sales case study meaning

Sales Case Study: How to Make a Sale in 7 Steps

Sales case studies are a great way to learn how to make a sale. I remember when I was first starting in sales, I would read as many sales case studies as I could get my hands on. They were a huge help in learning the ropes and understanding the different steps involved in making a sale. This sales case study will show you how to make a sale in 7 steps. By following these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a top-performing sales rep!

Sales Case Study: Successful Sales Techniques

A sales case study is an important tool for sales teams. It can provide insight into how other companies have been able to successfully sell products and services and can help sales teams learn new strategies and techniques.

Additionally, sales case studies can help to identify potential customers and target markets.

What are Sales Case Studies and How Do They Help You?

A case study analyzes a specific instance –– or case if you will –– that shows how your product has been effective in solving a problem.

When you market with customer success stories, you allow your prospective customers to get to know your existing customers on a more personal level. This can help them see how your product has benefited other people, which can in turn make it easier for them to purchase.

Would you hire a company to produce video content for you if they just said, “We produce high quality, high return-on-investment (ROI) generating videos”?

Wouldn’t it be more beneficial for you to see the quality of their work first and read a personal recommendation from someone who has worked with them before through case studies? This way, you can make a more informed decision about whether or not this is the right company for your needs.

Most customers read reviews before making a purchase. This is because 81% of people do their research before buying anything.

B2B sales are just like any other kind of sale – the prospect does their research before committing to a purchase. To get an idea of what a company is like, it can be helpful to read reviews from past customers. This way, you can learn about a company’s reputation before making a decision.

Case studies are an excellent way to show your potential customers the benefits of your product or service. By reading about how other companies have benefited from using your product, they can see the logic behind your claims and also get a sense of what a satisfied customer looks like. This can help to remove any objections they may have about purchasing from you.

How to Write a Sales Case Study

The customer is a small business owner who needs help with bookkeeping and accounting. They have a goal of being able to track their finances and make better decisions for their business. We helped them by providing bookkeeping and accounting services. The result was that they were able to track their finances and make better decisions for their business.

B2B Case Study

88% of customers trust online reviews, so having testimonials and reviews on your site is a great way to establish credibility.

When you’re marketing to other businesses, case studies can be extremely impactful. Why? Because when your target audience reads about success stories within their industry, they’ll assume that the same approach will work for them.

Marketing Case Study

Case studies are an excellent way to show that you are comfortable in a specific field and familiar with industry-specific needs. By using case studies, you can demonstrate that you have the expertise to provide targeted results to that industry.

Sales Case Study Examples

Customer case studies are a particularly effective way of selling.

A sales case study is an in-depth look at how your service or product helped a client. It not only shows their opinion of your brand but highlights the results they achieved with you.

Make Impactful Statistics Pop in Your Sales Case Study

Case studies don’t have to be limited to just written words. You can include images, videos, and more.

To make your statistics pop in your sales case study, use icons to highlight areas that are particularly interesting or relevant. This will help your readers quickly identify the most important information in your study.

Icons are visual images that help to summarize important information quickly.

The use of icons in the business case study examples above helps to quickly represent areas of impressive growth and act as visual cues to help draw the reader’s attention to certain parts of the page.

Use High Contrast Shapes and Colors in Your Sales Case Study

Use contrasting colors and shapes to help your key info pop.

Use a different or complementary color scheme, or add a graphic such as a square or a circle.

This visual design uses blue boxes to separate the information to make it more readable.

This information is easily digestible and retainable for a potential customer, thanks to the use of icons and strong statistics.

8. Tips For Creating a More Effective Sales Case Study

Case studies are a powerful way to increase conversions and revenue.

They show how your product/service helps customers achieve their own goals.

An extensive, detailed, and specific case study that outlines your achievements and shows potential customers how you helped them achieve their goals.

Writing a compelling and action-oriented case study can be a real challenge. Most out there are boring, uninspiring, and fail to deliver all the information they should.

It’s time to change that. Here are 8 tips to help you create a more effective case study.

1. Write About Someone Your Customer Can Relate

If your target audience is in the education industry, then make a case study about one of your university clients .

If it’s related to the automotive industry, then make a case study about car parts and car accessories.

The purpose of your case study is to show that you are comfortable in their industry, you understand their specific needs, and you know how to deliver results.

Think about writing a how-to post for a blog. The content is geared toward average readers. But when you read a case study that deals with your industry and needs, you are much more likely to understand and apply the information presented.

The same can be said for case studies – people reading them will think that the same methods worked for the company.

This means you’ll need to write multiple case studies, each tailored to a different customer type.

2. Narrate a Story From Start to Finish

Storytelling is a powerful marketing tool. They allow readers to get to know your customers on a deeper level.

Who is the customer? What do they do? What are their needs and goals? How do you satisfy those needs so they can meet those goals?

Continue following up with your customer in your case studies and show how your solutions provide ongoing value.

In your case studies, be sure to include both the emotional benefits of your solutions as well as more concrete, measurable results.

Did your software help boost productivity, reduce turnover, or free up employees’ time? By including these metrics, you’ll provide your readers with a complete picture of how your services have helped your customers.

3. Make Your Case Study Easier to Read

No one likes reading large blocks of texts, regardless of how informative or entertaining they might be. Like a blog post, a case study should be easily scanned and readable.

Use the same elements of content and writing that you would for an article, blog post, or website copy.

When you’re writing a case study, use effective design elements like bold or italic fonts, bullet points, and header tags to help readers easily digest the information.

By including these simple, yet effective, techniques in your case studies, you’ll help readers find the information they’re looking for and better understand your value proposition.

In addition to writing blog posts, consider including videos and other types of media to spice things up.

Including images of your actual customers, screenshots of your results, or even videos of you explaining your process will help make your case studies more engaging.

4. Highlight Real Numbers

Have you ever wondered if doubled traffic in a case study meant going from 100 to 200 visitors or 10,000 to 20,000?

To strengthen your case studies, share exact figures. Show how much your increase in website traffic, sales, or whatever else matters to your clients.

This adds credibility to your case studies and builds trust with your audience.

Your case studies should be as detailed and as factual as humanly possible. Don’t just say you increased their website traffic by 50%, say you boosted their web traffic by 50%, and back it up with hard numbers.

It’s important to provide context when sharing these statistics. Explain why they’re important to you and your company.

By showing your customers’ journeys, you can show readers how you’ve helped customers get to where they are now.

Including before and after photos in your case studies helps your readers visualize the results you achieved for your clients. Seeing these before and after shots lets your prospects know that you are capable of achieving similar results for them.

5. Talk About Specific Strategies

So, you managed to improve your client’s web traffic? How did you do it?

This is where you tell the prospect which products or services you used to achieve your goal.

“Thanks to our digital marketing strategies, we increased website traffic from 2,000 to 15,000 visitors a month in just three months. Our social media marketing campaigns on Facebook and Youtube helped increase our brand awareness, and our link-building campaigns helped us rank higher on search engines.”

Don’t worry about giving away your secrets — your goal here is to establish yourself as a thought leader and showing that you know your stuff is key to that.

6. Test Different Content Formats

You don’t have to always write case studies in story format.

Try interviewing your clients and asking them the same questions, such as how they started their business, what their goals are, and what you did to help them.

Be sure to include quotes from your customers in your case studies. This will make your stories more believable and relevant to your prospects than if you were to tell your story yourself.

If you’re looking for ways to make your case studies more engaging, consider using infographics, webinars, or podcasts. These formats can help you capture your audience’s attention and communicate your key points more effectively. Experiment with different content types to see what works best for your business and your customers.

When Vortex switched to a brochure style, they noticed a significant boost in conversion rates. Their case studies highlight exactly how they achieved those results and can help convince customers that the same techniques will work for them.

7. Repurpose Your Case Study for Different Audiences

While some people are happy reading your text-based case studies, other people may like to listen to them, watch them, or see them in a visual format. So, take your written content and repurpose it as a podcast, a YouTube video, or an engaging infographic.

The main benefit of video marketing is that videos are easily sharable. This means that your case study could reach more potential customers.

You can embed case studies in ebooks, blog posts, and resource guides. You can also link your case study to posts that prove your value and mention them in webinars.

8. Make Your Case Study Easily Accessible

What’s the point of creating a great case study if no one ever reads them? Be sure to organize your case studies in a way that makes them easy to locate.

List them on your website, optimize them for search engines, and promote them on your social media accounts.

Here are a few examples of easy-to-find case studies.

Amazon Web Services

If you’re in an industry like manufacturing, finance, or fitness and are looking for a case study, check out what Amazon Web Services has to offer. With AWS Digital Asset Management , industries like manufacturing, finance, or fitness can leverage a centralized, secure, and easily accessible platform to manage their extensive digital assets, simplifying the workflow while ensuring data integrity and accessibility.

The case study section on the landing page for drupal.org features several success stories from major brands, making it simple to see how Drupal can help your business.

How to Use Case Studies in Marketing

Follow up your case studies with blog posts that highlight a challenge or obstacle that your customer or company faced. Then, show the steps you took to overcome that issue.

In your post, show the steps you took to solve these issues.

Let’s say we had a client case study that detailed how a company used videos to build their trust. We might write a blog post that was called “Using Videos To Build Your Brand’s Credibility”.

A customer success blog post should focus on how your customers overcame their challenges and used your product or service to do so.

