Articles

A case study is a success story – a story with a happy ending. And, just like a fairy tale that ends happily ever after, it moves from challenge to solution to result!

Case studies are testimonials on steroids! A well-written one can be very powerful as it’s the customer talking, so it’s a third-party endorsement.

Case studies are evergreen and a timeless marketing asset that can keep on selling for years to come.

Delivering more ROI than any other type of content, they can also be re-purposed across all marketing channels including your website, email campaigns, social media, direct mailing, brochures and more.

Tangible results such as numbers and data are important, so if such information exists then so much the better. People love to read real results but, more importantly, they also love to read a success story.

So, what do you need to create case studies, why do you need them, and what’s the correct type of content for the AV industry?

First of all, you need a good news story! That’ll be a successful installation project, a successful hire event or reference to a new product that’s been used in either scenario.

You must have solved a problem for your customer or achieved an ‘above and beyond’ result or maybe, in turn, provided benefits for your customer’s customers.

However, a good case study is not just a glorified testimonial! Unlike a testimonial that says what a great job you did and how wonderful the system or service is or was, case studies have to be focused on pain points and how they were overcome.

Think about the purpose of your case study. Do you want to just try and impress some of your readers with a lengthy tech spec equipment list? Sadly, many AV industry case studies do indeed make a big deal about the equipment shopping list instead of concentrating on the ‘challenge to solution to result’ aspect of the project.

It’s perfectly OK to mention ‘name’ brands to gain kudos but, to be honest, most of your prospects don’t really care too much about the finite details of the make, model and quantity of every piece of equipment you used!

The real aim of a case study is to engage potential new customers – who are just like your existing ones – to start building that ‘know, like and trust’ relationship with you and your Company.

Reading about how you successfully provided the perfect solution is what interests them.
And as it’s from your customer’s point of view and not just yours, it’s a powerful endorsement.

These are facts that your new prospect can relate to. This will make them think that if it’s good enough for them, it’ll be good enough for me!

Basically, you want your new prospect to get in touch to express an interest in you doing the same for them too.

And a well-written case study will do exactly that.