Use case studies to promote your product
Use case studies to promote your product
1. Plan to create at least 3-5 case studies to show the different types of problems your product can solve, and appeal to different audience segments.
A single case study is often too narrowly focused to appeal to large enough sections of your audience. You can add to your initial list later on, as more use cases for your offerings emerge or your target market diversifies. HubSpot, for example, offers more than 300 case studies in a searchable library ordered by industry.
2. Choose your featured subjects based on how closely their example aligns with common challenges your product is designed to solve.
Use buyer personas and existing audience insights to guide your case studies, ensuring they appeal to broad sections of your audience and are representative of their own challenges. In addition, case studies of well-known customers that have existing brand equity with your audience can increase credibility.
3. Interview the featured customer to gain consent, and enrich your case study with quotes and client-side insights.
Never publish a case study without the customer’s written consent. If needed, incentivize featured customers through free upgrades, credits, or other tangible benefits. Follow FTC regulations by disclosing any payments or incentives provided. Direct customer quotes and insights can make your case studies more tangible and better highlight successes. Questions to ask during the interview can include: How would you describe your company in 2-3 sentences? What problem were you trying to solve by using our product? Were you considering other products, and why did you choose us? While not every answer will end up in the case study, they provide a comprehensive overview that help the content creator create a straightforward, insightful narrative.
4. Follow a strict structure that highlights goals, process, and measurable outcomes stemming from your product - in that order.
Your case study should be easy to follow, with results shown as tangible as possible. This three-part structure allows for both quick skimming and in-depth reading depending on audience preferences.
5. Write a case study 400-700 words long and format it for easy skimming with subheadings, bullet points, and visuals.
Shorter case studies are best for simple products that offer obvious solutions, while longer case studies work better for complex solutions that require longer implementation or outcomes time frames. Visuals work best when they add value to the content, such as summarizing infographics or diagrams. Avoid adding stock photos or graphics that don’t add tangible value to the written text. Aim to keep video case studies 3-5 minutes in length.
6. Create a designated page on your website that houses and presents all of your case studies. On the overview page, list the customer name and key takeaway or goal accomplished for each case study.
Creating a designated page allows for easy linking and categorization. Create the page with scalability in mind, avoiding the need to restructure or recreate it once you add more case studies to the mix.
7. Link to your case studies from relevant places throughout your website including your homepage, client portfolio page, product pages, About Us page, and relevant blog posts.
In-depth case studies become the core social proof on your website. Internal links from all relevant areas within your site can increase the credibility and value of promotional statements, while also adding to the basic descriptions of your company and its offerings.
8. Create a promotional plan for each case study that includes emails to relevant audience segments, social media pushes, and sales team partnerships to share them during pitches and personal outreach.
Once created, case studies become ideal pieces of content to push to your audience. Use them within your entire content marketing and sales funnel, including: Promotional emails to relevant audience segments, targeted specifically towards users with the same pain points or industry background. Social media pushes on all channels relevant to your audience. Partner with featured customers by tagging their accounts on your posts, increasing reach and engagement on both ends. Sales outreach, providing your sales team with the case studies to use as part of their own personal outreach and sales pitches.