When you run a marketing agency, you have to figure out several ways of putting your name out there. These strategies don’t just try to build an agency’s brand but have one ultimate goal: bringing clients in.
In today’s digital world, many focus their content marketing efforts on blogging, and they don’t go to waste: blogging remains one of the most powerful tools of this marketing strategy. However, there’s one crucial matter regarding this tool: even if people read your blog posts, it does not ensure they will become customers.
That’s where client case studies come into the panorama. There are many similarities between this type of content and blogs, but what exactly are they? How do you write one? This article will provide the answer to these questions + some examples of real case studies, so stay with us as we take on the world of client case studies.
What Are Client Case Studies?
Simply put, these studies are a marketing strategy that uses successful client testimonials. They highlight your business expertise and the results they got from working with you, among many other topics; unlike a use case, which is a straightforward explanation of how a product addresses a problem, a case study is driven by storytelling
Be mindful that while it includes the use of testimonials, it isn’t just a review of sorts. It entails the creation of a report of what you offer and the quantitative and quality results they got from it. Showcasing what your agency can do with real results helps prospective clients make the decision.
While the industry keeps innovating and creating new ways of attracting customers, these case studies continue proving their effectiveness. Studies show it [add a statistic about it if possible], so keeping this strategy on the radar is essential for any marketing agency.
However, knowing how to tell a compelling story from a real client is just as essential as implementing this strategy.
Writing a Marketing Client Case Study Step-by-step
When writing an effective case study, you must consider a few crucial aspects. For starters, as we stated above, a case study isn’t just a review, although it highlights the work you’ve done. Here are eight steps you can follow to create excellent reports that will drive in new clients.
1. Determine Who You Want to Work With
Knowing the prospective customers you want to work with is the first step to creating these reports. Before you create outlines and drafts, you must determine who you want to attract to your agency.
Be mindful that case studies work similarly to other content marketing forms, which entails they are more effective if you create them thinking about a specific reader who can become a potential client. Writing these success stories requires you to consider some aspects the potential customers might have in mind, and covering these aspects while providing relevant information can help you attract the targeted customers.
Asking yourself questions like “Is there a business type we prefer working with?” and “What do we want to do with our expertise?” can help you narrow down the clients you want to work with.
2. Collect the Information Required
You know who you want to reach, so now you must collect the information needed to land on these potential customers’ orbits.
Pick the project you want to write about and ensure it is relatable enough that it will make your ideal clients see themselves reflected in it. However, before writing the case study, ensure you have the client’s permission to share their story. You’ll find that most clients will be happy to share their success as long as they look good to the public, too.
Before you discuss what you’ll add to the case study with your client, gather all the information and data required for it so they’ll have a clear understanding of what you’ll share regarding their business.
However, if your client says they don’t want to be featured in the study, you can opt to include it as a company in their industry. Despite that, know that case studies are more effective when they share a story about client success, and the potential customer can identify the company you’re talking about.
3. Create an Outline
Once you have the information you need, you must create an outline to help you carry out this process easily.
If you have case study formats, ensure these have a structure that helps you tell a story. A compelling case study helps you tell the story of your journey with a client, so they must have a beginning, a middle of the story, and a conclusion.
Start by introducing your clients’ problems, followed by the strategies you implemented to solve them. Finish it with how it was beneficial for the client to work with you. However, note that you must highlight your client’s story and testimonial. While you’re emphasizing what your work did, your focus is your customer’s story.
4. Keep It Relatable
When you write a case study, you must ensure it is relatable and enjoyable. Sure, you want to provide stats so your target audience knows what you offer, but adding numbers might make your potential customers ultimately not read it.
Furthermore, ensure your case studies are not superficial. Dig into the client’s pain points and showcase what your client’s strategies were doing for them. Highlight if their method was frustrating and what you did to improve the situation.
