7 Tips For Creating an Effective Case Study

Case studies are a wonderful way for businesses to showcase the work that they’ve done. When celebrating work for clients, you’ve got to ensure that it is crafted and shared effectively. Here are 7 tips to help you achieve just that. 

The Crux of an Effective Case Study

Case studies are beneficial in many ways. For one, they leave your clients with positive feelings, as your business values the work done as an exemplary example to share with others. For prospects, it provides a realistic idea of what your business will be able to do for them.

In other words, case studies should be the easy part, in that all the hard work has been said and done. The task of creating a case study that is effective lies in the way you share the information. If you reflect on some case studies you’ve seen, you can probably point out the ones that looked like copy-paste information overload. 

An effective case study is twofold in that it helps to create social proof or credibility, as well as build trust. The most effective ones are simplified and able to dissect the core goals, processes, and performance. It’s about presenting your overall solution for the said client, showing that you can, in fact, walk the walk. These are overviews that work really well on websites.

7 Tips for Creating Case Studies

1. Have a strategy for your case studies 

Depending on the number of clients you take on, you won’t be able to create a case study for each of these. Since the purpose of these is to highlight your best work, be sure to plan out which case studies you’ll need to create. These should ideally showcase each of the products or services you have to offer prospects. 

2. Use exemplary stories

Think of each client you work with as a potential case study - in other words, be sure to always strive to perform at your best and deliver. Case studies need to be reviewed on an ongoing basis, as they should be able to demonstrate the relevant and recent achievements or solutions that you’ve helped bring about. You’ll also need to consider your audience and be sure that the examples relate and appeal to them for the highest levels of efficacy. 

3. Keep it simple

While you may be tempted to compile in-depth reports, we suggest you save those kinds of details for proposals. This is because you’re exerting that effort to qualified prospects, while using case studies to highlight the opportunities, without revealing too much and encouraging them to take that next step of requesting a proposal.

4. Get the framing right 

In as much as a case study is a story that follows a classic narrative arc, the roles and characters need to be defined, and your business should be framed as the supporting role. The case study should reflect the client as the main character, which inadvertently shows your dedication to the client’s needs and your thorough understanding of them.

When all is said and done, a case study is your brand’s portfolio, so the names matter - it shows the caliber of your client list which can increase perceptions of credibility. 

5. Consider the medium

We’ve mentioned websites as the prime medium for your case studies, but there are also other options for you to consider as well. For example, creating a Story highlight with slides that break down what you’ve accomplished in simple terms, or creating a downloadable document for people.

Since case studies are often displayed on websites, be sure to optimize the content and use the opportunity to incorporate graphic design elements to enliven the content on the page aesthetically. You can also mix things up by sharing your success stories using different mediums by including video, written content, and infographics. 

6. Have a case study style

Sticking to a particular style is important. This makes your brand consistent in the eyes of your audience. They should be able to look over each case study without having to readjust to a completely new layout, format, or tone. It is also key to include the facts and figures in your case studies - numbers need to be used to your advantage here. Finally, have a flow so that you are telling the story completely with each case study - i.e the problem, the process, and the solution. 

7. Show, don’t tell

When you can involve your client in the creation of your case study, it’ll come off as all the more authentic. For example, finding insights that were of particular significance to them, and finding out exactly how much of an effect your product or service helped them can be incredibly powerful to include in your case study.

In this way, you’ll be gaining a better understanding of your client base, improving the relationship, and having an element of testimonial-driven content included. The goal is to appeal to the audience in that at this point, they already have an understanding of what you offer; now they need to see how it works. It is the chance to show what your brand is all about.

Begin Creating a Winning Case Study

A case study has the ability to help you deepen relationships with clients, and connect with prospects. It helps to display your expertise and experience in a way that can close deals. By incorporating the 7 tips mentioned above, you’ll be able to create effective case studies in no time. 

Nexa can help you create effective case studies. Get in touch with us to find out more.