Let your clients do the talking: why case studies work in B2B marketing

Picture this: you’re on a hotly anticipated first date with someone you’ve been eyeing up for a while. But then disaster strikes. They talk about how brilliant they are for the entire date and don’t let you get a word in edgeways.

Is anything more of a turn off?

Fancy a second date? No, thank you.

Marketing can, fairly or unfairly, get a similar reputation, with many in the B2B sector feeling wary of blowing their own trumpet for fear of sounding arrogant.

And we’d be the first to warn you against waxing lyrical about yourselves and forgetting to woo your audience. In marketing there’s a fine line between arrogance and confidence. The former will send your audience elsewhere; the latter lets them know you’re the real deal.

That’s where the magic of case studies comes in.

When it comes to your marketing collateral, case studies are a great way to demonstrate your worth and avoiding “the ick factor”.

What is a case study?

A case study showcases something your company did for a client, and not just in a factual “here’s what we did” format. It’s about telling a story in which you’re the hero.

Case studies can be extremely effective because storytelling is a surefire way to captivate your audience. They’re one of the top tools for generating new leads and turning casual readers into paid-up customers, so it’s worth spending the time to get them right.

Three reasons why case studies work

1) Case studies tell a compelling story

Case studies are more than a factual summary of what you did. After all, if you’re a planning consultant, one would expect you to have secured planning permission. What your prospective client is looking for is a little more detail about what you did and how you overcame challenges along the way.

Case studies offer real world examples of how you fixed a client’s problem. They paint a clear picture of how great your service is. They draw your reader in with a story.

Our brains are hard-wired to respond to a story. More areas in our brain fire up when we’re listening to a story than if we are simply being told a series of facts. That makes it more enjoyable and more memorable.

Just like the classic story arc, using narrative to support your marketing helps keep your audience engaged.

A well-written case study will have a beginning, a middle and an end as well as a protagonist (that’s your client, not you). It starts with identifying a problem (the conflict) and then it agitates the problem (rising action).

When a problem resonates strongly with your reader, they’ll find themselves saying, “yes, that’s my problem too!” And just like that, they’re hooked and reading on to find the solution.

The case study introduces the solution at the climax of the story (that’s your business service or product) and then showcases the results (the resolution).

Taking this approach means you can paint a vivid picture that connects with the audience, answering one of marketing’s most important questions: “so what?”.

2) Case studies are written from the perspective of your client

The superpower of your marketing arsenal, case studies are fundamentally about your client’s journey, not about your company. Remember, they are the protagonist of the story. That how to avoid sounding arrogant.

Social proof is a powerful motivator and proven to be highly influential in purchasing decisions. 91% of us will read at least one review of a product before we buy. And of all the different factors affecting a purchase decision, seeing positive reviews is top of the list.

Written from your client’s perspective, case studies are most powerful when they not only tell their story and how you solved their problem, but also contain genuine quotes. In this way, a case study is like a super-charged customer review that helps your reader build trust in your brand, take the plunge and buy from you.

3) Case studies show, as well as tell

The best case studies give the reader some straight up, unarguable stats that demonstrate the benefit of your service.

Perhaps you’ve helped your client to:

Optimise a site, generating a better return for land value
Remove excess materials through a considered design, saving construction costs
Secure planning permission more quickly, through an agile and proactive approach.

Numbers are a great way to capture attention and prove your worth. Not all businesses have this sort of concrete data, though, and that’s still OK. A case study can still paint a vivid picture of transformation and a problem solved.

Maximise the impact of your case studies

Multiple case studies on the same area of work establishes you as an authority in your field, maximising impact and building an even stronger narrative.

Particularly good at converting sensitive listed buildings? Let’s hear about it multiple times. The best in the north west at decontaminating complex sites? Tell us more.

Case studies are high quality evergreen content, rich in value and offer plenty of opportunity to be repurposed.

Our mantra is: make it once, use it often.

You work hard to give your clients the best service. Now let your marketing work hard for you, sharing your successes in a compelling way that hooks people in, rather than turn people off.

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We create compelling case studies that showcase businesses expertise, build trust and generate new leads. Get in touch with the team at Luma to discuss whether case studies could be a useful addition to your marketing strategy.

First published on Place North West.