5 Essentials to Include in Your Next Case Study

If you want to share social proof, a case study is a great way to share your customer stories.

Case studies are a great tool for communicating in-depth information about a campaign, topic, or your company in general. However, case studies can also be one of the more complicated pieces of content marketing to write. Case studies can differ in length, depth, type of call-to-action, and tone. And often case studies involve seeking out and obtaining customer testimonials.

Even with all of that variety, there are some essentials to include in every case study to make it interesting, informative, and, ultimately, productive for your business. Include these five essentials in your next case study to convert clicks to customers.

1. A Call to Action

A call to action for the reader may be the most important part of your case study, and while it’s probably the last item in your case study structure, it’s at the beginning of our list because it’s something you need to be clear on from the very beginning.

The call to action is where you tell the customer the next step you want them to take. What do you want the reader to do? The answer to that question will help you choose which data to include, develop visuals, streamline your voice and tone, and effectively distribute your case study, so it’s important to iron out the call to action at the beginning of the process. Clarifying your call to action goes hand-in-hand with identifying your audience, which are two essential steps to producing content that converts.

2. Concrete Data

A case study is a marketing tool that is often used to showcase instances when your company has been successful, whether with a certain campaign or product or in a marketplace segment. Using concrete data is a great way to show that your case study isn’t just marketing fluff and that you’ve had demonstrable success. Oftentimes, businesses already have data on their customers’ use of products, sales numbers, and other internal processes. Use this data to show, rather than just tell, your successes.

3. An Interesting Story

Case studies are a unique content marketing tool because they give you a lot of room to tell a story. Choosing a case study structure as opposed to a marketing email or a social media post gives you more space to talk about challenges and how you overcame them, how your business operates, and how you can help the reader.

While data gives your audience a reason to trust you, stories hook their attention and really provide the persuasive power to convince and convert. Whether it’s about your company solving a difficult problem for a client or a specific product making a difference in a customer’s life, your case study should have a compelling and informative story that threads all of the other data and information together.

4. Visuals

While the content of a case study is important, the way it’s presented can determine whether your potential customers want to read it. There are many options for visuals when building a case study, from photos or graphics to infographics or video formats, and they all have benefits and drawbacks. The visuals you choose depends on the types and quantity of information you’re presenting, and they should be consistent, easy to understand, and spike eyeball interest.

5. A Descriptive Title

Writing the title of your piece last is a common writer’s trick, because once you’ve spent so much time developing, writing, editing, discussing, and thinking about your piece, you’re able to pick out what will grab your readers’ attention. The same thing is true with case studies. The title of your case study is like a piece of micro-marketing that tells readers why they should take the time to read your case study and what they’ll get out of it. It should be informative, but not too long. Catchy, while still descriptive. Your title can take a few drafts to strike that balance perfectly, and it’s critical to open the door for a reader.

Whether you’re working from a template or creating your first case study from scratch, you’ll need these five essentials. Case studies require not just an understanding of the data and processes that went into your story, but also a marketing finesse so your potential client will want to read it. A well-crafted case study can provoke and persuade in a way that banner ads and tweets simply can’t, and the work put into a case study can pay off if you’re thoughtful and intentional about how you bring it all together.

Are you interested in working with a team that creates case studies and content that tell your story in a meaningful and engaging way? Schedule your free consultation with Comma Copywriters today, and you’ll be on your way to content you can feel confident about!