5. Give Valuable Advice
Case studies aren’t just stories but a chance to give valuable advice. You don’t want to publish the ace up your sleeve, but gatekeeping could be just as damaging.
Share part of your expertise and knowledge so your potential clients can see what you offer and, most importantly, walk away with something they can apply in their businesses. While it might sound ineffective, in reality, it will help these potential customers see the value in working with you and ultimately hire your agency.
6. Ensure It’s Readable
Writing an ensure case study with complex industry jargon will only make potential customers lose interest quickly.
Ensure you create case studies with your potential clients in mind. Most of the time, these people are not marketing experts. Some might be working with a content marketing agency for the first time. The last thing you want is to publish case studies on your website but make them hard to comprehend. Here are some tips for writing a readable, compelling client case study:
- Every case study must be concise. Don’t add details that make no difference if you delete them.
- Keep technical language at bay. Even if the potential clients have marketing and sales knowledge, they want to hire you because they are not experts.
- Long paragraphs make it challenging to read pieces. Ensure you use short paragraphs, bullet points, subheadings, and any other formatting tool that can keep the reading delightful.
- Visual content is your ally. Add graphs, charts, and more visual content tools to make the information understandable.
- Add call-to-action buttons in your case studies. If the main goal is to get clients, you must add a CTA button that helps them contact your sales and marketing teams.
7. It’s Time to Go Live
Before posting the case study, ensure the entire case study is approved by the client. After your clients give it a go, share it on your website and start promoting it.
Don’t be afraid to promote the case study in your social media posts (but don’t get spammy!), as they can put you on potential client’s maps. Furthermore, your marketing case studies can help with lead generation. Use a case study or a PDF special version to enrich your email address lists and more. Make the most of your hard work and ensure it brings in results.
Client Case Studies Are Worth It, and Here’s Why
Regardless of whether you own a data-driven agency or you’re in the SEO marketing niche, it’s essential to highlight why it’s worth it to spend your time creating one of these pieces.
While written case studies can take longer to create in comparison to blog posts and other content marketing strategies, and learning how to assemble these reports might require practice, they offer valuable benefits:
- They help you connect with your potential clients directly: Blog posts can help you bring in traffic to a website, but case studies can help you get the reader’s attention. People are more likely to work with an agency when they find out the company has worked on cases similar to theirs.
- They aim to build trust and credibility: A happy client sharing their success stories while working with you helps you ensure these potential clients will work with top-notch agencies. Furthermore, if you target the audience your studies are aimed at, they will most likely find stories similar to the situations they are in.
- They help you stand out: Since these reports aren’t as quick to create as blog posts, many businesses don’t focus on them. However, working on these can help you stay ahead of the curve in comparison to your competitors. These make you stand out and showcase your expertise all at once.
- They are excellent lead magnets: These written pieces help you stand out, reach specific customers, and also make it easier to boost your lead generation methods. They can work as a part of a cold emailing strategy by publishing your case study in PDF form and making it available for download using an email.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes a Good Client Case Study?
Besides the tips we provided to write an excellent case study, consider keeping your client in the spotlight, not a specific product or service you offer. These stories aren’t about your agency but about what your clients achieved with the help of your company. Craft each section of your case study with your potential customers in mind, and ensure you share real customer stories.
How Long Should a Case Study Be?
A strong case study shouldn’t be lengthy. Most experts recommend one case study should be 500-2000 documents, which means you must ensure your pieces are concise and deliver the information without using fluff language.
How Do You Interview a Client for a Case Study?
If your case study requires it, you can interview the clients. When conducting case studies interviews, ensure you arrive prepared with the information you’ll use at hand. Furthermore, come up with open-handed questions; yes/no queries could narrow the conversation, leaving you with little material for your study.
Wrapping Up
Client case studies can be a game-changer for your agency. Ensure you make your case studies with the best information available and get your clients’ approval before you start the process.
We hope this article helps you create a top-notch case study that leads your agency to success. Thank you for reading!