Most customers don’t want to spend a long time reading through a long explanation when they’re buying something. It’s much easier for them to watch the video that explains the service or product quickly. Our research shows that 96% of buyers would prefer watching a short video over having to read long explanations.

It’s easier for them and saves time if they view a video that gives them all the information they’re looking for.

Including statistics, and data, and ending with a call to action, video case studies are a great way to show your prospect how your product/service has benefited someone else.

If you can demonstrate to your prospects how your product or service is helping them solve their problem, you will be in an excellent spot.

Through videos, you can establish an emotional connection between your brand, product, and customers. Having satisfied customers explain the benefits of your product will help build a stronger relationship with your prospects.

This leads to more sales and more loyal clients.

You can display your testimonials or customer success stories directly on your home page. This will show web visitors that other people have had success with your product or service.

How to Present Your Case Studies

Here are a few suggestions for how to display your success stories:

• Feature a quote from your case study on your homepage
• Create a dedicated page featuring your testimonial or video case study
• Include a graphic or image of your case study

Email Marketing

Case studies are a great way to connect with those already-cold, disengaged contacts and re-ignite their interest.

Our preferred method is product-specific segments.

Do you have case studies from a specific product or service? Look at your analytics to see who was at one time interested in it.

Then, send an email to your subscriber list with your case study.

Social Media

Case studies are an easy way to promote your business on social.

Share a link to your customer’s success story and mention them.

To get the most out of a case study, post the case study in a way where readers are inspired to action. Focus on the benefits, be direct, and link to the page.

What other creative ways can you think of to use social media to promote your case study?

There are many ways to use a case study on social media.

You can show your happy, smiling face with a testimonial on your Facebook page, your Twitter account, and your LinkedIn profile.

You can also share your case study on LinkedIn, or add it to your company’s page.

Finally, you can post your case studies in related Facebook groups, or tweet about them. By doing all of these things, you will increase your engagement, and reach more potential clients.

According to Accenture, 41% of customers switched to a different business due to a lack of personalized communication.

When quoting your case studies, choose quotes that are specific to how your company helped the customer or quote metrics that demonstrate what the results were.

“We were able to increase the number of our email list by 80% in only a year. Their professionalism, dedication, and results speak for themselves.”

These quotes are a great way to boost your social media presence and website views.

Newsletters

Case studies can be included in your newsletter to both attract new potential clients and solidify your relationship with existing ones.

When companies focus on their customers, they not only improve relationships with current clients but can also attract more business. It’s natural to want to be part of a group, and when customers see that a business cares about them, they’re more inclined to support that company.

Case Studies for sales teams

Did you know that 70% of B2B customers do their research before even speaking to a sales rep? And 44% of those same people are looking for a specific solution before reaching out to a salesperson.

As customers become more and more educated, sales reps need content that speaks to each stage of a buyer’s journey. This ensures that reps are providing customers with information that’s relevant to their stage in the buying process.

Case studies are an excellent way to showcase your successes.

Have you heard of the saying “right place right time”?

Case studies are a great way to build credibility and trust with potential buyers. By showing past successes, you can demonstrate to potential clients that your product works.

What is a Sales Case Study?

To recap, a sales case study is a written document that describes a sales process from start to finish. It details the challenges faced by the salesperson and how they were overcome. A sales case study can be used to teach best practices, highlight successes, and identify areas for improvement.

A good example of a case study is a research paper that analyzes a particular subject in depth. Case studies are usually conducted on people, businesses, or organizations, and they often involve interviews and observation in addition to secondary research.

A sales case study is a great way to learn how to make a sale. This sales case study has shown you how to make a sale in 7 steps. By following these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a top-performing salesman or woman!

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How to Use Sales Case Studies Effectively (With Examples and Mistakes to Avoid)

• February 10, 2021

Used right, sales case studies can boost your deal closing ratio, making them a valuable addition to your sales enablement library.

But here’s the thing…

There are hundreds of tutorials on how to create them. Not so much on how to use them in your sales process.

So that’s what we’re going to cover here. Keep reading for practical tips on how you can use your case studies to attract new prospects and convert existing prospects into paying customers.

• The value of a case study
• How to use case studies in the sales process
• Types and examples of sales case studies
• Making case studies easy to use
• What not to do

What Is a Case Study?

Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page here.

A case study in sales is any story, data, or evidence of your product or service benefitting a customer.

Case studies aren’t really about your company though. This is an easy mistake to make. The focus should always be on the benefits your customers and clients experience because of your company.

They should be data-focused, and should include the problem the customer went through and how your product helped the customer overcome it.

Case studies give you the ability to frame your product in the way you want.

They allow you to build one of the most valuable and hard-to-find things in sales — trust .

This makes the case study one of your most powerful sales tools.

The Value of a Case Study

A tool is only as good as its craftsman, and it’s the same with case studies. They aren’t the smoking gun that will immediately close the deal, but in the hands of a skilled SDR or AE, they can help you control the narrative and bat away objections .

Richard Harris of Harris Consulting had this to say,

“Case studies don’t actually make the sale. What they do is provide real-world validation.

The real value of a case study only applies once a conversation around the prospect use case has occurred. In most cases, the case study just verifies your legitimacy and allows the prospect to ‘check the box.’

You must have case studies, though. That’s for sure.”

That real-world validation is key. Hearing a convincing pitch is one thing, but seeing how a product or service works in the real world goes a long way to stripping objections and building trust in your brand.

A case study may not make someone buy, but not having a case study will almost certainly make it harder to close the deal.

How to Use Case Studies in the Sales Process

That’s all well and good, but how do you actually use a case study in your sales process?

Sales expert and VP of Sales at Vector Solutions, Phil Gerbyshak , shared with us the different ways his team utilizes case studies.

“My sales team uses case studies extensively for social proof.

We use them in first contact with customers as an opening attention grabber, to overcome an objection, and lastly, to ask for references.”

The concept of social proof is important. It builds trust in your brand’s ability to follow through with your promises and to solve your customer’s problems.

Here are some practical tips for using case studies to do that at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

Attracting and engaging new leads

As an online lead generation tool , case studies make an attractive offer. They have the added bonus of attracting your ideal customer at the precise moment they’re actively looking for solutions.

For this, rather than a one-page write-up, think in terms of a free guide detailing the challenges company X was facing, how their problem was solved, and what their experience has been with your product.

But free downloads aren’t the only way to use case studies to generate leads. They’re also a great format for webinars .

Of course, the key is to get the topic right. You want to focus on your customer and the success they’ve enjoyed, not on your company and product.

Good: How Company X Doubled Their Revenue in Y Weeks

Bad: How [Product Name] Helped Company X Overcome Y

RELATED: The Power of Social Selling (+ 7 Rules for Storytelling in Sales)

Don’t forget cold outreach . Case studies are the perfect excuse to reach out to a new lead. They ensure your first touch is value-add and selfless.

Building confidence during discovery and demos

Case studies can be used to answer questions, show use-cases, and prove that your product does what you say it does.

During any call , you can use them to keep things from stalling out or taking a negative turn.

And it’s easy to make the offer a natural part of your conversation. Phil told us that his team broaches the subject directly. They’ll ask something like,

“Here are some relevant results a company like yours got with us. Is this of interest to you?”

During a demo , case studies can turn a boring features-review into an engaging presentation.

And it’s as simple as telling stories about previous customers who struggled with specific problems, then showing how one of your features solves that problem.

You don’t need to trick the prospect into seeing a case study. This is information they likely want to see so they can make an informed purchase.

Often the best way to bring up a case study with a prospect is to simply ask if they want to see it.

Overcoming objections

One of the most valuable (and most obvious) benefits of a case study is using it to overcome objections .

Alex Greer , Founder & CEO, SIGNAL HQ, says,

“They are a great way to alleviate fear that an investment in a new solution may not work, or generate enthusiasm about the new capabilities a solution unlocks for an organization. Ultimately, they demonstrate your business has experience working with similar customers, and that your solution drives results.”

Fear is the enemy of every sale.

Your customers have to make a very important decision. They have to decide to invest a large amount of money and time into trying your solution to their problem. There will always be fear initially that your solution will be a poor investment.

Case studies allow you to address your customers’ pain points directly, with real-world data .

Phil again shared with us how his company brings this up to the customer. Once they find their customers’ main concern they’ll say something like,

“A client in a similar situation to you had that concern, and here’s what they did…”

Similar is the key here.

Your case study needs to be as similar to your current customer as possible. Richard Harris says that your,

“Potential customers want to know the case study, but they’ll rarely believe the case study will be equal to them.”

Many prospects think that their company and its problems are so unique that no case study will truly capture the depth of their problem. Sometimes this is true, sometimes not. That’s not important.

What is important is that you realize you’ll always be fighting an uphill battle to prove your case study applies to your prospect.

The less similar the case, the harder that fight will be. Which is why choosing a case study that’s too dissimilar can end up creating more objections instead of removing them.

So make life easier for yourself. Take the time to pick as similar a case study as you can.

What Are the Three Types of Case Studies?

There are a few types of sales case studies:

• Explanatory
• Instrumental
• Implementation

We’ll cover these types in more detail below, along with case study examples for each.

1. Explanatory Case Study

It is essential to remember that a case study incorporates an oral discussion of your findings with the potential client before they commit to anything, as it can make or break a sale.

Explanatory case studies are primarily descriptive studies that do well with complex solutions common in  enterprise technology   and healthcare. They typically use a few instances of a phenomenon to show how the existing solution works. Explanatory case studies only use one or two occurrences to familiarize prospects with how to solve an unfamiliar problem.

