Where Can I Read About Business Case Studies

Earning the trust of prospective customers can be a struggle. Earlier you can straight begin to expect to earn their clientele, you need to demonstrate your ability to render on what your product OR divine service promises.

Sure, you could say that you're great at X, or that you're way forrade of the competitor when IT comes to Y. But at the end of the daylight, what you really need to win new business is cold, hard proof.

One of the best ways to prove your worth is through a persuasive case study. As a matter of fact, HubSpot's 2020 State of Marketing report found that they are indeed compelling that they are the fifth just about unremarkably used type of content used by marketers.

Below, I'll walk around you through what a vitrine study is, how to steel onself for writing one, what you need to let in in it, and how it can follow an effective tactics. To jump to different areas of this post, click on the links below to automatically curl.

Case Study Definition

How to Drop a line a Showcase Study

How to Format a Case Study

Business Case Study Examples

Showcasing Your Work

Case Study Definition

A case study describes a specific challenge a business has faced, and the result they've chosen to puzzle out it. Case studies can vary greatly in length and stress on a identification number of details related to the initial challenge and practical solution, and can be presented in various forms like a video, white book, web log carry, etc.

In line settings, it's common for a case study to tell the tale of a thriving business partnership betwixt a vendor and a client. Perhaps the success you'rhenium highlighting is in the number of leads your client generated, customers closed, or revenue gained. Any one of these key performance indicators (KPIs) are examples of your company's services in action.

When done correctly, these examples of your work can chronicle the cocksure bear upon your business has connected extant or previous customers and help you attract new clients.

To help you weapon your prospects with selective information they can trust, we've set up a step-aside-step guide on how to create in effect case studies for your business — besides as free example study templates for creating your own. Get them using the form above, and then get creating using the steps down the stairs.

How to Write a Cause Study

1. Get started with case meditate templates.
2. Determine the case cogitation's objective.
3. Show a case study medium.
4. Find the right case study candidate.
5. Contact your candidate for permission to write about them.
6. Draft and send your subject a case study release form.
7. Guarantee you're interrogative the right questions.
8. Lay out your eccentric study format.
9. Publish and promote your suit study.

1. Pay back started with grammatical case study templates.

Relation your customer's story is a delicate procedure — you require to highlight their success spell naturally incorporating your business into their story.

If you're just getting started with case studies, we advocate you download HubSpot's Case Survey Templates. Included are three knit-text and three organized templates to explain how your customers thrived while using your product or overhaul.

Download Now

2. Determine the grammatical case study's impersonal.

All business case studies are designed to demonstrate the prise of your services, but they can focus on several different client objectives.

Your opening when writing a case study is to determine the verifiable or goal of the subject you're featuring. In other actor's line, what will the client have succeeded in doing by the end of the piece?

The client objective you cente will devolve on what you want to prove to your future customers as a outcome of publishing this case study.

Your case study can focus on one of the following client objectives:

• Complying with government regulation
• Lowering business costs
• Becoming profitable
• Generating more leads
• Ending along more customers
• Generating more gross
• Expanding into a new marketplace
• Decorous more property operating room vitality-efficient

3. Base a shell study medium.

Next, you'll shape the medium in which you'll create the case study. Put differently, how will you secernate this story?

Case studies don't have to beryllium simple, written one-pagers. Victimization different media in your case study can allow you to promote your last piece on different channels. For instance, while a written lawsuit study might just live on your website and get featured in a Facebook post, you can post an infographic subject cogitation happening Pinterest, and a video case study on your YouTube channel.

Here are some different suit study mediums to consider:

Scripted Case Canvass

Reckon writing this case study in the form of an ebook and converting it to a downloadable PDF. And then, logic gate the PDF behind a landing Page and form for readers to plump before downloading the piece, allowing this case work to bring fort leads for your business concern.

Video Case Study

Plan on meeting with the client and shooting an interview. Visual perception the subject, personally, talk about the Robert William Service you provided them can go a long fashio in the eyes of your potential customers.

Infographic Case Written report

Use of goods and services the long, vertical format of an infographic to tell your succeeder level from top to bottom. As you progress down the infographic, emphasize John Major KPIs using bigger school tex and charts that show the successes your client has had since running with you.

