ClickInsights: What is your favorite case study? Why do you like it?

Posted by Ambal Balakrishnan November 12th 09

Case studies come in all shapes and forms. Our Panel of Case Study Experts have written and reviewed thousands of case studies over the years. Which case study stands out in their mind? We have invited Case Study Experts to answer this query: "Give one example of your most favorite case study and why you like it".

Cindy King

Blog CindyKing Twitter CindyKing

 “Highlight business impact”

Cindy King's Bio

Cindy King is a Cross-Cultural Marketer & International Sales Specialist based in France.  She uses her dual background in sales & marketing, in international business development, to help businesses improve their international sales conversion. She is also adept at content marketing, international web marketing and social media marketing. 

Cindy King's Tip  

My favorite case study is a blog post on Social Media Examiner:
Social Media Marketing Lowers Acquisition Costs 39 Percent for TakeLessons.com

What stands out the most for me in this case study is the great example of how social media marketing works for a real world business.  It highlights how businesses need to adapt their marketing to this new environment in order to engage with their clients in a different way.  Another great take away from this case study is how businesses should approach the ROI of social media.  It's not only about the money you make, but also the money you save.

Of course, most businesses would love to experience similar results to the TakeLessons.com case study, especially when you consider the manageable amount of time invested in their social media tasks. So this case study is also an inspiration.

Cindy King Recommends

• Casey Hibbard's book Stories That Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales & Marketing Asset
• Jill Konrath's book Selling To Big Companies
• Joe Pulizzi's and Newt Barrett's book Get Content. Get Customers.  

Casey Hibbard

Blog Stories That Sell Twitter Casey_Hibbard

“Tell a story and prove claims with numbers”

Casey Hibbard's Bio

Casey Hibbard is the founder and principal of Compelling Cases, Inc. Over the past decade, she has created and managed nearly 500 customer stories for dozens of companies, including Level 3, USA.NET, Jobfox, Qwest, Great-West Healthcare, Vocus and Verio. She is the author of the first published book on the topic of customer case studies, Stories That Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales & Marketing Asset.

Casey Hibbard's Tip

Alltel Wireless drives “My Circle” success with sophisticated direct marketing was created for Acxiom, an interactive marketing services company.

This case study is at the top of its class for many reasons:

• A well-known company was willing to share its success in a case study.
• The design attracts and engages readers. The amount of white space is inviting, as well as the numerous, relevant graphics throughout the story. The layout keeps paragraphs narrow and relatively short, making it more reader-friendly.
• A sidebar summarizes the story for readers. Placing it on the first page means readers don't have to search for that information.
• A feature story style means the story starts immediately with an engaging feature lead, instead of an "About the Customer" section.
• Acxiom has left out an About Us section, keeping it about the customer's story. Instead, the audience can glean that information from other sources.
• The story uses descriptive subheads throughout to help readers skim.
• The 4-page case study uses 5-6 powerful customer quotes that reinforce the customer's experience.
• It includes measurable results - the icing on the cake.  

In short, it's extremely attractive, tells a story and proves its claims with numbers.

Casey Hibbard Recommends

• For writers and marketers, the first book on customer case studies just came out, Stories That Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales & Marketing Asset, in ebook or printed formats. It covers the complete process of creating a story from start to finish to usage.
• Steve Slaunwhite’s Cracking the Case Study Market how-to manual is a great resource for writers looking to profit in this field.
• Join LinkedIn Group – Success-Story Marketing Group for discussions about all things related to using customer stories in sales and marketing. 

Michele Linn

Blog Savvy B2B Marketing Twitter MicheleLinn

"Highlight results that are quantifiable and relevant to the reader"

Michele Linn's Bio

Michele Linn is a B2B marketing consultant specializing creating and promoting buyer-focused content, such as white papers, research reports, feature articles and case studies. Her business is devoted to making the job of B2B marketers easier by producing effective content and providing insights on how they can market it. Her website is Linn Communications.

Michele Linn's Tip

One of my favorite case studies (Insurance Firm Wards Off Costly CPU Upgrades With Compuware Strobe) is one I worked on when I was a marketing manager for a software company.  It was a collaboration between the key people at my company (sales was especially instrumental), and I was very pleased with the results.

Like many case studies, the format of this piece is easy to skim and understand: problem, solution, results. The sidebar summarizes these key points for those who want a quick overview.

I am especially fond of this case study because the results are so quantifiable and relevant to the reader. For the audience of this story, hard-dollar savings was especially important. We understood exactly what data we wanted to pull out, so we developed the questions to get powerful quotes:

• “We were able to fine-tune performance and delay our next CPU upgrade for almost 18 months, saving approximately $2 million in hardware and software costs.” 
• “We can improve performance and put off other upgrades, saving us today probably close to around another $1 million in costs.”