Sales Case Study Example: Chargebee

Chargebee  has a great  explanatory case study  of how their customer, Freshdesk, was able to scale their helpdesk services from 500 to 8,000 customers by introducing a single source of truth onto a single dashboard.

2. Instrumental Case Study

One way to help your prospects gain insight into the solution you are selling is through an instrumental case study.

This type of case study does not focus on the results, but instead on understanding the relationship between the problem and its solution. This works best for technical products or software programs. When things get technical, however, it can be hard to know when to use technical terms or plain language.

Sales Case Study Example: Aspire Systems

Aspire Systems  created an  instrumental case study  where they developed a data integration platform for a leading vendor of data integration solutions. With this case study, they did a fantastic job of creating summary sections using layperson terms while using images of their system architecture that clearly shows their processes even when using technical language.

3. Implementation Case Study

The implementation case study is a quick way to showcase your previous customer’s success stories. This type of case study shows what problem needed to be solved, what solution was used, and how it was implemented.

It’s important for sales reps to quickly showcase the problem-solution-result, and a great way to do so is through a brief case study that focuses on the implementation part. Implementation case studies can be just one page or several, but it should always include the problem being solved, how the solution was executed, and why this particular solution stands out as an example for other companies in similar industries.

Sales Case Study Example: Mitsubishi Electric

Mitsubishi Electric  created a  one-pager  case study for sales teams about how their solution helped Twilight Cruises address passenger complaints about comfort. This implementation case study stands out because Mitsubishi ensured that Twilight furnished a well-crafted testimonial about the new air conditioning units in a way that it builds faith and trust among readers.

Making Case Studies Easy to Use

For your case studies to be relevant, you need to be able to choose the perfect case study for the perfect moment.

You likely have been given a large pile of resources to help you sell — from random specs and data to full-on case studies.

It can often be overwhelming, and finding the gold in that pile can often be difficult.

Alex Greer had some more tips for us here,

“It’s important for everyone in your sales organization to know exactly where to access an index or database of all your referenceable customers and collateral. You can organize this with something as simple as an Excel or Google Sheet, or a more robust asset management system in Salesforce, Highspot, Showpad, or similar.

This customer reference index should have (at least) the following types of tags, since each customer will give their own set of permissions:

– Publicly Referencable by Name? (Yes/No)

– Publicly Referencable in Written Communication? (Yes/No)

– Permission to display logo? (Yes/No)

– Links to Testimonial Webpages

– Links to Testimonial Videos

– Links to Written Case Studies

– Links to Webinars

– Links to Slides”

Having an index like this is perfect for keeping track of your case studies, so you’re not jumping from email to email, or wasting time searching through your hard drive to find the one case study that’s a perfect fit.

RELATED: The Complete Guide To Auditing Your Sales Content Library

Even with an index like this, though, it’s important to know your case studies well. You need to know what to look for when you start dealing with a client.

Another excellent way to utilize an index like this is to put it on your website and let it do much of your work for you.

Create a case studies page

One of the most valuable resources you can provide on your website is an easy-to-find page on your website filled with all of your best case studies. Your sales teams can even use them to nudge prospects closer to their buying decision!

This does two things for you.

• It works passively to attract new customers who are impressed with what you’ve done for other companies.
• It works as a valuable resource when you’re selling.

When you’re talking to a prospect, it acts as a database, where you can easily search the exact study you need. It also allows you to direct customers to it, or show them directly if you’re talking to them in-person.

Outreach does a great job with this. They have a Customer Stories page that’s easy to find and chock full of great case studies.

Today’s buyers are used to having a huge amount of data available to them. When buying anything, their first instinct is to look at user reviews.

Deloitte’s consumer review says that “customers are very used to having a huge amount of data available to them.” What’s more, ”81% of customers read reviews and check ratings.”

So make the data available.

Give your customers the tools to sell themselves on you.

If you don’t have a page like this, then you need one. Your website is free real estate to show people how great your company and product is. Use it.

Use case studies to get case studies

All of these benefits require that you have applicable case studies to use. So an important way to utilize your case studies is to use them to actually to get more case studies and reviews.

Phil Gerbyshak says that his team does this by, again, being very straightforward and simply saying,

“We have a review/case study from a client like you, would you be open to sharing one as well?”

This will help keep your case studies page and index full and make sure you and your sales team have the ammunition to keep every deal moving forward.

What NOT to Do

There are a few pitfalls to avoid when using case studies.

Don’t lie or stretch the truth.

This should be pretty obvious. These days it is easier than ever to fact check. If you’re caught in a lie, any trust you’ve built up — and likely the sale itself — is gone.

Don’t forget who you’re talking to.

Like I mentioned before, the case study should be a similar case to the customer you’re speaking to. They shouldn’t need to stretch their imagination to see how this applies to them.

Don’t focus on how great your company is.

The case study’s focus should be on the customer’s benefit .

If it sounds too much like propaganda or a promo, you’ll lose your customer focus.

Once people think they’re being sold to, they’ll often either stop listening or stop trusting you. They’ll start looking much more critically at everything you’re saying, wondering if you’re telling them the truth or not.

If you do a case study right, they’ll still walk away thinking your company is great, even though you never told them that directly.

Don’t forget about the data.

The more data-focused, the better. A good case study should be backed by facts, even if you’re telling it in story form. This has the added bonus of lending itself to visually engaging elements such as graphs and charts.

Final Words

Case studies can be a very powerful tool to have in your sales toolbelt. So, equip yourself.

Gather your case studies, and use them to convert potential sales into very real revenue.

Scott Barker

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13 Important Tips To Use Sales Case Studies Effectively: The Do's And Don'ts

Sales case studies are a type of sales research that can be used for various purposes. They can help sales teams identify the most effective sales strategies, educate salespeople about what to do and how to do it, and provide clear evidence of successes and failures.

Sales case studies are the sales professional's best friends, and they tell you what to do and how to do it to generate more sales for your business. Sales professionals who don't keep sales cases studies around as often as they wonder sales aren't going up as they should be.

Case studies are the best way to learn sales strategies that have worked for other sales professionals. They can be found, stored, and used effectively in many different ways. Let's hop onto some basics.

What Is a Sales Case Study?

A sales case study is a sales research method where sales professionals and businesses share their experiences by providing documented examples of what has worked for them. 

They can be used to demonstrate success, but they are most valuable when shared as a learning tool so that other sales teams learn from the successes and failures of others. Sales cases studies don't just tell you what works – they also show you exactly how it was done!

Case studies allow you to define your product in the way you want, and they let you create one of the most valuable and difficult-to-find assets in sales confidence. This is why case studies are one of your most powerful sales tools.

A case study in sales is any story, data, or evidence of your product or service benefitting a customer. The sales case study may include:

• ROI and sales data.
• Reports from customers who have benefited from the product or service.
• Insights into how you can implement this strategy in your own sales business.

How Do Case Studies Work?

The key with sales case studies is knowing how to find ones relevant to your business or field, knowing which details matter most. 

For example, the information within them has meaning, deciding who will use those insights (yourself alone or as part of a team), and making sure that case studies are stored and used for sales strategy in the long term.

Case studies differ from sales statistics because they are a narrative, and they allow sales professionals to read an account of what happened and see how it can be applied to their own sales strategies in real life. 

Being able to use case studies effectively is contingent upon finding ones that apply directly or indirectly but tangibly enough for them to make sense as inspiration, instruction, or evaluation for your business's sales process.

The Value of a Sales Case Study?

Case studies tell sales professionals precisely what to do and how to do it. While there is no single sales strategy that works for every sales professional, case studies can help demonstrate the effectiveness of specific techniques. 

They also provide a documented example of real-life results so other salespeople know if an idea could work or not without having to guess at all!

Sales cases studies are most effective when used as part of a learning session where everyone on the sales team learns from examples of sales success. They are most valuable when shared with salespeople across different companies and business units, as each case study is unique to the company that produced it. 

Sales teams should look for sales strategies that work in similar or related fields (if possible) but that do not overlap too much – this will help inspire new ideas without unnecessarily limiting them.

How Can I Use Sales Case Studies Effectively?

There are many ways you can use case studies effectively:

• As part of your personal development , share relevant examples with yourself when preparing for important meetings or phone calls.
• As part of training sessions where new hires learn from experienced members on your team 
• As resources shared among groups who want more information about common challenges they're facing.
• As sales tools that you can use to promote your products and services.

The Do’s of case studies:

• Create a Case Studies page on your sales website

Start building case studies on demand that you can share with potential customers

Approach companies who are having challenges similar to the ones your product or service addresses. 

Ask if they would consider sharing their sales case study to demonstrate how much progress was made after incorporating it into their sales process.

Share relevant case studies internally among teams to inspire new ideas for everything from marketing, operations, recruiting, etc.

Put case studies on your blog or LinkedIn page so they can be shared more easily. You can also use case studies to create a resource list that you share with potential customers, which will undoubtedly help them understand the value of working with you!

To find sales strategies that work for different industries and companies, look at examples of what has worked well in similar fields, but focus on those with some differences (this is how new ideas are created). 

Highlight details beyond just pricing strategy when sharing sales cases study results. Create an easy-to-use system for storing all kinds of sales data.

• Include reviews in your case studies: 

Case studies that include reviews from salespeople and customers are much more helpful than those that don't. Don't just use sales case study examples as a sales tool – create your very own sales case study to inspire others!

