Case studies have been a staple in marketing for a long, long time, but in his upcoming presentation on Turning Case Studies into B2B Social Proof and Top-Notch Content, Greg Mischio will explain these are no longer just stand-alone articles.
Case studies can be repurposed in a variety of ways, and can also be transformed into valuable top-of-funnel content.
Greg, who is the Owner and Chief Strategist at Winbound, a content marketing firm specializing in manufacturing and B2B clients, shared with us what he’ll be discussing at our February 25 Craft Marketing event at Vintage Brewing. (Sign up here!)
Why are case studies valuable for B2B marketers?
Case studies have always helped B2B marketers exercise due diligence. Why? The buying process is different than for a typical B2C product: It’s longer, and more research intensive.
That’s why, according to a Demand Gen Report, 78% of companies said they used case studies to research B2B decisions — more than any other type of content.
A case study is longer and more in-depth because companies not only want to see results, but they want to see the process you’ve used to make it happen. It really speaks to how well you can mesh with a potential client’s processes.
If case studies are so valuable, why don’t more companies produce them?
There are a variety of roadblocks, the three biggest being:
- Time
- Confidentiality
- Fear of asking
In my presentation, I’ll show you how to overcome these three obstacles while still maintaining your regular content publishing flow. In particular, I’ll showcase a few examples of how people have overcome the confidentiality issue in some creative ways.
You talk about turning case studies into top notch content. What do you mean?
In the past, you used to write a case study article and call it a day. Now there are many opportunities to present case studies in unique ways, such as in video and audio formats.
I’ll share some examples, from relatively inexpensive methods to more resource-heavy approaches.
We’ll also get into the format of the case study, and talk about what really makes a case study powerful. This includes how to pull a memorable quote instead of long paragraphs of blather, and using metrics to tell your story.
You’ve said there are other types of social proof beyond case studies. What do those include?
The case study works effectively as bottom-of-the-funnel content. It can be repurposed in a variety of formats and used on your website and by your sales team.
You can also turn your customer’s success into top-of-funnel content, showcasing how they’ve solved a problem using your product. This serves as kind of a quid pro quo piece of content, but it also allows you to reach people in a manner that isn’t blowing your own horn.
It has great SEO and social benefits — I’ll share examples.
We’ll also explain how influencers can build your brand and establish your expertise simply by collaborating with you and reinforcing your reputation.
Who should attend this presentation, and what will they take away from it?
This Craft Marketing event will be ideal for B2B marketers and salespeople. I mention sales because case studies are such a critical tool, and I’d love to hear from the audience how people are using them.
We’ll also be sharing a few case studies that we’ve done for B2C clients on a low budget, and the powerful impact they can have.
Register now for AMA Madison’s February Craft Marketing event!
Greg Mischio is the Owner and Strategic Director of Winbound, which provides an all-in-one content marketing service for manufacturers and b2b companies with small marketing teams. Twitter: @gregmischio