B2B Marketing Company | Lead Generation Agency- Digitalzone

Hey marketers! A new business quarter is here, and a unique opportunity of winning your potential B2B client’s confidence. If you have followed our blogs, you must know there are some great ways of attracting B2B customers. Today we will focus on an aspect that is a great marketing tool revered by marketers. Case studies! Yes, many marketers use and benefit a great deal from case studies. 

Case studies are goldmines if created correctly! Today more than 57% of your potential customers in the B2B segment are actively researching before coming to your website. The chances are high that few other decision-makers may read your case studies before contacting you.

Do you know, 55% of people think case studies are effective content marketing strategies? This is why companies want to focus more and more on marketing case studies.

When it comes to trusting reports, most of the potential B2B customers prefer case studies. 31% consider case studies as a reliable source. It is a big number, and you can’t afford to ignore this. Along with White papers, if you also prepare case studies, you would cover a large portion of your potential B2B market.

This blog post aims at helping you write a great case study. While there are thousands of case studies, not all of them are great. The definition of a “great” case study is also subjective. So, these guidelines are not set in stone; it is more like a direction sign.

Preparation : Before you start writing, be sure to have all your study material with you. Ensure you have relevant facts and figures ready. The critical point is to create a “Hook,” something that is out of the world, extraordinary, maybe even a unique aspect showcased. It may be a small feature for you, but if it is something that your competitors haven’t leveraged yet, then going for it could make all the difference. Your entire case study should focus on this “hook.”

Title: Create curiosity in the reader’s mind. Communicate clearly; who can benefit from this case study? Keep it concise. The title must address the potential target audience. (Remember it is about solving the problem your audience is facing.) The title must communicate the story. For example, How Digitalzone helped DocuSign Get Ahead by Helping them Market their Offering Better clearly communicates the target market (companies who offer digital products/services). It gives a brief idea of the solution outlined.

Storytelling: Case studies are stories. Human beings love stories. We have been telling stories from times immemorial. How to create a great story? An important point to consider when you write a story – your client is the star of this story.

It is not about how great your product is.  Case studies are about problems people are able to solve.

Here are few tips about creating  a great story:

• Start in the middle of the story – a dramatic moment where the client was “thumping the table” in frustration. Like when our client was not able to reach out to potential customers due to Covid-19.

• Go back and describe the start: The 2nd Paragraph can have the beginning. Start with specific dates and possible locations. (Example: It was March 2019, and our client in London was facing a tough time in reaching out to potential buyers.) Keep it short, focus on the challenge faced.

• What solution was proposed but needed some changes? Most likely, there might have been some solution immediately proposed when the client faced the challenge as the client in the aforementioned point would have considered having a team to engage telemarketers. But they might not have had the necessary experience or time in selecting the correct channels.

• This is where you introduce the benefits your product created. It is also a place to acknowledge any mistakes done, how your team accepted the mistake gracefully and how you provided a fresh perspective. If there was no mistake from your side, you could focus on how you went beyond your regular call of duty to help your client.

• Conclusion: If possible, interview your client and ask them for a testimonial. At least share the case study with them and ask if it is all right to have their information included. Most clients would love the positive public interest it will create. Give credits where it is due and mention any other sources you have used in the case study. Always end your case study with a strong “Call to Action!” – it is the right place to pitch your product / free consultation, etc. If your potential B2B customer reads up to this point, chances are they will be interested in at least having a small chat with you!

Here is a visual summary of the process we discussed above.

What is next? Plan how to market this case study!

It would be an anticlimax if all these efforts could not reach your target audience. There are various ways to reach your target audience. You can plan an email campaign, or you can send it attached to a press release. You can share it on a blog.

To reiterate what we said earlier, a case study increases the trust your potential B2B can have in you. Here is a stunning fact:

79% of buyers in the B2B segment are using case studies to reach purchasing decisions. Most of the companies have multiple decision-makers, and selling in B2B, in general, takes longer. With case studies, you can address multiple people at one go!

So, continue to do the great work and then continue to create case studies!!

Do let us know how you are making your case studies!

We hope that you are now equipped to have a great case study!!