Sales professionals should share case studies across different companies to get new ideas for improving their strategies. Sales managers should look for sales techniques that have been proven successful but also consider trying out some of the ones from examples. 

This will help teams gain inspiration without limiting them too much when it comes time to brainstorm new solutions as we advance.

• Make case studies easy to use :

Salespeople can easily pull up case studies on their mobile devices are much more helpful than those they have to print out. For example, include sales tools in sales case study examples. 

Sales professionals who see sales techniques applied to real-life challenges will be inspired by them and want to try them themselves or with their team.

Create your own sales case study as a way of inspiring others – this is the best way of demonstrating how successful an idea was without having to rely solely on someone else's testimonial!

Sales teams should look at successful sales strategies and consider experimenting with ideas from outside fields where there may even be overlap (this is how new ideas are created). 

Sales managers should seek out proven solutions when completing case studies and try out some of the ideas they learn about through examples, even if there's overlap with what you already know works well for your company.

• Create an easy system for storing all kinds of sales data:

Including receipts and notes makes future reports easier to read and understand than just numbers alone.

Highlight some vital elements for success to give other companies ideas about adapting these strategies for their industry or business model. Don't only focus on what has worked well; also look at creative ways someone else's idea didn't work out. 

• Include CTAs in your Case Studies

Sales case studies are most useful when they also include some kind of call-to-action so salespeople can apply the strategies you highlight to their own sales efforts. CTAs help the users in clear navigation and what should be their next steps?

The Don’ts of case studies:

When it comes to case studies, there are a few dangers to avoid.

• Don't lie or stretch the truth.

This is self-evident in today's environment, and it is now easier than ever to fact-check. If you're discovered to be a liar, and trust you've gained — and most likely the sale itself — will be destroyed.

• Don't lose sight of who you're talking to.

As I said before, the case study should be comparable to the client you're addressing, and they shouldn't have to imagine how this might apply to them.

• In the case study, don't emphasize how fantastic your company is.

The emphasis should be on the client's advantage. You'll lose your customer focus if it sounds like propaganda or a sales pitch. When people believe they're being sold to, they'll usually stop listening or trusting you. 

They'll become much more discerning in their approach to everything you say, wondering whether you're telling them the truth or not. Even though you never said it directly, they'll still walk away thinking your firm is excellent, even if you didn't mention it at all in the case study.

• Do not forget about data.

The more data you have, the better. A good story should be backed by facts, even if it is in a story form. This has the bonus of being able to use graphs and charts that are visually engaging. Did you know, 81% of customers read reviews and check ratings.

So, back up your claims and stories with data and stats that buckle you up for real success and improve your closing deals ratings.

Are Case Studies Effective?

Sales cases studies are practical when used correctly! An excellent place to start is by looking at examples online through platforms like Unbounce, where users have shared real-life results obtained using different methods. 

Having access to this kind of information will help any sales professional find inspiration even when case studies are not directly applicable to the situation at hand.

When used correctly, case studies will help salespeople get into a winning mindset and inspire new ideas that can be implemented immediately using tried-and-true strategies from other companies that have successfully managed similar challenges.

13% of marketers name case studies as one of the primary forms of media used within their content strategy which makes case studies the 5th most popular content type preferred.

What Kind of Case Studies Should I Be Using?

There are different kinds of case studies for a variety of purposes. These include:

• Sales strategy case studies: They tell the story from beginning to end, demonstrating how a sales team was able to implement their plan by following best practices. 
• Success stories – these provide evidence that the product or service works in real-world situations. They also highlight what worked well during a particular situation so others may be inspired by it! 
• Failure stories – some companies choose not only to share what has been successful but also to talk about issues they faced along the way and why specific strategies didn't work out as planned. This may help salespeople avoid mistakes. 
• Sales process case studies - sales processes can be challenging to describe in abstract terms, so many sales professionals choose to share step-by-step guides of how a sales team can get from one point to another. 

This helps other sales professionals learn more about what they should or shouldn't do when following that particular strategy and why the result might look different for them, depending on their field/company's context.

Finding Case Studies: Where to Find Them? 

The best place to find sales case studies is by asking sales professionals you know and trust, but if you can't do so in person, search online or ask your sales teammates!

The Internet can be a great tool when looking for case studies because many different kinds of businesses out there use them as part of their marketing strategies. When searching online, look for keywords that are relevant to your industry.

The most effective way of finding case studies is by hearing about them through word-of-mouth marketing – either within the industry, you work in or related fields. 

It isn't always easy finding resources where these types of stories have been shared publicly before, so don't underestimate the power of reaching out to sales professionals you think have valuable case studies through an email or phone call.

Sales case studies are essential sales tools that help salespeople deliver effective presentations. They also inspire new ideas and strategies for successful selling!

Sales case studies prove the value of a product or service by showing real-life results from other companies. This is an excellent sales tool to use when pitching your company's services because it demonstrates how others have used similar methods with great success.

This validates that your approach will work too, even if you haven't tried it before. These types of stories can be shared in person during sales meetings and online through various social media channels like LinkedIn and Pinterest.

Where business professionals share their expertise with others looking for guidance on best practices within many different industries. There are so many case studies online that it can be hard to find the right one for your sales meeting or pitch. 

Because of this, salespeople should always ask their customers about what they've done to get them into a positive buying state and build trust with potential leads/clients who may still need some convincing. 

This is also an excellent way to start building rapport before asking if they'd like to share any case studies themselves!

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4 Sales Case Studies (And Key Takeaways)

A report from CSO insights indicated that the percentage of salespeople making quota has dropped from 63% to 53% over a five-year period—from 2012 to 2016.

According to research from Sales Insight Lab , only 24.3% of salespeople exceeded their quota last year .

The reasons for this could vary:

• Selling has become more challenging with the changes in consumer behavior.
• Salespeople’s selling techniques are not as effective anymore as they were years ago.
• The supply of goods offered has saturated the market
• The sales distribution has spread thinly among individual salespeople.

Regardless of the reason, selling comes with its challenges, and some selling scenarios make it even more challenging than it already is.

Let us discuss challenging selling scenarios through the following sales case studies and how to deal with them.

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1. Selling Something People Could Get for FREE

Some products that are being sold have some free alternatives that people can get to. Examples include paid content and their free content alternative, CRMs, project management tools, and others. However, some businesses are able to sell these products and make good business out of it.

Charging for something that could be obtained for free is feasible.

That’s the reason why services and products vary immensely as well – from smartphones to finding a carpenter or looking for apartments in the same area.

So, how do you sell something that people could get for free?

Bottled water is a great case study.

Identifying the Options to Build Your Case

First, you need to identify the options and how it presents an opportunity for your product.

Let’s review what the options are if you want to gather water for free. Roughly speaking, you can either drink tap water or go to the nearest mountain or lake with seemingly good water.

Tap water is known to contain certain chemicals like chlorine and aluminum sulfate. Pesticides and herbicides can also be found in some tests of tap water.

This could cause asthma or different forms of skin damage, along with weakening the cells and a number of known and unknown problems (that add up with time).

It’s dependent on the region, your neighborhood, the building, and the pipe installation in your home. Filtering is not a top priority for many since tap water wasn’t meant to be consumed orally in the first place. Some safety mechanisms are in place, but that’s not nearly enough. Plus, if you visit relatives or friends, there’s no way you can test the water upfront (every time).

Spring water is somewhat clean as it’s being filtered through rocks. That said, you can’t rely on the structure of the water in different pools or rivers as it depends on different factors – like the flora or fauna living there, how far the stream is from the source, and the like (there are studies out there that explain everything more scientifically).

What makes your product better?

You also need to determine what makes your product better. This will help convince people to pay a premium.

In the case of bottled water, here are the features:

Bottled Water Obeys Standards

Unlike tap water or spring water, selling bottled water means complying with certain governmental standards.

In the US, bottled water must meet the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations set by the EPA. That said, purchasing 100 bottles automatically means that they all contain the same ingredients, and you’re somewhat safe to drink that in the long run.

This isn’t necessarily the case. There is a certain formula that each brand follows (through distilling and filtering), which leads to a higher or lower volume of given minerals in the water. Some studies suggest switching water brands in order to keep the balance intact.

Moreover, plastic bottles release small amounts of chemicals over time. The regulations may also be somewhat loose – testing for certain bacteria just once a week compared to several times a day (leaving a gap where less clean water may be released to the public).

Overall, it’s known to be safer .

And that process of gathering and transporting water, filtering, dealing with the FDA and EPA, marketing, and shipping to supermarkets is obviously resource-consuming – thus the price of the bottled water (in addition to the plastic itself).

It’s also a Commodity

It’s much easier to grab a bottle from the store next door instead of carrying a couple of large bottles every day from home on your way to work. The same goes for restaurants and different public places. Bottled water is the second most commonly purchased beverage in the US.

Bottled water’s total volume sold in 2022 was 15.9 billion gallons, its highest volume ever, surpassing carbonated soft drinks for the seventh year in a row. In terms of retail dollars, 2022 sales approached $46 billion, up from $40.8 billion in 2021. Yahoo! Finance

All things considered, there are good reasons why bottled water is priced when people can obtain it for free. The filtering process is different and is standardized across brands. It’s more widely available than public sources (except for tap water), and it’s easier to carry small bottles whenever needed.

