Don’t Write Case Studies, Produce Case Stories
The case study is a credibility builder for any company. Cases encapsulate differentiation and performance. Persuasive and entertaining cases in B2B communications get people talking which is great because word-of-mouth is the original earned media. Yet, it is unfortunate that the vast majority miss the opportunity to be shared because they are clinically written, boring and vague.
Brands must break the conventions that exist in writing and deploying them. When written as a story rather than a sales sheet, they are powerful. Think of them as a form of immersive advertising. Every case should be real, relatable, and entertaining. Most readers of traditional case studies are jaded. They expect the content to be a thinly-veiled brochure. Do everything in your power to dispel that notion by sharing authentic value.
The Power
Trust in advertising is at an all-time low. People rely on friends and family when buying a barbecue or contemplating a vacation destination. In B2B, buyers are swayed by the company they will keep and evidence of results. This is why consulting firms and advertising agencies flash the logos of clients in their marketing.
Cases become power-packed testimonials if they strive to:
· Illustrate how you help prospects achieve their goals
· Demonstrate real-world applications of your offering
· Share the way you work which helps establish chemistry
· Give the prospect a sense of your culture to help make a connection
· Assist the decision-maker mitigate risk within their organization
Case stories are not chest-pounding, loud marketing claims. They are immersive experiences resembling a feature article in Wired or Fast Company rather than a dissection of a project in Harvard Business Review.
The Challenges
While at Interbrand and DDB, I led communications. At DDB, I once put out a call to the agency, that was comprised of over 10,000 employees, for cases. All I asked for was the scenario then my team would do the writing and packaging. I received just six responses. This highlights the biggest challenge, getting the content out of your organization.
There is no easy fix to this but to develop a culture over time where case stories are an expected part of the business. Instead of an afterthought, these should be part of the process in serving clients. Here are other challenges that are not small but can be mitigated:
· Making the cases tangible is critical but often clients will not allow you to claim that their sales increased by X amount as a result of your assistance. Still, there is no harm in asking. If statistics cannot be used, get a real person from the client organization to tell the story. Rather than a one-sentence endorsement, interview the client to populate the entire case. It builds their credibility too.
· Generalization is a big challenge because cases follow the same convention. The moment they are written in the expected format, they lose a big chunk of potential impact. If a reader can predict the outcome by reading the first few lines, you have lost them.
· Communicating that the case is valid is often called into question because these are not academic cases, they are ultimately marketing communications. Too many case studies embellish or make questionable claims. Keep it real.
· Ensure the case accurately communicates your authority in the space. It is okay to be a tad aspirational but do not test credibility.
· Many great cases are never written due to fatigue at the end of an engagement. Push through and get it written is the best advice.
It is not a bad idea to add a line to your contract that specifically calls for a case story at the end of the engagement. It might not pass client approval but is worth a try.
The Writing
We must remember that prospects are usually looking at multiple companies and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each. In the consideration stage they’re actively seeking reasons to reject you. Cases can sink or elevate you.
Most cases follow the convention of problem, solution and results. Conventions have their place and this is a fine structure. However, there are so many different routes to go. Zendesk’s case with Airbnb is arguably traditional but it is the best possible traditional. It employs testimonials from the client, shares statistics, and provides a human narrative. Yet, imagine if this had been written from the standpoint of an Airbnb customer. That would be fresh and invigorating.
Here’s how to make your cases fresh:
· Make the story about the client (or the client’s client). Avoid talking overtly about you or your services, contextualize them in the client’s situation. Let the client talk about you.
· Bring your methodology to life through the case without making it a lesson plan
· Statistics are important but people relate more to stories than they do statistics, so format your case in a narrative
· Be honest. If the case went sideways but recovered, tell that story!
· Show that your company has empathy. Tell the human aspects of the case. It was a lot of work, collaboration was critical, deadlines were aggressive, etc. This shows up well in AMP Agency’s work with Patagonia. The project was called “Rips Sewed, Brand Love Reaped” and it includes a neat little hook by featuring the case’s insights.
· Not all results come in numerals, share what was learned on the engagement in terms of staffing, project planning, training, roadblocks and speedbumps, etc.
· Make it an Action Story not a case study. Be appropriately dramatic. Create intrigue
· Use real client names, if not possible, provide titles
· Inject humor by quoting the project teams and client service people. Share the behind-the-scenes elements like presentation development or flight delays. Add the reality and sparks. Stories that cover how you and the client worked together are highly engaging
· Think hard about the title, it is a summary and needs to draw readers in
The Deployment
Of course, you are going to put the case stories on your website but here are some ways to “redeploy” case stories:
· Make the cases easy to find. Put a case on your homepage with a big photo of the client team and their company’s logo. The agency, Genuine, went further with their client, Acoustic. Genuine’s website became one big case story.
· The Acoustic case brings up an interesting point about websites. They are supposed to tell a story but due to hamburgers and architectures, grow disjointed. Is there a way to make your site a continuous story with various cases?
· This may sound analog but if you want results, try print. People still love the tactile and appreciate a bespoke publication. Assemble a collection of your best cases and create a mini-magazine
· Use video. If you can co-opt your client to participate and you have the budget to pull off a decent production, video is amazing. The commercial furniture company, Herman Miller, produced a five-minute video with a hospital client that is full of glowing endorsements. It has a catchy title, Better Experiences for All
· Podcasts work too. Imagine your company doing a podcast series solely comprised of winning case studies. If done in a lively and entertaining way with great hosts from your organization, prospects will tune-in
· Another strategy is to appear on third party podcasts with your client. This produces double credibility. This is not unlike appearing at a conference with a client
The Results
A case story is a great way to shape buyer perception by illustrating a company’s success. It is low-cost but frequently time-consuming and can be frustrating. Still, they are worth it. The best cases give decision-makers a sense of what to expect, remove objections, and provide the prospect comfort in choice.
