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Use
Success to Breed More Success
(Marketing Memo, April, 2002)
When you
buy a car or hire a house painter, do you seek personal recommendations?
And, when you make business purchases, do you investigate what other
companies like yours buy and why? Publishing case studies or user success
stories is an excellent way to promote your products and services as
they convey how your company's offerings have solved actual customers'
problems. For readers, case studies stories serve as a proxy for personal
recommendations.
Writers
of case studies help readers to empathize with the targeted company.
Perhaps readers are in the same industry; have a similar business model;
experienced similar business problems; or otherwise identify with the
company and its employees. These similarities make readers ask, "How
did the story end? Could we achieve the same benefits?"
CONTENT
Background:
Of course, your target company must first agree to be the subject of
your case study. Begin by providing a context for the case study. Briefly
describe the company and its products and services and if possible the
industry. Include concrete information, such as number of employees,
the age of the company, and revenues or growth rate if the company doesn't
provide revenue. Include other differentiators. For instance, the company
may have created a new industry, greatly altered an old industry, or
it may have been first to sell in China or Vietnam.
Business
challenge or problem: Explain the problem, and if possible quantify
the consequences of the problem. Convey how the company previously dealt
with the challenge. Then, demonstrate the superiority of your company's
solution. Describe the outcome and specific benefits derived from using
your product or services rather than other solutions. You may also wish
to briefly describe other uses or applications of your product or services.
STYLE
How
you communicate is always as important as what you communicate!
Keep it simple!
- Make
sure the case study complements other marketing material in message
and tone.
- Use
concrete details that showcase your company and your offering.
- Make
every sentence count. Simplify overly long or otherwise unclear sentences.
- Craft
a compelling opener that says "read me." Aim for interesting and even
upbeat text.
- Use
a mixture of text and bullets.
- Include
quotes from target company leaders that describe the benefits of your
approach.
- Check
spelling and grammar, but be suspicious of Grammar Check suggestions.
- Avoid
clichés. Define jargon (e.g., "WiFi " refers to a short-range wireless
network).
- Use
an attractive format, and avoid an overly busy appearance.
- Restrict
the case study to one or two pages.
Winett
Associates can help you research and write case studies and white papers.
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