We know that customer case studies and testimonials are gold – other people saying we’re good at what we do carries far more weight than us saying it ourselves.
So for most organisations, customer case studies are a way of re-enforcing their credibility and enhancing their reputation. And case studies certainly do that very powerfully – the opinion of an existing customer is far more persuasive than any marketing collateral a company produces itself. The words of others give us immense credibility and act as evidence that what we say about ourselves must be true, because it is backed up by others.
But wait, there’s more… companies who solicit case studies from their happy customers actually get way more than they bargained for – they find that there are three other benefits that case studies deliver…
Explanation
It can be hard, especially with an offering that is technical or complex, to explain exactly what it does, or how it helps. Stories are the clearest form or explanation, so painting a picture of a real life situation, is worth its weight in gold when it comes to being clear about what an organisation offers. Hearing first-hand about the client’s situation before the solution and how life was different afterwards is often the very best way to explain how the company adds value.
Enhancing client relationships
It can feel a little awkward asking a client to provide a testimonial or case study, but in fact research (from Gartner) shows that 96% of happy customers are very pleased to be asked to provide their feedback and that doing so actually enhances what was already a good relationship.
Giving back to the client
A well-planned and well-written testimonial will not only show the requesting organisation in a good light, it will also showcase the client’s strengths. After all, you’re explaining how they improved their business and how they now offer a better service/run more efficiently due to using the product or solution. So a good case study can also become great publicity material for the client too.
Case studies are definitely messaging treasure, and when you dig a little deeper, you find that there’s even more gold in them that you first think.
Words2Win develops case studies that deliver all 4 benefits – we interview your clients and write stories that you, and your clients, will love.
Case studies can be in written and/or video formats.