Making the case for case studies

by Steve Slaunwhite

Readers love a good story. That's why prospects, customers and editors have such an insatiable appetite for the best ones they can find. So if you've been racking your brains thinking of new ways to get the word out about your products and services, then consider producing a case study. It's easily the best kind of story you can tell.

If you're not familiar with the modern case study, rest assured it's not the dry, technical tome of yesteryear. Case studies — also known as customer profiles or case histories — are essentially success stories about your products and services… and the customers who use them.

Typically, a case study is written in standard feature article format. Just like you’d read in a trade or business magazine.

For example, I recently completed a case study for UPS. They have a logistics service that helps companies do business in Canada and Mexico . The story features how UPS helps a particular customer solve problems, save time and lower costs. Like any good story, this one includes plenty of quotes, examples and anecdotes from both UPS and the customer.

What makes a case study so effective?   

• It moves your marketing communications several notches up the credibility ladder. Think about it. What is more powerful then enabling prospects and customers to see for themselves how your product or service is working in the real world?

• It breaks through the clutter. Especially if it is reasonably unbiased and timely, a case study will almost always gain the attention of readers. Just flip through the pages of any trade or professional magazine. You'll find a significant percentage of articles based on case study material.

• It enjoys a high readership. Readers want to know what their colleagues in other organizations are doing to solve similar problems. A case study allows them to be a fly on the wall.

Customers and prospects are inundated by ads, email, direct mail and especially brochures. A case study, by contrast, is rarer and conjures visual images of your product or service in action. It’s told (at least in part) from the perspective of a happy customer. And that’s the kind of story that people find hard to resist.

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© 2004, Steve Slaunwhite. All right reserved.

Steve Slaunwhite  |  905-846-2620  |  info@steveslaunwhite.com