Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

What To Do With A Case Study

Posted by wendys on 10/13/2016 at 9:37 AM ET 25 Points
What is the best or unique way you've found to promote a case study. Currently, we post the study on our website, link to it via social channels, posting on PR Newswire and trade website, and include in our quarterly newsletter. Any suggestions for what else we could be doing with our case studies?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/13/2016 at 3:08 PM Moderator
    What industry? Where? Who is target audience?

    Do you have evidence that the case study is relevant to your target audience's perceived needs, and not just a self-glorifying exercise? What's in it for a prospective customer to read your case study?

    It would be a shame to spend time, money and energy promoting something that doesn't really make a difference to the business.
  • Posted by wendys on 10/13/2016 at 3:28 PM Author
    So it seems you're not a fan of case studies in general?
  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/13/2016 at 4:24 PM Accepted
    I'm actually a big fan of case studies when they are appropriate for communicating a company's or a person's Positioning or offering. I also use mini-case studies on my consulting firm's website. And I've written case studies for clients.

    The reason I cautioned you is that case studies are often overly lengthy and esoteric -- TMI -- and don't really have a lot of impact on an individual reader. It's too easy for someone to say, "That's not exactly relevant to my situation," and then dismiss the main point of a case study.

    What I've found to be more effective are short "examples" that deal with a limited and well-defined problem/solution -- more like a blog post. They are generally easier to target and easier for the target audience to digest. "Case studies" are reminiscent of MBA grad school and require more reader engagement than is usually warranted for company (or product) promotion.

    Perhaps the best use of a case study is for a salesperson to use after he/she has assessed a prospect's needs and believes that the case study is highly relevant to that prospect's situation. In that case the salesperson can present the company's capabilities, features and benefits, using the case study as a kind of credential.
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