We got a lot of mileage from these quotes and others from the story. There was also a video and press release about the customer experience, which was a nice compliment to the written story.

Michele Linn Recommends

• Casey Hibbard's blog Stories that Sell
• Casey Hibbard's book Stories That Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales & Marketing Asset
• Jonathan Kranz's eBook: Making Your Case: Everything You and Your Colleagues Need to Write Compelling, Lead-Generating Case Studies

Sarah Mitchell

Blog Global Copywriting Twitter globalcopywrite

"Identify a case study with clear subheadings - Problem, Goal and Solution"

Sarah Mitchell's Bio

Sarah Mitchell is a freelance copywriter with a focus on B2B content, specifically case studies and white papers. Combining successful technical, sales and writing careers, Sarah provides a rare perspective to every project. She’s especially interested in working with small and medium-sized businesses. Sarah has lived and worked on five continents. Find her website at Global Copywriting.

Sarah Mitchell's Tip

My favorite case study is from an unlikely source, Cook’s Illustrated magazine. For those of you that don’t know, Cook’s Illustrated is known as America’s Test Kitchen. Taking a scientific approach to every recipe printed, the magazine is nothing less than a monthly compendium of case studies.

Published in March 2006, Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake identifies itself as a case study with clear subheadings on The Problem, The Goal and The Solution. Written clearly in feature-style prose, the reader is drawn immediately with a reminder of how chocolate cake used to be, “towering slices …slathered with billowy frosting”.  The problem succinctly follows, “over the years chocolate cakes have become denser, richer and squatter”.  By the time I get to the goal, “old-style, mile-high chocolate layer cake with a tender, airy, open crumb and a soft, billowy frosting”, I’m already making a shopping list.

As with all good case studies, Cook’s Illustrated provides plenty of convincing data. You trust a recipe perfected with 130 attempts. Both failures and successes are detailed in objective language. Key findings are described along with the technical reasons for success. When you’re done reading, you know what works and, importantly, why it works.

The case study ends with clear recommendations in the form of a recipe and systematic instructions with accompanying photos. If you’ve never made a chocolate cake in your life, this case study provides four pages of specific information to guide you. For an experienced baker, Cook’s Illustrated makes you confident you’ve found the perfect recipe.

Sarah Mitchell Recommends

•  Savvy B2B Marketing
• Compelling Cases Blog
• Joe Pulizzi’s Blog
• Stories that Sell by Casey Hibbard
• The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman
• LinkedIn Groups: Copywriting Success Summit and Success-Story Marketing 

Stephanie Tilton

Blog Savvy B2B Marketing Twitter StephanieTilton

 “Produce a range of pieces to address different audience interests”

Stephanie Tilton's Bio

Stephanie Tilton is an expert case study and white paper writer who helps B2B companies advance the sales cycle by engaging prospects and customers. Harnessing her unique blend of technical knowledge, marketing savvy, and writing skills, Stephanie has crafted nearly 100 case studies and white papers for leading brands such as Akamai Technologies, EMC, Macromedia, Novell, SAP, and Symantec. Her website is Ten Ton Marketing.

Stephanie Tilton's Tip

My favorite case studies focus on the customer's success and help readers envision how their situation can change for the better.
 
SAP does a great job of telling these types of stories. In fact, SAP takes an interesting approach to showcasing customer successes. It produces a range of pieces to address different audience interests, from a one-page customer profile to in-depth stories that follow the typical "problem-solution-results" formula. In the middle lie Business Transformation Studies, which illustrate how SAP has helped customers, well, transform their businesses. These Business Transformation Studies are formatted to appeal to both skimmers and readers, as well as to business and technical audiences. In the sample I've chosen, you'll see the following elements used to great effect:

• A headline and pull quote emphasizing the main customer benefit
• A shaded box summarizing customer and solution information
• Bullets highlighting key challenges, reasons the solution was selected, implementation highlights, and benefits
• A four-line summary encapsulating the story
• A one-page narrative telling the story in a compelling fashion

Key takeaway: Focus your case studies on your customers and format the stories so readers can digest information the way they prefer.

Stephanie Tilton Recommends

• Casey Hibbard's book Stories That Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales & Marketing Asset 
• Casey Hibbard's blog Stories that Sell
• 6 Steps to Successful Case Studies
  

Related Articles

• ClickInsights: How should case studies be used in marketing activities versus sales activities?
• ClickInsights: 3 important components that will make a great case study
  
• ClickInsights: How to get customers to participate in a case study?
  
• ClickInsights: What is the biggest mistake to avoid when writing a case study?
• ClickInsights: Tips on how to write a better Case Study   

 

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