The case study: the bread and butter of the B2B comms world. Easy, right? You’d be mistaken in thinking so. The easiest part of writing a case study is, well, the actual writing. It’s all that comes before that’s the difficult part – getting client permission and getting the data together.
Why most B2B case studies are terribly boring
We’ve all seen these case studies – they’re totally beige and terribly dull. The client needed to improve efficiency and the supplier delivered a tailored solution. Everyone was extremely happy with the outcome. Yawn.
Case studies like this, if you can even call them that, will not convert. They’re missing the key drivers that will make prospects think, wow, these guys know what they’re doing.
Ideally, you want to be able to candidly describe an uncomfortable problem, talk about exactly how you solved that problem in plenty of detail and, most importantly, include the numbers. There’s got to be an element of risk or a sticky situation to get the prospect to understand that you can solve complex problems.
Why getting permission can be tricky
Many organisations head into projects thinking about how they can turn them into award submissions. The case study is no different. Get the client on board from the start when goodwill is at its highest point – ask permission to name them, ask them what data they’re able to share from their own platforms and ask for a named person who will sit down and give an interview about the project at the end, along with a comment that you can publish.
Getting this agreed at the end of the project or piece of work can be trickier. The client is ready to move on to the next thing and the honeymoon phase is over – it’s much harder for them to get out of something that they’ve pre-agreed, so make sure you get that permission before the project kicks off.
The ideal structure
There’s plenty of advice online about the right structure to use and the perfect headings, but in reality it depends on the type of project.
No matter the headings used in the copy, it’s vital to cover the three main parts: problem, decision, outcome.
The section that you want to focus on is the decision stage. Why did the client decide on this particular solution to their problem? Why did they choose your company over others? What was it about your offer that sold your solution to them?
Many case studies focus on the details of the solution and miss the decision part, but this is the section where you can really sell yourself to prospects. It shows the thought process in how other companies in their sector came to the decision to put their trust in you, which builds a lot of credibility.
When it comes to the solution, make sure you get as technical as possible. This is the one place where you can effectively demonstrate your expertise and show that you’re innovative in problem solving for the sector that you serve. Buyers are judging your competence across the whole process, not just the results.
Numbers have impact
While it’s nice to say everyone was really happy at the end of the project, what potential buyers actually want to see are hard outcomes, and these can only be evidenced by hard facts.
Percentages are much more palatable than absolutes, and clients are more likely to sign off on, for example, an X% increase in revenue rather than sharing the revenue figures themselves.
Ideally, numbers should be from the client’s own data, such as percentage increase in operational efficiency, a percentage decrease in reported issues or, as mentioned earlier, improvements in financials.
However, the best-laid plans often go awry and sometimes the numbers just can’t be provided. This isn’t ideal, but doesn’t mean that a case study is completely useless. This is where a spokesperson from the client’s end can carry some weight – have them describe something that your solution improved, such as process change or a positive impact on their work.
Using anonymised case studies
Much B2B work is under NDA and while it’s not ideal for a case study, it can still have some impact as long as the client is on board with their project being shared anonymously,
Give the reader enough information to see that the case study is relevant, including the sector, a rough size of the organisation you worked with, a general outline of the problem and stats that they can relate to.
An anonymised case study is killed by vagueness, so make sure that you include as much detail as possible – without revealing the client, of course.
What to do with your case studies
You’ve done the work, got the client permission and got some amazing data to use within the case study. What now?
You make it work as hard as possible for you.
If it’s a strong case study with a great hook and angle such as a cutting-edge innovation, a sector problem or trend solved or a big brand name, you’ll want to pitch it to key journalists in your industry before you publish it anywhere else. An exclusive with your key trade title would deliver a huge impact and extended visibility, both for your human audience and for LLMs so that you end up in AI-generated answers.
If it doesn’t have the makings of a press story, then getting it published on your website is the next best thing. Start sharing it as much as possible – via social media (tagging in the client if appropriate), to your newsletter subscribers, in your sales brochures and within the proposals you send out to prospects.
Wherever there’s an opportunity to share or talk about it, do it.
Get started now
Brainstorm a list of three client projects that you could make a case study out of today, and get permission from the client to include them. Case studies should be an integral part of your communications strategy.
If you need some help with writing killer case studies that convert, get in touch today.