Why Case Studies Are Your Most Effective Marketing Tool

Sep 27
09:12

2007

Jeffrey Long

Jeffrey Long

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Satisfied customers are your greatest sales people. Why not put them to work? Case studies – aka success stories – bring real-life credibility to your marketing. Dollar for dollar, case studies are the single best investment a business can make. Here’s why you need them to make more B2B sales.

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Your satisfied customers are valuable in many ways. They can also be your most powerful marketing asset.

Why not leverage their experiences to your advantage? Case studies effectively communicate the value you bring to prospects with "real-life" stories.

Why stories of success bring ... more success

Unlike ads,Why Case Studies Are Your Most Effective Marketing Tool Articles brochures and press releases, case studies are highly-credible, third-party endorsements which sell your company’s benefits – without your prospects feeling "sold to." As extended testimonials, these compelling stories build your marketplace credibility.

Research indicates 71 percent of buyers base their decisions on trust and believability. Relating your customers’ positive experiences and results is one of the best ways to establish credibility with prospects.

Dollar for dollar, case studies are the single best investment a company can make in marketing collateral. A recent MarketingSherpa survey showed that 67 percent of technology buyers read case studies, which ranked only behind white papers (71 percent) in desired content.

Can you afford NOT to have case studies?

Case studies are surprisingly cost-effective. Because they can be recycled and re-purposed in so many different ways, your ROI will get a big boost.

Use them for lead generation, sales support and publicity. Package them as a free giveaway offer in emails, advertising, direct mail and online campaigns. Present them at trade shows.

Surveys have shown case studies to have a 75 percent effectiveness rate when used as part of marketing program. Clearly, they’ve become an integral tool in the process of moving prospects along in the sales cycle.

Your prospects will likely look for them. Your competitors may well have them. If you don't, that's a critical gap in your marketing mix.

How can your company develop powerful case studies, and use them effectively? How many do you need? Examine your target market and identify case studies that resonate with all different segments of buyers – by industry, size, challenge, geography, demographic, etc.

Everyone loves a good story. Give yours a happy ending. It starts by tapping the power of case studies in your marketing.

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