Podcast Slip Contemplate

Podcasts are a platform for you to have a candid conversation with your client. This type of case field can sound more real and human to your hearing -- they'll have it off the partnership 'tween you and your client was a echt success.

4. Find the right case study candidate.

Authorship about your previous projects requires more than picking a client and telling a story. You need permission, quotes, and a program. To jump, Here are a hardly a things to look for in potential candidates.

Product Knowledge

It helps to select a customer World Health Organization's well-versed in the logistics of your product or service. That way, he or she can better talk to the value of what you offer in some respects that makes sense for future customers.

Remarkable Results

Clients that have seen the best results are going to make the strongest instance studies. If their own businesses have seen an monitory ROI from your ware or service, they're more prospective to bring forward the exuberance that you want prospects to feel, as well.

One part of this step is to select clients who have seasoned unexpected achiever from your intersection Beaver State service. When you've provided not-traditional customers — in industries that you Don River't usually work with, for instance — with positive results, it tin help to remove doubts from prospects.

Recognizable Names

While small companies can have powerful stories, bigger operating theater more notable brands incline to lend credibility to your own. In fact,89% of consumers order they'll buy from a brand they already recognize over a competitor, especially if they already follow them on social media.

Switchers

Customers that came to you after working with a challenger help highlight your agonistical advantage, and mightiness even sway decisions in your favor.

5. Contact your candidate for permission to write of them.

To get the suit study candidate involved, you have to set the arrange for clear and open communication. That means outlining expectations and a timeline straight off — not having those is one of the biggest culprits in delayed pillow slip study creation.

Most significantly at this point, however, is getting your subject's approval. When archetypical arrival unsuccessful to your case study candidate, provide them with the case canvas's objective and format -- both of which you will have come up with in the first two stairs in a higher place.

To get this initial permission from your subject, put yourself in their shoes — what would they deprivation prohibited of this case study? Although you're committal to writing this for your possess society's gain, your study is faraway more fascinated in the benefit it has for them.

Benefits to Offer Your Case Study Candidate

Here are four voltage benefits you backside predict your case study candidate to gain their approval.

Brand Exposure

Explain to your subject whom this case study will be exposed to, and how this photo can help step-up their stigmatise awareness both in and beyond their own manufacture. In the B2B sector, brand awareness give the axe be hard to collect outside single's own market, making case studies particularly expedient to a client looking to expand their name's hand over.

Employee Exposure

Allow your subject to supply quotes with credits back to specific employees. When this is an choice to them, their brand isn't the only thing expanding its reach — their employees can get their discover out thither, too. This presents your open with networking and career-development opportunities they might not have otherwise.

Product Discount

This is a more tangible bonus you can offer your case study candidate, especially if they're a incumbent customer of yours. If they agree to be your study, offer them a product dismiss — or inexact trial of another mathematical product — as a thank-you for their help creating your case study.

Backlinks and Website Dealings

Here's a benefit that is sure to resonate with your subject's marketing team up: If you publish your case study to your website, and your canvas links back to your subject's internet site — best-known A a "backlink" — this small gesticulate tin can contribute them website traffic from visitors World Health Organization click direct to your subject's website.

To boot, a backlink from you increases your subject's foliate assurance in the eyes of Google. This helps them rank more extremely in search engine results and collect traffic from readers who are already looking information about their industry.

6. Case study email templet.

Once your case contemplate candidate approves of your cause study, it's time to send them a release form.

A case study acquittance form tells you what you'll need from your chosen subject, like permission to use any brand name name calling and share the jut out info publicly. Kick off this process with an email that runs through precisely what they can expect from you, as well as what you call for from them. To give you an idea of what that might look like, go over this sample netmail:

You mightiness be wondering, "What's a Case Study Freeing Form?" or, "What's a Success Tarradiddle Missive?" Let's break those down.

Case Study Release Form

This document can vary, depending happening factors like the size of your business, the nature of your work, and what you specify to do with the case studies once they are consummated. That aforementioned, you should typically drive to include the following in the Case Study Release Form:

• A clear explanation of why you are creating this case study and how it bequeath be put-upon.
• A argument shaping the data and potentially trademarked information you expect to admit about the troupe -- things like name calling, Logos, job titles, and pictures.
• An explanation of what you bear from the participant, on the far side the completion of the case study. For exercise, is this customer willing to act a reference or portion out feedback, and make you have permission to die off contact information along for these purposes?
• A note about compensation.

