Writing an effective B2B case study: A drama in three acts

The humble case study is a content staple for B2B marketers. Will Green reveals the steps to take to ensure yours impresses your prospects

Case studies should be a marketers’ dream tool. In a B2B marketing environment where everyone has realised the value of ‘showing, not telling’, case studies are the closest thing we have to a live demonstration. They provide an opportunity to show your product or your service in action, and turn your customer’s success story into a success story of your own. In short, they should be part of every marketer’s lead generation and nurturing strategy.

But, as ever, if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it. So, how can you ensure you produce a case study that your customers will engage with?

Unlike a lot of B2B content, where top-loading an article or whitepaper with key information is essential, you should think of a case study more like a play with lead characters, dramatic tension and what should be a happy ending. The case study should construct a narrative that takes the reader through the problems faced by your client, the solution you were able to offer and the positive outcomes of that solution.

Think of this as a drama in three acts: the problem, the solution and the result.

The problem
In the first act, you introduce your lead character – the customer – and outline the problem they faced. Like any play, the main protagonist has to be someone your audience is going to relate to. In choosing the company for your case study, try and choose one that closely fits one of your existing customer personas. By showcasing a customer who fits into a pre-defined persona, you’re more likely to attract other buyers who have a similar persona. In turn, you’ll spend less time qualifying these prospects because they’ll already be the audience you’re trying to reach.

To flesh out your lead character, you need to open with the details that make them believable. As Mark Kember, head of content at onebite, says: “I’d suggest that when drafting case studies, pulling out a more ‘human interest’ angle is one of the best ways to make the document believable and interesting. What is the ‘human impact’ [your] implementation had? A new IT solution might help a company process something better – what does that look like to the company’s customers? Does the cost lead to lower prices, or a fundamentally new way of doing things?”

There are some industries where naming a customer in a case study might be impossible, but they are a distinct minority. Always try to obtain a full and firm attribution agreement with your customer so you can use their name and let your audience know they are reading about a very satisfied customer.

Other details you should include are the company’s location, the industry it operates in, its annual revenue and its number of employees. Don’t try for a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. If your company works with both small and medium-size businesses, you will need a case study for each so your prospects know the story relates to their needs.

Similarly, think about where your prospect is in the buying-process. New prospects at the top of the marketing funnel may require longer, more detailed case studies whereas those at the consideration stage may respond better to something that gets straight to the point.

The next step is outlining the problem itself. Think of this in two sections: the challenge and the stakes. The challenge is at the heart of the problem; it is the reason the client bought your product or service and, thus, is the main plot driver in your case study. The stakes, meanwhile, are the reason your audience should be interested in the challenge: they are not looking at your case study for the pleasure of doing so; they want to solve their own problems and meet their own challenges.

Top tip: The trick to a great problem stage in a case study is finding a balance between broad appeal – a company with issues that other potential customers can relate to – and having the right amount of detail to make the individual study believable. 

The solution
The second act of your drama sees the solution, the hero that is going to save the day, take centre stage. While this is where your company and its product or service steps into the limelight, it’s crucial that it should not be the centre of attention. Nothing will put off the audience more quickly than a pushy scene-stealer hogging all the best lines and turning the narrative into a blatant sales pitch.

In fact, think of the hero not as a character but as a set of actions: the solution should clearly and graphically show exactly what you did to meet the challenge. The audience should be able to see how the process unfolded step-by-step in as much detail as possible. Don’t jump to the end – show your working through initial consultation, analysis, trial and implementation. This not only shows that you know your stuff, it also helps the audience imagine how you would work in their own company.

Remember, this stage is less about your product and more about its impact on real people in real businesses. As Dan Brooks, VP of global marketing agency Metia, says:

“Your product content – brochures, whitepapers etc – should be used to talk about your product in exhaustive detail, so don’t waste customer stories doing the same. Customers want to hear from people just like them, and they want to know how those people solved problems just like theirs. They’ll care about your product details once you’ve given them a reason to believe – and what better way to make them believe than by presenting a happy customer?”

Top tip: Avoid generalities at all costs. After your first draft, go back through your copy, find all the general phrases and broad assertions – ‘best practice’, ‘breaking down silos’ etc – and turn them into specific examples of what you have done. 

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The result
By the time they reach the third act of your case study, your audience should be hanging on tenterhooks to hear the outcome. They’ve got a thorough understanding of the initial problem and the steps you’ve taken to solve it: now, they want the payoff – did it work?

Of course, they know that it worked to some extent – otherwise, why would you be telling them about it? But what they are interested to know is exactly how well.

Just as in the solution, the result should be as detailed as possible. Wherever data is available, back up your narrative with hard numbers: revenue created or money saved; the increase in engagement or productivity; the reductions in time and waste. These are the things that your audience wants to know, so make them as prominent as possible.

Another important feature of ‘the result’ is letting the customer speak for themselves. A glowing customer quote is always going to appear infinitely stronger than you telling the audience what a great job you’ve done. But even here, detail is key: “Company X was brilliant!” is a very positive quote, but it doesn’t actually give any new or tangible information.

When asking a company for a case study quote, gather detailed answers using focused questions: ‘What did our company do for you?’, ‘What were the results?’, ‘Which features were the most effective?’, ‘What will be the long-term impact?’ Obviously,
such detailed questioning is more of a drain on the resources of the company in the case study, so it is essential you get them onside early in the process so they see it as a collaborative effort that will benefit both you and them.

Ardi Kolah, author of High Impact Marketing That Gets Results also suggests seeking quotes from different people within the client company to ensure your case study is speaking to the right range of people. She suggests quoting:

• An ‘influencer’ – a chairman or someone very senior within the customer or client organisation but who didn’t authorise
the contract.

• A ‘specifier’ – a boss within the client business who sets the framework or direction for the work to be done but who may not personally sign off the invoice.

• An ‘authoriser’ – the person within the client organisation who is responsible for the scope of work to be done and who also signs off the invoice.

Top tip: Don’t be afraid of admitting to mistakes. In fact, the more honest you are the better. While you clearly don’t want to use an example that went disastrously wrong as a case study, your audience understands that in any project there will be mistakes and unforeseen challenges that arise. Admitting to any problems encountered and showing the ways you dealt with and learnt from them not only builds the dramatic tension of your narrative, but also builds trust in the eventually positive outcomes.

Curtain up – Making the most of your case study
People like stories, but your case study doesn’t need to be confined to a single linear format. As Louisa Bainbridge, marketing and PR manager at iGeologise states: “When personalising each case study, we go for a mix of formats. We create presentations, files and documents specific to each contact and generate guest blogs featuring the topic. We also encourage our clients to talk on our behalf at events as well as sending press releases from them.”

Using different case study formats means you can get the most out of your content, repurposing it for different customer types and for different stages of the buying process.

For example, when you’re trying to grab a customer’s attention, you might consider presenting your case study using audio, video or visual representation, for example, a podcast, a YouTube video or an infographic. These channels get straight to the point and deliver the key information in the most easily digestible way. Crucially, they are the easiest to share, meaning your case study may go further than your own site and social media outlets.

For a customer further down the funnel, meanwhile, you might consider a more in-depth version of your case study, for instance, a full interview with the customer. You will have already interviewed your customer for quotes in the primary case study, so you can easily reuse this content to give a potential customer more detailed insight into the success not just of your product or service but also your working relationship with the client.

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