Here's the case for
business case studies in one simple story. Not long ago, I was at a client work site - a service centre run by a global aerospace company. Our client had been called in to do some high value facilities maintenance work.
I asked the facilities manager how he had selected my client and he said:
"I Googled the service I wanted and they came up on the first page. I liked what I saw on the website. It was clear they could do what I wanted to I called them, and here they are."So we have a global aerospace manufacturer and service provider Googling for support services costing into five figures. Telling enough. He also said: "What I like to see on websites is case studies, and clear stories about the kind of stuff we do. That gives me the confidence to call in a supplier."
Our client could now win similar work at up to 20 of this company's sites across the UK. And all because it showed up on the Google search.
Another story. A short while ago, the owner of another client, a construction company, came to see me and said: "Andy, I've got to say a big thank you. We were pitching to a new client and they wanted to see some examples of our work, just be certain that we can do what he needs. We pointed him at case studies on our website, and he signed a contact worth £125,000."
My conclusion to both these...case studies, is that business case studies work, and can be very effective as supporting evidence to win new business.
Here's some additional reasons why you should consider the benefits of business case studies:
- Business case studies help a potential client in the decision-making process. A senior member of the client team may ask a junior to gather evidence before a purchase. By having information in the form of a case study, the junior can offer the business case study to directly support the decision-making process. The information in a case study can be laid out in a business report style, it can be industry or sector specific, it can contain supporting data and additional technical information - all content that will provide assurance for the senior decision-maker.
- Business case studies can be targeted at specific types of customers or sectors. As such it can be created to appeal directly to specific types of buyers. There can be no misunderstanding: you provide precisely the service they need, and the business case study shows why.
- A business case study makes best use of marketing content. You may have written a web story or a press release about the success of your service or product. With a bit of tweaking, it can be quickly turned into a case study, a different beast, which enhances search engine optimisation, and gives customers the precise information they need to make decisions about using your services.
- Business case studies can be used by your marketing and sales team in customer acquisition campaigns, in face-to-face sales pitches and in marketing additional services to current customers.
So, the point about business case studies is, they add to the mix of marketing content you can offer online, helping you attract more customers through web marketing, they can be used offline as well, to support sales promotions and pitches and they will help you better target specifc customer segments. As the two business case studies above also show - they win you more business.
Watch out for future posts, when I talk about how to create effective business case studies.