Achiever Story Letter

As noted in the sampling e-mail, this document serves A an outline for the entire case study process. Differently a brief explanation of how the client will benefit from vitrine study involution, you'll want to beryllium sure to define the following steps in the Succeeder Story Missive.

The Acceptance

First, you'll need to receive internal favourable reception from the ship's company's marketing team. Formerly authorised, the Exit Form should be signed and returned to you. It's also a good time to determine a timeline that meets the needs and capabilities of both teams.

The Questionnaire

To insure that you hold a productive question — which is nonpareil of the best shipway to collect entropy for the eccentric study — you'll want to ask the participant to complete a questionnaire preceding to this conversation. That will provide your team with the necessary foundation to organize the interview, and get the most out of it.

The Interview

Once the questionnaire is completed, someone on your team should reach kayoed to the participant to agenda a 30- to 60-minute interview, which should include a series of tradition questions related to the customer's undergo with your product or service.

The Order of payment Review

After the pillow slip study is self-collected, you'll want to send a draught to the customer, allowing an opportunity to collapse you feedback and edits.

The Final Favourable reception

Once whatsoever necessary edits are completed, post a revised copy of the case study to the customer for final favorable reception.

Once the case consider goes live -- on your internet site or elsewhere -- it's best to contact the customer with a link to the page where the case study lives. Don't be afraid to deman your participants to portion out these golf links with their own networks, every bit IT not only demonstrates your ability to deliver sensationalism results, just their impressive growth, as well.

7. Ensure you're interrogative the exact questions.

Before you execute the questionnaire and literal interview, make sure you're setting yourself up for success. A strong type study results from being prepared to ask the right questions. What serve those feel like? Here are a few examples to get you started:

• What are your goals?
• What challenges were you experiencing anterior to buying our mathematical product Oregon service?
• What made our product or service stand out against our competitors?
• What did your decision-making process aspect like?
• How have you benefited from using our product or service? (Where applicable, forever ask for data.)

Keep in nou that the questionnaire is designed to help you gain insights into what sort of strong, success-focused questions to ask out during the actual consultation. And once you get to that level, we recommend that you fall out the "Golden Rule of Interviewing." Sounds castellated, right? It's really rather simple -- ask over open-ended questions.

If you're looking to craft a persuasive narrative, "yes" or "no" answers won't provide the details you require. Focus connected questions that ask in elaboration, such Eastern Samoa, "Can you describe ...?" or, "Tell me about ..."

In terms of the interview structure, we recommend categorizing the questions and flow into six specific sections that bequeath mirror a successful case study format. Sorbed, they'll allow you to gather plenty entropy to put together a rich, comprehensive study.

Open with the client's business.

The goal of this subdivision is to generate a better agreement of the ship's company's current challenges and goals, and how they fit into the landscape of their industriousness. Sample distribution questions might include:

• How long have you been in business?
• How many employees DO you have?
• What are close to of the objectives of your department at this time?

Cite a job surgery pain point.

In order to separate a compelling story, you need linguistic context. That helps match the client's need with your solution. Sample questions mightiness include:

• What challenges and objectives led you to look for a root?
• What might have happened if you did not nam a solution?
• Did you explore other solutions anterior to this that did not work out? If so, what happened?

Discuss the determination process.

Exploring how the customer arrived at the decision to work with you helps to usher potential customers direct their own decision-making processes. Sample questions might admit:

• How did you get wind near our product or service?
• Who was involved in the selection process?
• What was nigh serious to you when evaluating your options?

Explain how a solution was implemented.

The focus hither should be situated on the customer's experience during the onboarding cognitive process. Sample questions power include:

• How long did it go for rig out and functional?
• Did that meet your expectations?
• Who was involved in the process?

Explain how the solution works.

The goal of this section is to better understand how the client is using your product or serving. Try out questions might include:

• Is in that respect a particular aspect of the product or service that you rely connected all but?
• World Health Organization is using the product or service?

Destruction with the results.

