Your website is up and running, and looking beautiful. It is attracting visitors, is a lovely advertisement for your work, and is hopefully generating enquiries. But there are all those pesky case studies that you know you ought to dig out of the folder, update and upload. Preferably with photographs or other visual evidence. Do I really have to, you ask yourself? Well, yes, you do.
Case studies make a real and tangible difference to the success of your website, and there are several reasons why…
1. They are news
Case studies, especially recent ones, are a great way of showing that your business is growing, and the kinds of clients it’s serving. It shares the nitty-gritty of what you do in an easily digestible format, full of key points and benefits, which sends out a very positive message to potential customers who are thinking of using your services. As well as being news, a good case study can play a vital part in the customer’s decision-making when looking for a new supplier.
2. They are an advertisement
I would go so far as to stick my neck out and say that they are more valuable to your business than any advert – and the cost is minimal. Of course, this will depend on the actual nature of your business, but if you provide a trade or service, whether B2B or serving the general public, they are a fantastic way of subtly communicating your achievements while providing potential customers with the reassurance that you can carry out the work they hope to offer you, on time, to budget and to a sufficiently high standard.
3. They provide credibility
Case studies are the proof of the pudding. While you can always tell the world how brilliant you are, the world will probably turn round and say, ‘Oh yeah? Prove it!’ Your case studies offer an authentic endorsement from a fellow client or customer, and in a world where everybody is shouting to be heard, an impartial, third party tribute to your abilities will often carry most weight. To add more power to your case studies, always link to your customer’s website and include a testimonial message from them.
4. They are multi-functional
Once you’ve taken the time to dust off your case studies, edit and fine-tune, and upload them onto your website with the relevant images, you can use them anywhere. They can easily be converted into a handout for a conference, an article in a trade journal, a contribution to a white paper or a piece in your newsletter.
5. Increasing your ROI
Case studies are an exceptionally cost-effective marketing tool, in terms of increasing the potential return on investment from your marketing budget. And one final benefit which is easily overlooked: they please your existing customers too, as they see them as a validation of their own good judgement!
