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Content is king and frequent, valuable content rules the castle. But it remains true that serious buyers value case studies over anything else because they validate your offerings and show them the full potential of using them. Companies gain extra credibility because rather than touting their value in a salesy way, case studies demonstrate value in the customer’s own words. And yet, case studies are the hardest materials for most companies to generate due to red tape barriers when securing consent. More often than not, this barrier can be easily overcome with the right process, persistence, and clear expectations set along the way. Here are some new thoughts to consider:
Get organized, start “initial” outreach
Huddle with your account owners to make an initial List of Candidate Customers of who have reported positive results—quantitative or qualitative—regardless of contract language which stipulates the customer will not participate in any endorsement of a vendor. (More about this soon.)
Set goals: If four case studies a year is a realistic goal (I think it is), you should target 12 candidate customers when kick-starting your case study program, as consent comes at various times. You may get lucky and get more than four but sales and marketing can do a lot with even just four. (More about this soon.)
Equip your account owners with a Consent Request Letter that briefly explains how the case study will be mutually-beneficial and outlines the steps your marketing will take from interview to approval, even assisting in their corporate approval process. Know that the larger the customer, the more involved their processes will be.
Outreach to Customers by email first, and if you do not get a reply within a few days, contact them by phone as an excuse to catchup. When they consent, a representative from your in-house or external marketing team should contact them to set expectations and schedule an interview.
Prior to your interview, be sure to have TWO things pre-determined:
- List of Questions to pace the discussion. Give to customers in advance.
- Content Structure to drive copywriting and design (web page/handout)
(Repeat: After your initial list, continue this process with new customers upon 1-3 months that your product or service was implemented.)
Don’t stop when consent is not granted
You may have willing participants—your end users or business point of contacts who will benefit from documenting the story—but their corporate policy prevents them from using the company name. If this happens, follow the same process (above) but develop “blind” case studies. The content is still valuable to prospects who should appreciate that “named” case studies cannot always be achieved due to corporate policies. In the end, a true case study engine—named or blind—will validate your offerings and can demonstrate value across one or multiple industries.
Feed sales process and marketing channels
Case studies should equip your sales team and feed marketing across various channels to extend their value, generate demand, and build awareness.
Creating a case study library on your website should be your first step. We like dedicated web pages (best for SEO) with a PDF option. Your sales team can use both based on their style of selling.
With consented companies, we have found success converting case studies into a Webinar Series or Speaker Panels at industry conferences where the customer’s end user or business point of contact shares their experiences and best practices using your product or service. Attendance is typically increased when promoting peer-to-peer education. And, your customer speaker(s) will gain market visibility.
Promoting your case studies across other demand generation programs is key. Here are some starting ideas to consider:
- Proactive PR (editors like customer success)
- LinkedIn and Blog posts (that key staff can share)
- Nurturing email campaigns to prospects (shows their potential and may motivate)
- Awareness to customers (shows that you are advancing and it may help upsell them)
- Nominate customers for industry awards as the attribution will come back to your offerings (you already have the content and it will strengthen your relationship)