Other goods, resources, tools, or services follow a similar process. Professional vendors invest in different activities to improve the quality of a product or a service – leading to higher demand and an actual business model. Free products and services always come with limitations – a premium provider can invest in customer support, the convenience of delivery, or anything else that is of value to the buyer.

To sum it up, identify pressing problems that free alternatives face (in this case, lack of standardization and possible health risks) and turn the narrative in your favor.

2. Selling Products With Many Competitors

Is your business one of the many vendors selling different flavors of the same product (or in a niche with many competitors)?

This is where storytelling comes into play.

Nobody needs features. People need solutions to problems in their specific industries.

Storytelling In Marketing And Sales

Storytelling allows for putting those features to work by defining practical scenarios. Each business is unique in a way – there is a company mission, and there are business goals. And the company culture.

There’s a backstory to starting the business and an ideal subset of problems that are uniquely solved by a solution.

What Makes You Different?

If you are entering a saturated market, the question is: what makes you different?

There are tons of supermarkets, design agencies, and dentist offices. Yet, each one of them profiles in something unique or has some vibe attuned to the energy of their ideal audience.

• Nike sells sports equipment. But aside from the notorious “Just do it”, they’ve positioned themselves with multiple influencer-baked stories through athletes like Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, and lots of football players.
• McDonald’s spent $2.3 million in 1967 for a national advertising campaign, building a solid brand, pioneering outstanding customer service, and innovating in the “Happy Meals” department. Since then, they’ve created hundreds of incredible campaigns, including “love story” journeys with marriage proposals in their stores, responses to international events, and pivots in takeaway products (among others).
• Apple wasn’t the first vendor of smartphones or headphones, and unlike other players like Dell, they were the only company that positioned themselves as a leader across multiple categories. Their original mission statement was “making personal computing accessible to each and every individual”. They rebranded themselves from “Apple Computers” to “Apple” to enlarge their item portfolio and pitched their audience via incredible designs, simplicity, and user-friendliness (instead of boasting about RAM or CPUs).

Businesses operate in different manners and follow various business processes . Some focus on quality, others – on price.

Each market has value for a specific audience.

In order to build the bond between your business and your market, you need a story that serves as the bridge between you and your customers.

3. Selling Expensive Solutions to SMEs

The thing is, most small and medium business owners provide services or products that are not completely digital. Those that sell online goods and services would do fine through on-site and online sales and marketing .

Categories of Solutions

Most “outstanding” solutions fall into one of the following categories:

• Those that would bring a ton of new customers to a business.
• Solutions that depend on someone who will manage the process, configure parameters, and talk to support staff to leverage the solution (after the onboarding/training process).
• Automation tools that will simplify the process (and possibly grow the traffic or bring new leads).
• Software that promises everything but won’t commit to a “ money-back guarantee ” if something goes wrong.

If I receive a hard offer for something that would yield a good multiplier on an annual basis and I’m 100% confident that this would work, I’ll pay the right amount. But that’s never the case.

For instance, if your software truly promises 3x growth of the business in a year, a company may not be able to cope with hiring and training in order to accommodate that growth.

And some businesses do prefer to stay small. Not every company aims to be the next Facebook or Airbnb.

Other tools depend on team members who are heavily involved in operations, maintenance, and adherence to a process. A business may be unable to allocate the resources required for the job. A small team only employs so many decision-makers and managers capable of allocating a good chunk of their time to something new that may or may not work.

Guaranteeing ROI is not realistic, either. Unless it’s a “black hat” type of technique, it probably depends on other factors.

All in all, if you build the right case and warm up a lead enough, you may be able to close a (new) customer with the right proposition. But it may take a while until you get a portfolio of customers that would confirm that your solution works as advertised.

4. Selling Overseas

B2B sales can also benefit from those – but the marketing strategies are focused on the inbound generation and sales calls instead. You can hire someone in-house who handles all international deals.

There are plenty of ways – some traditional, others – creative.

• Are you selling services or products, digital or physical, B2B or B2C?
• Do you target a single country or worldwide?
• What are the demographics of your target audience?
• What techniques do competitors use for selling?

B2C and B2B Strategies

For B2C sales (less expensive digital products/services), digital marketing and advertising work well. Here’s what else you need to consider as a set of strategies for multinational sales penetration.

• Influencer marketing is a good investment, albeit long-term (it takes a while to work with multiple influencers on targeted campaigns).
• Hiring a local salesperson in each area is also a great idea. Selling more expensive products in a specific country (say, the US) may justify hiring a local salesperson there. Attending conferences, trade shows, meetups – and meeting prospects locally.
• Social media works in all cases, along with a well-maintained blog. The latter takes a while and is contingent on your content strategy and keyword research.
• Personal branding online could help you land podcast appearances and other interviews. Being able to position yourself in the right media outlets (that your prospects read) may yield good results.
• Consider partnerships, too. This is extremely valuable if you team up with a business managing a portfolio of “ideal” clients providing other services (complementing yours).

Do you struggle with sales and other business challenges ? Head to this sales guide for executives and learn more tips and strategies.

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How to write a case study — examples, templates, and tools

It’s a marketer’s job to communicate the effectiveness of a product or service to potential and current customers to convince them to buy and keep business moving. One of the best methods for doing this is to share success stories that are relatable to prospects and customers based on their pain points, experiences, and overall needs.

That’s where case studies come in. Case studies are an essential part of a content marketing plan. These in-depth stories of customer experiences are some of the most effective at demonstrating the value of a product or service. Yet many marketers don’t use them, whether because of their regimented formats or the process of customer involvement and approval.

A case study is a powerful tool for showcasing your hard work and the success your customer achieved. But writing a great case study can be difficult if you’ve never done it before or if it’s been a while. This guide will show you how to write an effective case study and provide real-world examples and templates that will keep readers engaged and support your business.

In this article, you’ll learn:

What is a case study?

How to write a case study, case study templates, case study examples, case study tools.

A case study is the detailed story of a customer’s experience with a product or service that demonstrates their success and often includes measurable outcomes. Case studies are used in a range of fields and for various reasons, from business to academic research. They’re especially impactful in marketing as brands work to convince and convert consumers with relatable, real-world stories of actual customer experiences.

The best case studies tell the story of a customer’s success, including the steps they took, the results they achieved, and the support they received from a brand along the way. To write a great case study, you need to:

• Celebrate the customer and make them — not a product or service — the star of the story.
• Craft the story with specific audiences or target segments in mind so that the story of one customer will be viewed as relatable and actionable for another customer.
• Write copy that is easy to read and engaging so that readers will gain the insights and messages intended.
• Follow a standardized format that includes all of the essentials a potential customer would find interesting and useful.
• Support all of the claims for success made in the story with data in the forms of hard numbers and customer statements.

Case studies are a type of review but more in depth, aiming to show — rather than just tell — the positive experiences that customers have with a brand. Notably, 89% of consumers read reviews before deciding to buy, and 79% view case study content as part of their purchasing process. When it comes to B2B sales, 52% of buyers rank case studies as an important part of their evaluation process.

Telling a brand story through the experience of a tried-and-true customer matters. The story is relatable to potential new customers as they imagine themselves in the shoes of the company or individual featured in the case study. Showcasing previous customers can help new ones see themselves engaging with your brand in the ways that are most meaningful to them.

Besides sharing the perspective of another customer, case studies stand out from other content marketing forms because they are based on evidence. Whether pulling from client testimonials or data-driven results, case studies tend to have more impact on new business because the story contains information that is both objective (data) and subjective (customer experience) — and the brand doesn’t sound too self-promotional.

Case studies are unique in that there’s a fairly standardized format for telling a customer’s story. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for creativity. It’s all about making sure that teams are clear on the goals for the case study — along with strategies for supporting content and channels — and understanding how the story fits within the framework of the company’s overall marketing goals.

Here are the basic steps to writing a good case study.

1. Identify your goal

Start by defining exactly who your case study will be designed to help. Case studies are about specific instances where a company works with a customer to achieve a goal. Identify which customers are likely to have these goals, as well as other needs the story should cover to appeal to them.

The answer is often found in one of the buyer personas that have been constructed as part of your larger marketing strategy. This can include anything from new leads generated by the marketing team to long-term customers that are being pressed for cross-sell opportunities. In all of these cases, demonstrating value through a relatable customer success story can be part of the solution to conversion.

2. Choose your client or subject

Who you highlight matters. Case studies tie brands together that might otherwise not cross paths. A writer will want to ensure that the highlighted customer aligns with their own company’s brand identity and offerings. Look for a customer with positive name recognition who has had great success with a product or service and is willing to be an advocate.

The client should also match up with the identified target audience. Whichever company or individual is selected should be a reflection of other potential customers who can see themselves in similar circumstances, having the same problems and possible solutions.

Some of the most compelling case studies feature customers who:

• Switch from one product or service to another while naming competitors that missed the mark.
• Experience measurable results that are relatable to others in a specific industry.
• Represent well-known brands and recognizable names that are likely to compel action.
• Advocate for a product or service as a champion and are well-versed in its advantages.

Whoever or whatever customer is selected, marketers must ensure they have the permission of the company involved before getting started. Some brands have strict review and approval procedures for any official marketing or promotional materials that include their name. Acquiring those approvals in advance will prevent any miscommunication or wasted effort if there is an issue with their legal or compliance teams.

3. Conduct research and compile data

Substantiating the claims made in a case study — either by the marketing team or customers themselves — adds validity to the story. To do this, include data and feedback from the client that defines what success looks like. This can be anything from demonstrating return on investment (ROI) to a specific metric the customer was striving to improve. Case studies should prove how an outcome was achieved and show tangible results that indicate to the customer that your solution is the right one.