In this section, you deprivation to uncover impressive measurable outcomes -- the more than numbers, the better. Sample questions might include:

• How is the product operating room service helping you save time and growth productivity?
• In what ways does that enhance your competitive vantage?
• How such have you increased prosody X, Y, and Z?

8. Lay out your display case study format.

When it comes time to take whol of the information you've massed and actually turn back it into something, IT's easy to tactile property overwhelmed. Where should you start? What should you include? What's the best direction to structure it?

To help you get a handle happening this step, it's important to first see that there is no one-size-fits-all when information technology comes to the ways you can present a case study. They can be very visual, which you'll see in about of the examples we've enclosed below, and can sometimes be communicated mostly through video or photos, with a trifle of accompanying text edition.

Whether your case study is in the first place written operating theater visual, we recommend focusing on the seven-part sketch, below. Note: Even if you do elect to use a visual case study, it should still let in all of this information, but presented in its knowing format.

How to Format a Case Study

1. Title
2. Subtitle
3. About the Subject
4. Challenges and Objectives
5. How the Solution Helped
6. Results
7. Load-bearing Visuals and Quotes
8. Future Plans
9. Call to Action

1. Title: Keep information technology shortened. Acquire a succinct but interesting project name you can give the ferment you did with your subject field.
2. Subtitle: Use this copy to briefly luxuriant on the accomplishment. What was through? The case bailiwick itself volition excuse how you got there.
3. Administrator Summary: A 2-4 time summary of the stallion tale. You'll want to follow it with 2-3 bullet points that showing metrics showcasing success.
4. About the Subject: An introduction to the person Oregon accompany you served, which can be pulled from a LinkedIn Business enterprise visibility or client website.
5. Challenges and Objectives: A 2-3 paragraph description of the customer's challenges, prior to using your product or service. This section should also let in the goals or objectives the client set out to achieve.
6. How Product/Service Helped: A 2-3 paragraph section that describes how your product or service provided a solution to their problem.
7. Results: A 2-3 paragraph testimonial that proves how your product or service specifically benefited the person or company, and helped reach its goals. Include numbers to measure your contributions.
8. Support Visuals or Quotes: Pick one or two powerful quotes that you would feature at the bottom of the sections preceding, also as a visual that supports the story you are telling.
9. Future Plans: Everyone likes an epilogue. Comment on what's ahead for your case study subject, whether or non those plans involve you.
10. Call to Action at law (CTA): Not every case study necessarily a CTA, but putting a passive cardinal at the end of your eccentric study can encourage your readers to undergo an action on your website later learning just about the knead you've done.

To avail you visualize this case consider outline, check out the case canvas templet below, which can besides be downloaded here.

When laying out your display case study, concentrate on conveying the information you've gathered in the most clear and concise way possible. Make it easy to run down and comprehend, and be sure to provide an attractive call-to-action at the bottom -- that should allow readers an opportunity to learn more most your product or service.

9. Publish and promote your case study.

Once you've completed your case study, it's meter to write and promote IT. Some sheath field of study formats have pretty obvious subject matter outlets -- a TV case study crapper take plac YouTube, just as an infographic case study butt go on Pinterest.

But there are quieten other ways to publish and promote your case study. Here are few ideas:

Gated Behind a Blog Post

Equally explicit earlier in this article, written case studies make extraordinary lead-generators if you commute them into a downloadable format, like a PDF. To sire leads from your case report, consider writing a blog post that tells an abbreviated story of your client's success and asking readers to fill out a form with their name and email address if they'd like to read the rest in your PDF.

Then, elevat this web log berth on social media, direct a Facebook post surgery a tweet.

Published as a Page along Your Website

As a growing business organization, you might pauperism to display your vitrine study KO'd in the open to gain the confidence of your target audience.

Rather than gating it behind a landing page, publish your case study to its own page on your website, and direct people Hera from your homepage with a "Caseful Studies" or "Testimonials" push along your home page's top piloting blockade.

Business Case Discipline Examples

You drove the results, made the unite, set the expectations, used the questionnaire to conduct a no-hit interview, and cooked down your findings into a persuasive story. And after each of that, you'atomic number 75 port with a bantam piece of sales enabling gold -- a case study.

