At bOnline we write a lot of content in order to provide our customers and other small business owners with insights and advice. As part of this, we regularly profile our customers for case studies. This has emerged as one of our most valuable forms of content, as not only does it help to promote our services, it also helps us to gain an understanding of the customer’s experience.

Case studies are such a powerful marketing tool because everybody loves a personal story they can relate to. By writing case studies from the viewpoint of real people, it’s easy for prospects to understand the tangible benefits they could achieve by becoming your customer.

Case studies can serve as proof that your company really can deliver. Anyone can make false promises on their website, but good case studies require verification from real customers. This can help potential customers determine that your business is trustworthy.

It’s easy to produce case studies and they can become a valuable part of your marketing strategy - even the smallest businesses just starting out can benefit from writing case studies. As with testimonials, your happy customers will be willing to participate in your case study.

Here are five essential things to include in each case study:

Keep it focused:

A case study should be focused on getting one or few points across rather than a shotgun approach of trying to address all the benefits of your company. Choose the areas where the customer has benefitted most and get that point across forcefully.

Make it personal:

Try to focus on the experience of the customer and the benefits they achieved, rather than focusing on your product. Make it personal with direct quotes to show that this is the customer’s genuine opinion.

When reading testimonials, potential customers are interested in whether they can achieve the same results, and will be put off by pushy sales talk.

Keep it punchy:

Try to condense all the benefits and quotes into a short, concise article. You could use bullet points or headers to make it easy to skim read. This will help the main points to stand out to the readers, and will make them easier to remember.

Source images:

As with any marketing material, images are important. People are easily put off by lots of text with no visual components. You could use an image of the product you’re discussing, or include a photo of the customer for that further personal touch.

Make it prominent:

Once you’ve written your case studies, put them where potential customers will see them. You can display case studies on your website, or in any printed marketing material such as brochures or flyers.