This step could also include customer interviews. Make sure that the people being interviewed are key stakeholders in the purchase decision or deployment and use of the product or service that is being highlighted. Content writers should work off a set list of questions prepared in advance. It can be helpful to share these with the interviewees beforehand so they have time to consider and craft their responses. One of the best interview tactics to keep in mind is to ask questions where yes and no are not natural answers. This way, your subject will provide more open-ended responses that produce more meaningful content.

4. Choose the right format

There are a number of different ways to format a case study. Depending on what you hope to achieve, one style will be better than another. However, there are some common elements to include, such as:

• An engaging headline
• A subject and customer introduction
• The unique challenge or challenges the customer faced
• The solution the customer used to solve the problem
• The results achieved
• Data and statistics to back up claims of success
• A strong call to action (CTA) to engage with the vendor

It’s also important to note that while case studies are traditionally written as stories, they don’t have to be in a written format. Some companies choose to get more creative with their case studies and produce multimedia content, depending on their audience and objectives. Case study formats can include traditional print stories, interactive web or social content, data-heavy infographics, professionally shot videos, podcasts, and more.

5. Write your case study

We’ll go into more detail later about how exactly to write a case study, including templates and examples. Generally speaking, though, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing your case study.

• Be clear and concise. Readers want to get to the point of the story quickly and easily, and they’ll be looking to see themselves reflected in the story right from the start.
• Provide a big picture. Always make sure to explain who the client is, their goals, and how they achieved success in a short introduction to engage the reader.
• Construct a clear narrative. Stick to the story from the perspective of the customer and what they needed to solve instead of just listing product features or benefits.
• Leverage graphics. Incorporating infographics, charts, and sidebars can be a more engaging and eye-catching way to share key statistics and data in readable ways.
• Offer the right amount of detail. Most case studies are one or two pages with clear sections that a reader can skim to find the information most important to them.
• Include data to support claims. Show real results — both facts and figures and customer quotes — to demonstrate credibility and prove the solution works.

6. Promote your story

Marketers have a number of options for distribution of a freshly minted case study. Many brands choose to publish case studies on their website and post them on social media. This can help support SEO and organic content strategies while also boosting company credibility and trust as visitors see that other businesses have used the product or service.

Marketers are always looking for quality content they can use for lead generation. Consider offering a case study as gated content behind a form on a landing page or as an offer in an email message. One great way to do this is to summarize the content and tease the full story available for download after the user takes an action.

Sales teams can also leverage case studies, so be sure they are aware that the assets exist once they’re published. Especially when it comes to larger B2B sales, companies often ask for examples of similar customer challenges that have been solved.

Now that you’ve learned a bit about case studies and what they should include, you may be wondering how to start creating great customer story content. Here are a couple of templates you can use to structure your case study.

Template 1 — Challenge-solution-result format

• Start with an engaging title. This should be fewer than 70 characters long for SEO best practices. One of the best ways to approach the title is to include the customer’s name and a hint at the challenge they overcame in the end.
• Create an introduction. Lead with an explanation as to who the customer is, the need they had, and the opportunity they found with a specific product or solution. Writers can also suggest the success the customer experienced with the solution they chose.
• Present the challenge. This should be several paragraphs long and explain the problem the customer faced and the issues they were trying to solve. Details should tie into the company’s products and services naturally. This section needs to be the most relatable to the reader so they can picture themselves in a similar situation.
• Share the solution. Explain which product or service offered was the ideal fit for the customer and why. Feel free to delve into their experience setting up, purchasing, and onboarding the solution.
• Explain the results. Demonstrate the impact of the solution they chose by backing up their positive experience with data. Fill in with customer quotes and tangible, measurable results that show the effect of their choice.
• Ask for action. Include a CTA at the end of the case study that invites readers to reach out for more information, try a demo, or learn more — to nurture them further in the marketing pipeline. What you ask of the reader should tie directly into the goals that were established for the case study in the first place.

Template 2 — Data-driven format

• Start with an engaging title. Be sure to include a statistic or data point in the first 70 characters. Again, it’s best to include the customer’s name as part of the title.
• Create an overview. Share the customer’s background and a short version of the challenge they faced. Present the reason a particular product or service was chosen, and feel free to include quotes from the customer about their selection process.
• Present data point 1. Isolate the first metric that the customer used to define success and explain how the product or solution helped to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Present data point 2. Isolate the second metric that the customer used to define success and explain what the product or solution did to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Present data point 3. Isolate the final metric that the customer used to define success and explain what the product or solution did to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Summarize the results. Reiterate the fact that the customer was able to achieve success thanks to a specific product or service. Include quotes and statements that reflect customer satisfaction and suggest they plan to continue using the solution.
• Ask for action. Include a CTA at the end of the case study that asks readers to reach out for more information, try a demo, or learn more — to further nurture them in the marketing pipeline. Again, remember that this is where marketers can look to convert their content into action with the customer.

While templates are helpful, seeing a case study in action can also be a great way to learn. Here are some examples of how Adobe customers have experienced success.

Juniper Networks

One example is the Adobe and Juniper Networks case study , which puts the reader in the customer’s shoes. The beginning of the story quickly orients the reader so that they know exactly who the article is about and what they were trying to achieve. Solutions are outlined in a way that shows Adobe Experience Manager is the best choice and a natural fit for the customer. Along the way, quotes from the client are incorporated to help add validity to the statements. The results in the case study are conveyed with clear evidence of scale and volume using tangible data.

The story of Lenovo’s journey with Adobe is one that spans years of planning, implementation, and rollout. The Lenovo case study does a great job of consolidating all of this into a relatable journey that other enterprise organizations can see themselves taking, despite the project size. This case study also features descriptive headers and compelling visual elements that engage the reader and strengthen the content.

Tata Consulting

When it comes to using data to show customer results, this case study does an excellent job of conveying details and numbers in an easy-to-digest manner. Bullet points at the start break up the content while also helping the reader understand exactly what the case study will be about. Tata Consulting used Adobe to deliver elevated, engaging content experiences for a large telecommunications client of its own — an objective that’s relatable for a lot of companies.

Case studies are a vital tool for any marketing team as they enable you to demonstrate the value of your company’s products and services to others. They help marketers do their job and add credibility to a brand trying to promote its solutions by using the experiences and stories of real customers.

When you’re ready to get started with a case study:

• Think about a few goals you’d like to accomplish with your content.
• Make a list of successful clients that would be strong candidates for a case study.
• Reach out to the client to get their approval and conduct an interview.
• Gather the data to present an engaging and effective customer story.

Adobe can help

There are several Adobe products that can help you craft compelling case studies. Adobe Experience Platform helps you collect data and deliver great customer experiences across every channel. Once you’ve created your case studies, Experience Platform will help you deliver the right information to the right customer at the right time for maximum impact.

To learn more, watch the Adobe Experience Platform story .

Keep in mind that the best case studies are backed by data. That’s where Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform and Adobe Analytics come into play. With Real-Time CDP, you can gather the data you need to build a great case study and target specific customers to deliver the content to the right audience at the perfect moment.

Watch the Real-Time CDP overview video to learn more.

Finally, Adobe Analytics turns real-time data into real-time insights. It helps your business collect and synthesize data from multiple platforms to make more informed decisions and create the best case study possible.

Request a demo to learn more about Adobe Analytics.

https://business.adobe.com/blog/perspectives/b2b-ecommerce-10-case-studies-inspire-you

https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/business-case

https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/what-is-real-time-analytics

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The Best Sales Case Studies You Should Read

Diving into sales case studies from industry experts is a great example of how to do this. So, I’ve rounded up some of the best sales case studies out there, and discussed what the valuable takeaways are from each.

Check them out, and apply these techniques to your own business. You’ll be increasing your sales knowledge, as well as picking up helpful tips for how to actually implement what you’ve learned in the real world.

Want to see my top picks? Keep reading.

Why turn to sales case studies?

As I’ve discussed in my other sales articles here on the Bidsketch blog (I’ll link those below), the reality is that for many new entrepreneurs, selling is not something that comes easily. In fact, selling your products or services might be the hardest part of starting your business.

And honestly, it makes sense—you know that what you do or make is great, but you feel uncomfortable playing the role of a salesperson. If you don’t have a sales background, knowing how to appropriately pitch and position your business to gain clients can feel very foreign. Not only that, but to really succeed at selling, you will likely need to enter territories you are unfamiliar with, whether that be something like creating email drip campaigns, or actually making sales calls.

So, in addition to reading through resources on how to become a better salesperson, seeing examples of how businesses have implemented sales processes that worked for them can be both hugely informative and motivating. Examining sales case studies gives you a chance to see some of the techniques you have read about in action, and see what the actual ROI for employing those techniques has been.

Plus, you are getting the benefit of learning from the experts, because a lot of the best case studies are put out by sales and marketing firms as a means of advertising their services, or they are put out there by experts who are offering their commentary. So, you can take a leaf out of their book, without actually having to hire any fancy, expensive sales consultants to help you!

However, there is a lot of noise online when it comes to sales case studies. Plenty of sites offer up a bait and switch and expect you to pay or sign up in order to see the case studies they are offering. So, I’ve rounded up some of the best sales case studies out there, from a variety of industries and vantage points, that are free and available to anyone with an internet connection.

