In the business world, client case studies are a powerful testament to your offering/service and are something many prospects look at before even deciding to speak to you! They seek to answer a crucial question, “Can this business deliver results?”. You’ll also sometimes hear this referred to as ‘social proof’.
Think about it. Before you purchase a product or service, you probably go through the company’s reviews and have a deep dive into its website and social media, especially when it’s a high-value investment.
Similarly, your customer goes through many touch points before you even talk to them, so the content that’s on your website is one of the determining factors in whether they make the purchase, or even make the step to get in touch with you.
So, how can you get more case studies?
1. Build relationships
Well firstly, this goes without saying, but prioritise building strong relationships with your clients. I’m sure you make it your top priority to build good relationships with your clients but what I’m saying is, that having an open and honest relationship with them in general will mean they are more likely to accept having a case study about them created and posted for the world to see.
It’s not always the case though. You may have a client that you’ve delivered exceptional results for but you’re not sure whether they would be happy to have a case study based on them and posted online, in which case, there are a few other approaches you can try.
2. Approach it differently
Words are a very powerful tool. For example, instead of asking, ‘Can we post a case study online about the work we’ve done with you?’ something like this is better ‘Would you be happy to be featured on our website or social media?’. Frame it in a way to help them see the benefits to it too, such as exposure for their business and what they do. Of course, always be honest and transparent with the fact it is indeed a case study.
3. Be considerate
Don’t be too harsh towards the client on the case study when explaining the issues they had. For example, ‘The client’s social media was terrible with badly written posts and irrelevant content’. This is bad practise and if anyone wants to work with you, they probably won’t after seeing that. It’s embarrassing for them! All you need to include is the problem they had, the solution from your product/service and the results.
Also, offer to let them read it before it goes live. There may be information on there that they don’t want shared anywhere which they can flag before it gets plastered everywhere.
4. Anonymous case studies
You can always anonymise client case studies too. You might be thinking that it doesn’t resonate the same without a business or person being linked to it, but it still showcases your work and is much better than having a limited amount of case studies, or none at all.
5. Small projects are worth shouting about too!
Think about instances where you worked on a small project, did you deliver some sort of solution to a problem? Yes? Then it’s time to create a case study for it!
We often overlook small projects or even forget about them, but chances are there will be prospects that will be looking to do just that and by having a mix on your website, you can attract different, but still relevant audiences.
Client case studies are invaluable assets in demonstrating your business’s ability to deliver results. By building strong relationships with your clients and approaching the request for case studies thoughtfully, you can showcase that your business delivers good results.
By implementing these strategies, you not only increase the amount of case studies you have, but also enhance your credibility and appeal in the eyes of prospects.