To establish you what a well-executed final product looks like, take over a look back at some of these marketing case study examples.

1. "New England Daybook of Medicine," by Corey McPherson Nash

When branding and design studio Corey McPherson Nash showcases its work, it makes sentiency for it to be ocular -- after whol, that's what they do. So in edifice the sheath sketch for the studio's work on the Radical England Diary of Medication's integrated advertisement press — a project that enclosed the finish of promoting the node's digital presence — Corey Aimee Semple McPherson Nash showed its audience what it did, rather than purely telling it.

Notice that the guinea pig survey does include some light written copy — which includes the starring points we've advisable — simply very lets the visuals do the talking, allowing users to actually suck in the studio's services.

2. "Shopify Uses HubSpot CRM to Transform High Book Gross revenue Organization," by HubSpot

What's interesting about this case study is the way it leads with the customer. This reflects a major HubSpot creed, which is to always solve for the client firstly. The copy leads with a brief description of why Shopify uses HubSpot, and is accompanied past a short video and approximately elemental statistics connected the company.

Notice that this case study uses mixed-media. Yes, at that place is a short TV, but information technology's elaborate upon in the additive text on the page. So, while subject studies can habituate nonpareil or the other, don't be afraid to combine written copy with visuals to emphasize the project's success.

3. "Designing the Future of City-bred Agriculture," by IDEO

Here's a design company that knows how to take with simplicity in its case studies. Arsenic presently as the visitor arrives at the page, he Oregon she is greeted with a bragging, overvaliant pic, and two rattling simple columns of textbook -- "The Challenge" and "The Outcome."

Immediately, IDEO has communicated two of the case study's major pillars. And piece that's great -- the company created a solution for vertical farming startup INFARM's gainsay -- IT doesn't stop there. Atomic number 3 the drug user scrolls down, those pillars are careful upon with comprehensive (but not overwhelming) copy that outlines what that march looked like, replete with quotes and additional visuals.

4. "Secure Wi-Fi Wins Extended for Tournament," by WatchGuard

Then, thither are the cases when visuals can tell almost the entire storey -- when executed correctly. Network security supplier WatchGuard is able to do that through this video, which tells the story of how its services enhanced the attendee and vendor experience at the Windmill Crowning Frisbee tournament.

5. Careen and Roll Hall of Fame Boosts Ethnical Media Engagement and Brand Awareness with HubSpot

In the case branch of knowledg above, HubSpot uses photos, videos, screenshots, and helpful stats to tell the story of how the Rock-and-roll Hall of Renown old the bot, CRM, and social media tools to gain brand sentience.

6. Small Desk Implant Business Ups Sales away 30% With Trello

This case study from Trello is honorable forward and easy to understand. It begins by explaining the background of the company that decided to use IT, what their goals were, and how they planned to use Trello to help them.

It then goes on to talk about how the software was implemented and what tasks and teams benefited from it. Towards the end, information technology explains the sales results that came from implementing the software and includes quotes from decision-makers at the company that implemented it.

7. Facebook's Mercedes Benz Success Narrative

Facebook's Succeeder Stories page hosts a numeral of wellspring-designed and easy-to-translate vitrine studies that visually and editorially get to the bottom line speedily.

All subject begins with key stats that draw the reader in. Then it's organized by highlighting a trouble or goal in the founding, the process the company took to get hold of their goals, and the results. Then, at the last, Facebook notes the tools used in the case examine.

Showcasing Your Work

You work hard at what you do. At once, it's time to show it to the world -- and, perhaps more monumental, to potential drop customers.

Merely ahead you ostentate the projects that make you the proudest, make a point you follow the important steps that wish help control that work is effectively communicated, and leaves all parties feeling good about information technology.

Want to learn as you pen your case study? Listen to an audio summary of this brand below.

For an easy room to get started, grab your free case study template below, and go make a case study that makes your subject proud of their success.

Editor's Billet: This blog post was originally published in February 2017 only was updated for comprehensiveness and freshness in July 2021.

Originally published Aug 5, 2021 2:00:00 PM, updated August 25 2021

Where Can I Read About Business Case Studies

Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33282/the-ultimate-guide-to-creating-compelling-case-studies.aspx

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