Neil Patel has long been an expert in the entrepreneurship space. ( Source .)

1. Neil Patel, Quicksprout: Which of These 3 Sales Case Studies Will Grow Your Sales?

It’s always smart to turn to Neil Patel for advice; from internet marketing best practices to SEO, his insight is valuable and he continues to be one of the most respected thought leaders in the online entrepreneurship space.

In this article, Patel discusses three distinct sales strategies and walks readers through the application of each of them in detail. He ties the strategies back to his own business experience and includes sample email outlines that help illustrate what the sales strategy looks like in action.

Plus, he includes a list of action steps that you can follow in order to make the strategies he has outlined in his sales case studies work for you. Patel has written an article that is both a comprehensive guide to using three distinct sales strategies, as well as a place where readers can see case study examples of them in action, so while it is a fairly long read, it’s well worth it.

Kissmetrics offers great examples from real businesses. Image via their article , also linked below.

2. Kissmetrics Blog: How These 7 Companies Increased Revenue by an Average of 425%

You’re likely familiar with Kissmetrics, either via their product or simply based on the fact that they are one of the most reliable, respected voices in the marketing metrics space.

Their case studies are, naturally, very reliant on metrics to tell a story. This makes these case studies a must-read, as getting hard data on how sales initiatives actually improved key metrics is surprisingly hard.

Like Patel’s article, Kissmetrics dives deep into each business, and they offer a clear takeaway for each that you can apply to your own sales and marketing processes.

Modern Marketing Concepts offers a variety of case studies from their clients. ( Source .)

3. Modern Marketing Concepts:  Case studies

This New York-based “sales optimization company” Modern Marketing Concepts offers perhaps some of the best sales case studies that you can find specifically from a marketing firm.

Each case study is formatted as a quick, easy to digest PDF, that touches on the challenges Modern Marketing Concepts faced, and the solutions they put into place. They also include actual data demonstrating the success of each sales initiative.

While many sales case studies tend toward the vague and fluffy, those presented by Modern Marketing Concepts actually offer something concrete. Be sure to check these ones out.

Featured Customers offers lots of case studies, like these ones from Soasta and their industry competitors. ( Source .)

4. Featured Customers: Soasta case studies, as well as competitors

Let’s get this out of the way at the outset: Featured Customers is a behemoth of a site to wade through. However, if you can navigate through all the information provided, you will actually find some great case studies to check out.

For example, following the link above will lead you to case studies from the software company Soasta, as well as their competitors. While case studies may not be the primary intended use of Featured Customers, it is a great resource to check out—if you have time to do a bit of digging.

Soasta’s website offers even more of their sales case studies. ( Source .)

5. Soasta: Customers

Speaking of Soasta, going directly to their site yields tons of other great sales case studies that you should check out.

The best part? You can filter by industry—of which there are many, spanning industries from retail, to travel, to tech. Not only that, but the brands featured are some pretty big names, giving the case studies presented a level of resonance that discussion of smaller, unknown businesses might not have. Soasta’s case studies also include feedback from their customers themselves, which is definitely worth a read.

Case studies via Inside Sales.

6. Inside Sales: Sales case studies

Here, Inside Sales has collected a list of case studies from their customers, which discuss how the businesses they have worked with have managed to increase their productivity levels after implementing the products Inside Sales offers.

The case studies presented here are succinct and informative; they clearly lay out the challenges facing the business, the solutions Inside Sales implemented, and the eventual results.

Core DNA shares case studies specifically from ecommerce businesses. ( Source .)

7. Core DNA: 7 eCommerce Case Studies You Need to Steal From

If you run an ecommerce business, your sales needs and strategies will likely differ from those of entrepreneurs who run a brick and mortar business. So, checking out some ecommerce specific case studies is a good idea.

Now, this is not the only entry on this list that shows case studies from ecommerce businesses, but it is framed from the standpoint of a discussion of the metrics that matter specifically to ecommerce businesses. So, definitely check this one out if that is your business type.

Now that you have spent some time reading sales case studies, it’s time to create your own

Wait, what?

Seriously. You have seen how powerful a tool case studies can be for businesses; with that in mind, it’s a good idea to consider creating some case studies of your own.

Case studies make fantastic promotional tools when done correctly. You are spending tons of time researching sales processes and becoming a better salesperson so that you can generate more clients and revenue for your business—you should be putting that effort to work for you even in the future.

You can feature client case studies on your website, in marketing materials, and even use them as part of your sales pitch . Just like that, you’ve created a feedback loop in which the work you are doing now to better your sales ability will continue to benefit you in the future, driving more sales.

One of the biggest benefits of featuring your sales case studies is that they allow you to build a narrative. Storytelling is powerful, and the more you can tell a compelling story for your prospective customers, the better. So, frame your case study in such a way that you really highlight the story and paint a picture that shows all the ways hiring your business helped this other business grow and improve. By doing so, you’ll be leveraging storytelling and social proof, which makes a simple cold outreach call or email markedly more likely to be well-received.

For more on sales tactics, hiring sales staff for your team, and great resources to check out to help you improve your sales chops, check these recent articles out:

• How to Deliver a Great Sales Pitch
• How to Close a Sale: 5 Tips to Help You Secure More Business
• The 11 Best Sales Techniques [Plus Formulas You Can Use Today]
• How to Write a Follow up Email That Clients Will Respond To
• Sales Definitions: The Ultimate A to Z Guide
• The Sales Pipeline, Explained
• Hiring a Sales Team: What Roles to Fill (and How to Decide If You Really Need One)
• 31 Sales Questions to Help You Hire a Salesperson for Your Team
• Sell Me This Pen: Why You Should Always See Potential Sales Hires In Action
• The Best Sales Books for Entrepreneurs to Read in 2018
• How to Find Email Addresses for Anyone
• How to Choose the Best Sales Dashboard

Which case study did you find the most valuable to read, or do you have one to add to this list? Leave a comment and let me know.

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The 22 Best Case Study Examples That Boost Sales (+ Templates and Tips)

Jackie Jacobson | June 29, 2023 | Case Studies | 20 min read

Quick Links

• 1.   What Is It?
• 2.   Why They're Important
• 3.   Case Study Length
• 4.   Where Do I Put Them?
• 5.   Case Study Format
• 6.   How to Write One
• 7.   Examples
• a.   PDF
• b.   Online

The Best Case Study Examples

• 1.  Adobe: Royal Bank of Scotland
• 2.  BrightEdge: Stanley
• 3.  LeadGnome: Host Analytics
• 4.  Bitly: Vissla
• 5.  Taboola: The Line
• 6.  OutBrain: Lane Bryant
• 7.  Google Analytics: Optimizely
• 8.  LinkedIn: HubSpot
• 9.  LevelEleven: Staples
• 10.  Life Size: Rackspace
• 11.  Five9: Weed Man
• 12.  LogMeIn: Extent Technologies
• 13.  Red Hat: North Carolina State Websites
• 14.  VMWare: CenturyLink
• 15.  HPE: Mendix
• 16.  Gravitate: Global Expeditions Group
• 17.  IDEO: INFARM
• 18.  Forge and Smith: Happy Planet
• 19.  CoSchedule: English Heritage
• 20.  Slack: OpenAI
• 21.  Square: The Epicurean Trader
• 22.  Bluleadz: BandGrip

Building an effective content marketing strategy that can take your prospects through every stage of the buyer's journey means creating a variety of content.

From relevant, informative blog content to engaging webpages, landing pages, whitepapers, and emails, a comprehensive content marketing strategy should run deep.

One powerful, but often underused, piece of content is the case study .

What Is a Case Study?

A case study acts a narrative, featuring real-world situations where certain products or services are used in a way that demonstrates their value. They are a special type of thought leadership content that brands can use in marketing and sales to guide their target audience to the decision stage of their buyer's journey . Engaging case studies walk prospects through how a real life customer identified a specific pain point , started using your product or service, and overcame that pain point while reaping additional benefits.

A case study is a unique type of thought leadership content that tells a story.

Case studies are narratives that feature real world situations or uses of products or services to demonstrate their value. A well written case study will follow a customer as they define a problem, determine a solution, implement it, and reap the benefits.

Case studies offer readers the ability to see a situation from the customer's perspective from beginning to end. 

Need an example of a case study? Check out some of our case studies here !

Why case studies are important.

A marketing case study is one of the most compelling content items in your sales funnel .

It’s the perfect way to guide people into and through the decision phase, when they have the best options laid out on the table and they’re ready to puzzle through that final selection.

Because of this, case studies are uniquely useful as bottom of the funnel content .

By the time prospects are ready to read case studies, they have a nuanced grasp of the problem in front of them. They also have a good selection of potential solutions and vendors to choose from.

There may be more than one option that’s suitable for a given situation. In fact, there usually is. But there’s just one option that fits the prospect best. The challenge is figuring out which one.

Since B2B decision makers aren’t mind readers, they need content to bridge the gap between “what they know about your solution” and “what they know about their own business.” The case study does that by showing how a similar customer succeeded.

The more similar the prospect is to the customer in the case study, the more striking it will be.

For that reason, you might want to have a case study for every buyer persona you serve. And naturally, case studies pertain to specific products or services, not your whole brand.

So, you could find yourself with multiple case studies for each buyer type.

However, the effort is worth it, since case studies have a direct impact on sales figures.

How Long Should a Case Study Be?

Honestly, the more to-the-point you can be in a case study, the better.

