on their behalf. Good, well-written case studies provide examples of both.
But that’s not all. Here are 4 more reasons you need to use case studies if you want to boost sales:
1. They tell a great story about you
It’s human nature to love a good story. Case studies are nothing but stories about your brand. Done right, they will help consumers connect better with you and your USP. Further, case studies also showcase other customers’ wants, requirements and perspectives. This way, they’re so much more valuable than a simple spreadsheet of figures and facts. Most importantly, they tell your audience that you understand your customer base and know what they want and how to get it for them!
2. They demonstrate success
You know you’re the best, but simply saying so isn’t going to boost sales. That’s where a case study helps you prove why you’re the best in the game. That’s also why case studies are sometimes called ‘customer success stories’, because they show how customers have successfully used your product and benefited from them.
3. They help build trust
The greatest thing your customers or clients could show you is brand loyalty – that feeling that they won’t leave you for any other brand no matter what. If you want to build loyalty, believe it or not, honesty is key. So, if your case study is a no-frills story of exactly what you did for another customer/client, it goes miles towards building trust and loyalty from potential customers.
4. They show expertise
At the end of the day, a case study is pretty much an in-depth analysis of how well your offering – which can be a service or a physical product – works. What’s more, case studies can show your customers actual numbers and real-world examples of how you have already achieved another client’s goals. If that doesn’t convince them of your expertise, nothing will.
So how do you build case studies?
Decide what you want to achieve before you put pen to paper. Do you want to highlight a specific product or do you want to showcase your entire service bouquet?
Then, structure it properly. An ideal case study is like telling a story: it needs to have a beginning, middle and end. Finally, the simplest but most difficult rule of all: Don’t lie. Don’t embellish numbers or facts, no matter how tempted you might be. The more truthful you are, the more chances you have to convince that next customer to choose you!
Have any thoughts you’d like to share? Tell us in the comments below or write to us. And if you’re looking for more tips on how to write a good case study, stay tuned!