Content strategy is an important part of marketing. It helps in bringing in traffic. Content marketing focuses on educating an audience. And by doing so, a company can drive its business forward.
A business can include different types of content in its content strategy. Blogging is one of the most commonly used. It can include different kinds of writing, like listicles, reviews, and news. But one thing that is important and should always be part of a business’s blog is a case study.
A case study is basically a story that illustrates what a company can do to help clients solve their problems. For companies in the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer sectors, storytelling is a powerful weapon that they must use to grow their business.
Whether you’re in the B2B or B2C sector, you need to include case studies in your content marketing strategy.
Why Case Studies are Important
Case studies can benefit your business in many ways:
Build Reputation and Credibility
You can build your business’s reputation by including case studies in your blog. For example, they can double as your company’s portfolio. They give a preview of your clientele. If your blog includes case studies involving famous brands, site visitors may become more interested in your business.
Case studies can also help you establish the credibility of your business. A case study focuses on the client or consumer. But it still illustrates what your business can do and how you can help others make their lives better. And if a case study is well-written, readers will see how capable a business is in communicating. This trait can also be attractive to readers and potential clients.
Drive Leads
Your case studies can establish you as an expert in your field. When site visitors see what your company is capable of, they’ll be more inclined to interact with your business and, eventually, become paying clients or consumers. One study found that more than 70% in the awareness and evaluation stages found case studies to be the most influential content.
Get Ahead of Your Competition
In a very competitive world, you need to do what you can to get your business noticed. There are many ways outside of content marketing to do this, such as promos, paid ads, etc. But case studies can give you the additional push you need to stay ahead of the competition. This content will help potential clients see the value you can provide. So they are more likely to avail of your products and services. Or they might even recommend your business to other people whose needs align with your business.
Educate Readers
Google processes 3.5 billion searches per day. For many, searching on Google has become a knee-jerk reaction whenever they need to find answers to something. And answers are what case studies can give to your clients.
The main purpose of a case study is not to sell a product or service but to educate readers. For example, say a production company created virtual tours for apartment rental businesses like The Masonry. This company can write a case study that details their client’s needs. It can also include how they produced the virtual tours for that rental business and what strategies they used to make them engaging and effective. If another real estate business sees this case study, they may see themselves in the client’s position and learn something about best practices in creating virtual tours.
Of course, this situation also benefits your business. By educating your readers, you leave an impression on them. And if the time comes that they do need the products and services you offer, they may go straight to you.
Writing a Case Study
You need to know how to write an effective one to reap all the benefits of having case studies in your blog. A case study has four basic elements: the customer’s problem, the solution, the implementation of that solution, and its outcomes. This should be arranged in chronological order.
It’s also important to include quotes from clients to add credibility to your case studies. Where appropriate, include charts, graphs, or other visual elements to keep your readers engaged. These elements will also add enough breathing space to your posts so that you don’t overwhelm your readers with blogs of text, which can make them click away. You will also need to ask permission from your client if they will allow you to state their name or the name of their business in your case study.
