Creating Nice Case Research [Examples]

Case research stop your prospects from getting caught within the funnel.

That’s in all probability why nearly two-thirds of B2B content material entrepreneurs use the tactic.

Case research inform the story the potential buyer needs to know. Do you perceive their ache factors or want? Do you have got an answer? Does it actually ship outcomes? And case research give these solutions in a means that communicates credibility that an intrusive advert designed to promote, promote, promote might by no means do.

Nonetheless, case research could be a problem to provide. You will need to discuss to the gross sales and product groups to know which purchasers have had the perfect success tales. Then, you need to observe down the precise particular person on the consumer firm to get permission to inform their story. Plus, you nearly all the time want numbers to show the case, they usually typically aren’t simple to search out.

Nevertheless it’s definitely worth the effort. Within the 2023 B2B Content material Advertising and marketing Benchmark, Budgets, and Developments, 36% of entrepreneurs cite case research as efficient – that’s greater than lengthy articles, podcasts and different audio content material, infographics, livestreaming content material, and print magazines and books. (And the quantity who cited case research as efficient was the identical as those that mentioned video – a quickly rising tactic – was efficient.)

36% of B2B entrepreneurs say case research are efficient – greater than podcasts, infographics, long-form articles, livestreaming, and many others, in accordance with @CMIContent analysis by way of @AnnGynn. Click on To Tweet

Let these three methods and 4 examples show you how to develop case research that can shake your prospects from the center of the funnel and switch them into clients.

1. Inform a narrative the place your consumer – not your model – stars

Content material advertising and marketing ought to all the time concentrate on the viewers, not the model. In case research, customer-centered storytelling is much more vital. In spite of everything, prospects eat case research as a result of they wish to see what occurred with folks/firms in comparable industries and circumstances engaged along with your model.

If the case examine sounds too promotional, it would lead the reader to assume it’s simply one other advert the place the corporate positions itself to sound nice or, even worse – too good to be true.

Case research that sound too promotional will lead readers to assume it’s simply one other advert, or worse, too good to be true, says @AnnGynn by way of @CMIContent. #ContentMarketing Click on To Tweet

By making your consumer the hero or star of the story, you make the mandatory shift within the narrative and point out to the reader that your model is all in regards to the purchasers and clients.

Examples

Xerox makes itself a secondary character in each of those case research. On this PDF compilation of case research for banking and monetary markets, the duvet consists of the Xerox brand decrease proper. It additionally does a pleasant job of utilizing a high-impact, non-product-related picture. Sadly, it opted for a boring label-type headline.

On the subsequent web page, the case examine assortment features a high-level overview and doesn’t point out Xerox or embody the brand. The language emphasizes the consumer’s significance by utilizing “you” all through the textual content and choosing first particular person (our) in solely a single reference.

“Buyer loyalty is closely influenced by how successfully you talk, and that, in flip, depends upon how simply you may make data stream …”

After this introduction, it shares eight case research in a easy format that highlights factors readers almost definitely wish to know – the problem, resolution, and outcomes. Xerox explains the options from the attitude of the consumer with no point out of its product names. For instance, among the many bullets within the resolution class: “A single supplier with devoted operators to centrally handle the digitalisation (scanning and indexing) and onward distribution of incoming mail.”

TIP: Xerox doesn’t even title the “stars” of this case examine assortment. Many firms can’t establish their purchasers by title, and these case research illustrate how you can convey the need-to-know data to the readers with out disclosing who the shopper is.

Whereas Xerox did a pleasant job specializing in the consumer, not the seller, it didn’t inform partaking tales. Nevertheless it did within the video model of this case examine – Buena Park College District: Modernizing communication and immediately’s classroom with Xerox® Workflow Central.

In the course of the 2.5-minute video, the district’s COO (somebody seemingly concerned within the decision-making and who makes use of the product) and a secretary (a frontline consumer) inform the story of their college system, its multi-language demographics, and the significance of communication. Additionally they go into element about how Xerox’s software program product allows them to speak with mother and father in a number of languages extra successfully and effectively.

