TREW Talks - Case Studies: Your Best Work On Display

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Enjoy a business-building, 13-minute webinar, on us! View webinar here: http://info.trewmarketing.com/trew-talks-case-studies In this TREW Talk, TREW Content expert Morgan Norris steps you through a crash course in creating lead-generating case studies that will build credibility for your products and services. This informative tutorial takes you from initially securing a case study with a customer to promoting your case study through a variety of marketing channels, with templates, timelines, and checklists to help you along the way. This TREW Talk includes: - Real-world examples of effective studies - A step-by-step outline of the case study content development process - Ready-to-use templates, timelines, and checklists to create your first case studies - Promotional ideas to help you reach the most potential customers possible with your case study - And more! Download our free marketing guide to learn how to make every dollar and hour of your marketing investment count : http://www.trewmarketing.com/smartmarketing/index.php

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Case Studies Best Practices

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MORGAN NORRIS, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

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Case Studies

• Why Case Studies?• Examples• Process• Structure

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WHY CASE STUDIES?

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Goal• Developing an easily-reusable piece of content that can be used to

advocate for the company to prospective customers

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Benefits• Showcase successes to prove validity• Leverage customers’ names • Give examples of the processes and end results for potential clients• Relate to potential customers’ current challenges• Reward customers

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Uses for a Case Study• Sales leave-behind• Inclusion in corporate slides• Online content• Basis for a news release• Pitch to journalists for coverage• Customer reference

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EXAMPLES

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NASDAQ

Strengths• Charts show factual

detail, give a quick picture of results

• “Why Schwab Switched” bullets show relatable benefits

• Customer quote provides validity

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Microsoft

Strengths• Solutions overview

gives a snapshot of a customer, and helps a reader relate to the challenges

• Quote validates solution

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Cisco

Strengths• Results-driven

headline draws a reader in

• Stats box gives specific results that will relate to readers

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PROCESS

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Process• Relatable challenges• Quantifiable resultsSelect success stories

• Ask early and during negotiationsNurture the relationship

• Initial interview/questionnaire• Write the case studyDo the work

• Relatable challenge and quantifiable solution• Headline, subhead, quote, and image captionGet to the specifics

• Highlight specific areas to review, include any images/screen shots• Include a quote that can later be used for website, news releasesMake approval easy

• Showcase on website• Pitch to mediaAdvocate the success

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TimelineTask Working Days

Finalize Questions 2 days

Interview Customer (phone or email) 1 day or 5 days if email

Create draft 5-7 days

Review internally 2 days

Incorporate internal feedback 1 day

Deliver to customer for review 4 days

Revise document 2 days

Review internally 2 days

Incorporate internal feedback 1 day

Deliver to customer for final review 4 days

Finalize 2 days

Publicize

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Interview Questions1. Describe the application or project.2. What problem was your customer trying to solve?3. Describe problems they faced with previous solutions, or pros and cons

of other solutions they considered. 4. What product capabilities are they using in this application? 5. Using your products, what can they do that they could not do before?6. What was the process of making your products a part of the customer’s

application?7. How much time, money, or both are they saving with the new

application or system? Please be as specific as possible.

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STRUCTURE

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Content ChecklistHeadlineSub-headlineChallengeGoal/SolutionSpecific requirements/Critical factorsRelevant background informationProcess (solution selection and implementation)Results

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Visuals Checklist

ImageCaptionPull Quote

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Approvals Checklist

Content signoffCustomer information

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Layout/Design

BrandingFormat

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Key Elements of a Case Study

Visuals

Approvals

Written Content

Layout/Design

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Deliverable OverviewHeadline that shows how customer benefitted from products/servicesSubheadline can provide additional detail if necessary

Challenge: 1-2 sentences describing the problem the customer faced.Solution: 1-2 sentences describing the solution implemented

Critical Factors• Bulleted list of the customer top 4-5 requirements (specs, time, cost, etc.)

“Quote from the customer.” – Name, title at Company

BackgroundAny relevant detail about the customer or challenge (100-150 words)

ProcessBody content, discussing the process of selecting a solution and implementing a few product/service (300-500 words)

Results2-3 sentences about specific results of the project, and how the company has benefitted from its new solution. The more specific these details are, the better. (100-150 words)

Customer Contact InfoThis provides credibility for the testimonial

Use a relevant image and caption to help the reader visualize the story.

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Uses for a Case Study• Sales leave-behind• Inclusion in corporate slides• Online content• Basis for a news release• Pitch to journalists for coverage• Customer reference

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