What is a marketing case study? [And how to create compelling ones]
Are your sales calls falling flat? Back up your claims with an effective case study. We'll walk you through the reasons to invest in high-quality case studies for your business, the case study structure, and how to write one.
Once you’re armed with a case study, your sales calls will have more direction and substance. Get started today.
What is a marketing case study?
A marketing case study explains how you solved a problem for a client or customer using customer testimonials, statistics, and strategy to illustrate your approach.
Why do you need a case study for sales?
Typically you use a marketing case study as a tool for your sales strategy. We’ll break down this process below.
Social proof
Your case study shows that your company is successfully working with clients. You show that by seamlessly incorporating customer testimonials and measures of success.
It should simultaneously illustrate how you solve your client’s unique problem but also be universal enough to connect with other similar potential customers. (These are opposing messages, but they are not impossible.)
Grab your lead's attention
Lead with a universal fact that grabs your potential customer’s attention. Often with case studies, they lead with an especially appealing stat. Here are some examples:
- How we tripled sales for a B2B SaaS company
- We increased website traffic to 50,000 a month using this strategy
- How to decrease ad spend by $X and improve conversions by Y%
These headlines grab attention because they speak to your typical sales leads’ problems. They should want to accomplish the same things that you already are doing for your current customers.
Frame your sales pitch around your customer while teaching about your business
Do you ever get on a sales call and try to pitch an idea, and it feels like it falls on deaf ears? Here are some examples we see when we talk to customers about marketing their business.
- Us: To rank higher on Google, you must put money and time into a content marketing strategy. Customer: Ok, but can’t you just add SEO phrases to my site?
- Us: To run effective Google Ads, you need to optimize your website and track conversions. Customer: I don’t have access to my site’s code, but we’ll just make a note anytime someone calls.
- Us: Do you really want to create 72 blog posts monthly for your company blog? It might be better to map out a focused approach that positions you as a comprehensive industry leader. Customer: Let’s make it 75 blog posts!
A case study is a great way to grab your customer’s attention. Instead of your sales conversations going like the examples above, you’re taking hold of the narrative. You can say simply that we’ve solved your problem before. You can dive into the case study together and talk about your approach.
Address objections and reservations
Sometimes your sales prospects are reluctant to spend money. After all, it’s a risk to spend money on your business. What if it doesn’t pay off?
Worse, your sales lead often wants to go towards a lower-risk option that won’t produce results. Then when they don’t see the right results, they give up on a strategy or product altogether.
When you address objections, reservations, and concerns with social proof and stats, you give your leads the ability to make more informed decisions. This builds confidence.
Builds confidence and relationships
First impressions are everything. It is hard to immediately establish trust with someone who is a cold prospect. Giving a sales lead a case study helps them see your business clearer, positions you as a professional, and builds confidence.
Marketing case study structure
The first step to writing a case study is to understand the structure. Some case studies are just a few pages, and others read like books. But they all follow this basic structure. Here’s how to get started.
Come up with a result-oriented title
Create a working title for your case study. (You can rename or edit it later.) Your title is essential because it has to grab attention, but it’s also the main point of your case study. Here’s how to get it right.
Your title is the solution to your problem. First, write down the exact problem that you solved. It needs to be a measurable problem with an equally measurable solution. Here’s an example to get you started. Company X helped Company Y increase sales turnaround time by z with a streamlined process. So the title could be something like “Improve onboarding efficiency by 40% with video tutorials.”
As you’re writing, you may come across a more compelling statistic or fact to use as your title. Take note of it, and use it. But start your case study with a title. Your title announces the ending, and in this case, that’s helpful to you and the reader. The outcome convinces your reader to look through the case study, and you will also know where your writing needs to go if you know the outcome you are explaining.
Introduce the customer
You need to give some background information on the customer. This is the customer that is the subject of the case study.
Start general with your customer introduction. You want the reader to connect with the subject so they can relate to the customer and their problem. Then move into more specific information so you can explain how you saved the day.
Explain the customer’s problem
From there, state the customer’s problem. You or your product must fix, change, or create a solution. Describe how to measure their problem because later, you will want to talk about the corresponding measured success.
Describe your strategy for solving their problem
Your customer’s problem now becomes your goal. You are addressing their pain point with your solution. You need to break your solution down into actionable steps. Explain the strategy and action behind how you solve their problem.
Give results with visuals and stats
From there, explain what worked with your strategy. Results should always be measurable. And with digital marketing analytics, there are infinite ways to measure success. Don’t overwhelm with too many numbers, but show the most compelling numbers. Take the time to design visuals that display your data best.
It’s also an excellent place to use customer testimonials. You want to appeal to both sides of the brain. Show the numbers, and also give the anecdotal experience of what the experience was like for your customer.
Conclusion with a CTA
Your conclusion should summarize your case study. It should also give the reader the next steps for solving their problem. You could ask them to schedule a consultation, buy a product, or give you a call.
Marketing case study template
Not sure where to start? Grab our case study infographic to get started:
How do you write a case study?
It can be hard to know where to start with writing case studies. Case studies appear simple; many can be as short as 500 words. But it takes a lot of work and editing to writing concisely. You have a short time to prove your case and convince your reader that the results worked.
Follow the case study structure
We outline this above (and provided a handy infographic as well). This is the best way to get started. Use our structure to begin your outline. Fill in the gaps.
Define a problem that your typical or ideal customer has
The most important part of your case study is a well-defined problem. You can't fix a vague problem and definitely can’t measure success. So don’t start with a problem that isn’t specific.
You also don’t want to take the time to write a case study that won’t appeal to your typical customer. So think about what your prospects typically contact you about, and write a case study that addresses these needs.
Provide measurable solutions
Just like your problem, your solution needs to be measurable. Your solution should be simple to explain. Here’s an example:
The client struggled with bookkeeping and invoicing. After establishing a system with our strategies and software, the client decreased accounting time by 6 hours a month and collected 40% more money on time.
In the scenario above, you should explain your system and strategies in your case study. Nothing should ever be secret to potential customers. You must demonstrate competence, knowledge, honesty, and straightforwardness with your case study.
Gather testimonials that address each section of the case study
Client testimonials speak to potential customers. You’re building trust with client testimonials. Be sure to gather the right quotes from your customers by asking the right questions. A good rule of thumb is to ask questions that go with each section of your testimonial. This way, you have a variety of quotes that all sound different. It’s key to ask the right questions and not overwhelm your interview subjects with too many questions.
Illustrate your case study with data
Prove your claim with data. Data drives your point home. Don’t overwhelm your case study with too much data. Instead, choose the data points that prove that you accomplished your goal. Take the data and make it visual so that it's easier to understand and the reader can clearly see it. Explain how the data points demonstrate that you accomplished your goal.
Make sure your case study tells a story
Edit your case study carefully so that it tells a straightforward story. It isn’t always about explaining every detail. But instead, take your reader on a journey of how you solved a problem for your client or customer. It’s often recommended that you position yourself as a hero. You need to create a story that places you as a hero so that others seek out your services or products.
Use case studies to convert leads into customers
We write case studies. A professional content marketer can help with:
- Case study copy: We can tell your story right and show your potential clients the relevant details about your business.
- Case study interviews: We know how to ask the right questions to get the right quotes and testimonials.
- Analysis: We can make sense of your stats and connect them to your story.
- Design: The finished product needs to look its best. We can create attention-grabbing case studies to include in your future sales meetings.
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