The B-roll video consists of screenshots of the Xerox product in use, however it additionally showcases the district, academics, college students, and extra.

By having the college district workers inform their story and their expertise, Xerox crafts a extra attention-grabbing story and fosters a extra credible case examine. (Mysteriously, it selected to not use these interviews within the textual content model of the case examine.

2. Create a well-recognized construction

Case research aren’t the place for modern story constructions. All readers eat case research to search out the solutions to the identical questions: Are you aware and perceive their downside? Do you have got an answer for it? Does that resolution work?

Additionally they could also be doing comparability procuring via case research. If readers need to work tougher to determine what they should know from a artistic story construction, they’re more likely to transfer on to easier-to-read case research.

Instance

Cognizant, a tech enterprise, hosts a plethora of case research throughout the industries it serves. It follows a well-recognized construction – problem, strategy, and enterprise outcomes – for every.

Problem, strategy, and end result function a very good format for case research, says @AnnGynn by way of @CMIContent. #ContentMarketing Click on To Tweet

On this instance, they inform the story of their consumer, Deliberate Directors, Inc., working a legacy customer support utility that didn’t combine with its core administrative companies. The examine explains how that was problematic and particulars the shopper’s targets – “cut back time and prices whereas enhancing operational effectivity to ship a contemporary buyer expertise and help new strains of companies.”

Then, it explains how Cognizant offered the answer. However the clarification didn’t cease with the answer’s description; the corporate additionally particulars the way it helped Deliberate Directors implement the brand new expertise. That’s an vital element for anybody contemplating Cognizant’s options.

Although they don’t label it “enterprise outcomes” within the net model of the case examine, they clearly element the influence within the descriptive concluding textual content and escape the all-important numbers – 10% discount in name time, $80,000 saved in annual IT upkeep prices, $138,500 in annual charges eradicated.

Cognizant hyperlinks to a four-page PDF of the case examine for guests concerned with studying the complete story. It consists of a lot of the identical data however provides quotes from the consumer and a sidebar field (proven beneath) that summarizes key particulars – business, location, challenges, services, and success highlights. That’s particularly useful for skimming readers.

3. Make it visually partaking

Simply because the story construction needs to be normal doesn’t imply the format should be. Readers normally don’t wish to learn paragraph after paragraph. It doesn’t stimulate their mind. And a few readers would possibly study higher via visuals.

So take into consideration how you can interact the viewers – from movies and photographs to textual content design (headers, callout packing containers, and many others.). Create a design that permits the at-a-glance readers to leap round and get the highlights and offers the entire story to readers who wish to eat each bit of data.

Instance

Superior Essex, a producer of cables, opted for an interactive case examine expertise to inform the story of its work for the company house of Delos, a wellness actual property agency. (I encourage you to click on via the full interactive case examine, as describing it will probably’t adequately seize the expertise.)

Superior Essex tells an analogous story – explaining the consumer, its wants/ache factors, options, outcomes, and a testimonial quote. Nevertheless it does it in a visually partaking means the place readers can choose to maneuver the story alongside on their very own.

For instance, this display permits the reader to click on via every resolution with the product names recognized.

On this web page, the reader can study in regards to the influence on the corporate (as proven beneath), then merely click on on the tabs (or advance the arrow on the backside) to study in regards to the influence on the occupants and the surroundings.

TIP: Don’t neglect the readers who would possibly must obtain the PDF to share with their shopping for groups or executives. Superior Essex condensed the interactive content material into a less complicated, extra conventional three-page PDF.

Create convincing case research that inspire patrons

Case research assist content material entrepreneurs obtain a few of their most typical targets – constructing/rising credibility/belief, educating audiences, and producing and nurturing leads. However the energy of case research might be maximized for those who make your purchasers the star, give your readers what they need, and throw in a splash of shock and visible curiosity.

Cowl picture by Joseph Kalinowski/Content material Advertising and marketing Institute