Great case studies should pack a lot of meaning into a small space. In the best examples, your reader can grasp the single main idea of each page in a short paragraph or two.

Each detail should build on the next, so they’ll keep moving forward until the end without getting distracted.

Sure, it’s no Dan Brown novel, but if you do it right, it’ll still be a real page-turner.

Note: Some businesses will have a brief case study in PDF form to use as sales collateral then a longer form, more in-depth version of the same case study on their website. In this case, it can be normal to write a lengthier case study.

Where Should I Put My Case Studies?

Anywhere you want, really!

Ideally, you should upload case studies somewhere on your website so new leads coming to your site have the opportunity to see just how kickass your business is at driving revenue and results for your current customers.

Whether it's an online case study or a PDF version, making your successes available to the public can prove just how valuable your efforts are.

Plus, make sure every member of your sales team has access to your case studies so they can use them as sales collateral to send to prospects and opportunities! A quick PDF attachment to a sales email can be very convincing.

It can also help to sprinkle links and CTAs to your case studies throughout your content:

The Best Case Study Format

• Introduction: Provide context for the story.
• Challenge: Describe the primary issue being faced.
• Solution: Identify the product or service being used.
• Benefit: Emphasize the most impactful advantages.
• Result: Detail the specific outcomes the customer earned.

Like press releases, case studies often fall into a certain specific format.

While it’s not required that you have all of the possible topics in a particular order, picking a consistent format will help you accelerate production down the road. It also makes your content easier to read.

Many B2B businesses use the following approach:

• Introduction: sets the stage by providing context for the situation.
• Challenge: discusses the key problem that the customer was facing.
• Solution: a basic overview of the product or service the customer used.
• Benefit: recaps the solution’s top advantages – why it was the right choice.
• Result: the positive business outcome arising from the solution and benefits.

This formula gives you enough flexibility to highlight what’s most important about your enterprise, solution, and the customer you’re showcasing.

At the same time, it ensures that your team will know exactly what information they need to compile to design case studies in the future.

It also serves as an intuitive trail of breadcrumbs for your intended reader.

How to Write a Case Study

1. Ask Your Client/Customer for Approval.

This first step is crucial because it sets the layout for your entire case study. 

If your client or customer gives the ok to use their name and information, then you can add as much detail as you want to highlight who they are, what you helped them do, and the results it had.

But, if they would rather remain anonymous or want you to leave out any specific details, you’ll have to find a way to keep your information more generalized while still explaining the impact of your efforts.

2. Gather Your Information.

Like any good story, a marketing case study has a beginning, middle, and end. Or, you could think of it as “before, during, and after.”

Before: The Problem

Your case study will always open by presenting a problem suffered by one of your clients.

This part of the study establishes what’s at stake and introduces the characters – your company, the client company, and whichever individual decision makers speak for each side.

During: The Solution

Once you define the problem, the next step presents your offering, which serves as the answer to the dilemma.

Your product or service is, in a very real sense, the hero of the story. It catalyzes the change, which you describe in terms of your features, advantages, and other differentiators.

After: The Result

In the final step, you discuss the “happy ending” brought about by your solution.

Returning to the “stakes” you established at the very start, you expand on how much better things are thanks to your intervention. You want prospects to imagine themselves enjoying that level of success.

3. Get a Quote.

Of course, a study about two corporations isn’t very interesting on its own. The best case studies personify the protagonists, including the vendor and the client company, by having plenty of quotes peppered throughout the entire story.

Naturally, the business problem to be solved is the big, bad villain here, so you want the client (and preferably, your own team as well) to weigh in on that problem: How complex it is, what solving it would mean, and what not solving it would cost.

Then, as the situation turns around, testimonials become essential.

Naturally, the longest, most emphatic testimonial should come from the top decision maker. But you should aim to include a glowing quote from many different stakeholders – representing the full cast of “characters” who might be making consensus buying decisions around your solution.

Note: Don’t use a testimonial or quote if your case study is anonymous. 

4. Find Some Compelling Graphics.

A case study isn’t a whitepaper: You shouldn’t be trudging through page after page of text.

In fact, some of the most powerful case studies establish their own vivid, graphics-heavy style – looking a lot more like an infographic, or even a magazine, than traditional B2B marketing collateral.

Color blocks , strong contrasts, skyscraper photography, and hero shots are all on the table when it comes to case studies. The more data you have to convey, the more creative you should be in presenting it so it can be understood at a glance. 

15 Great Examples of Offline Case Studies

1. adobe: royal bank of scotland.

This study focuses on the solutions Adobe provided for the Royal Bank of Scotland. Their top challenges included fostering a culture of data driven decision making, eliminating disjointed systems, and delivering digital experiences that are relevant and easy to use.

Adobe's approach resulted in a 20 percent increase in conversion, as well as improved internal communications, faster optimization, and a reduction of their content management footprint. 

2. BrightEdge: Stanley

In 2015, Stanley consolidated two separate brand web properties into one site. The process needed to mitigate traffic disruption, improve traffic, and increase organic search results.

The results? Almost 40 percent of keywords Stanley ranked for were on the first page of organic results, and the company generated a 100 percent lift in revenue, thanks to support from the BrightEdge platform.

3. LeadGnome: Host Analytics

Host Analytics moved to an account based marketing strategy in 2015. They noticed that the marketing efforts were limited by a large number of low quality needs.

Their problem was solved when they used an automated email marketing approach from LeadGnome to nurture and qualify leads via email marketing.

4. Bitly: Vissla

Vissla is an online ecommerce company with a need to understand big data across multiple marketing platforms.

Bitly provided a a way to consolidate data and literally link channels together to display all information on a single dashboard.

5. Taboola: The Line

The Line is an online boutique that offers shoppers a unique experience and showcases products that can be found at their brick and mortar store in NYC's Soho neighborhood. Their goal was to increase first time visitors to their site.

Taboola offers a product that drives first time users. The result? Over 72 million impressions within three months, and email subscriber growth of 12 percent.

6. OutBrain: Lane Bryant

Lane Bryant, the leading retailer for women sized 14 – 28, launched a campaign designed to celebrate all women and redefine the traditional notion of sexy with a simple message – ALL women are sexy.

The goal was to amplify the campaign and drive traffic and engagement.

The result? OutBrain used media amplification to take the campaign viral, resulting in over 48,500,000 impressions in just two weeks!

7. Google Analytics: Optimizely

Optimizely is a leading online A/B testing and user experience optimization platform that offers innovative data-driven marketing solutions to maximize user experience and keep them coming back for more. 

The challenge they faced was better identifying page views to determine where customers are in the buying cycle.

The solution was provided by using data from Google Analytics Premium to successfully move leads through the sales funnel.

8. LinkedIn Marketing Solutions: HubSpot

HubSpot, in search of quality leads, turned to LinkedIn Marketing Solutions to engage with marketing professionals in small to medium sized businesses, targeting them with ebooks, webinars, and how-to guides. Sponsored organic content appeared in members' LinkedIn feeds.

The result: 400 percent more leads within their target audience than efforts on other platforms.

9. LevelEleven: Staples

LevelEleven helped Staples focus their teams on the critical sales activities that matter.

The end result? Their team developed a better understanding of the KPIs that matter and experienced a 182 percent increase in key selling activities.

10. LifeSize: Rackspace

Rackspace is a world leader in hybrid cloud computing with offices throughout the world. The challenge was collaborating and communicating across offices.

The approach? LifeSize created a video solution to build stronger relationships across international offices.

11. Five9: Weed Man

Five years ago, the lawn care company Weed Man had an idea -- If their phone-based reps could connect with more prospects, more decisions would result, without adding sales reps.

The solution? Five9 assisted Weed Man with migrating their data to the cloud. This case study shows why SMBs like Weed Man should store business data on the cloud for CRM.

12. LogMeIn: Extent Technologies

One of the better, more concise case study examples, this one page synopsis clearly defines the challenges and goals of Extent.

It explores how LogMeIn provided effective solutions and produced stellar results, including a boost in staff productivity, an increase in first contact resolution rate, and an improvement in overall service. 

13. Red Hat: North Carolina State Websites

Under mandate from the governor, the North Carolina Department of Information Technology needed to update state websites to overcome complex processes and limited technical resources.

The resulting solutions from Red Hat reduced maintenance times and lowered staffing costs.

14. VMWare: CenturyLink

This study addresses the complexities of cloud hosted infrastructure. One element of all case study examples is to educate perspective clients about the services and products offered.

This study takes a complex subject and makes it easy to understand, while clearly outlining the solutions VMWare can provide.

15. Hewlett Packard Enterprise: Mendix

This study breaks down another complex subject: rapid hosted cloud app development.

HPE links to additional content so readers can gain even more knowledge about the subject and the solutions HPE offers.

7 of the Best Online Case Studies

1. gravitate: global expeditions group.

This case study is a great example of how to break up a detailed case study for an easier read.

Gravitate starts off by introducing their client, Global Expeditions Group (GXG), to give visitors a little background into what they do. They then dive straight into what their role was in helping GXG with a robust content marketing strategy.

What catches your eye at the beginning of this case study is the results. Rather than forcing readers to find out the impact of their efforts at the very end, they call out some major statistics and improvements that they helped GXG achieve. It's a great way to entice readers to keep them wanting to learn just how they did it.

Gravitate did a great job breaking up their rather long case study. Since it focuses on an entire content marketing strategy, they put various parts of their case study into separate sections, from their rebranding efforts to their website design and copywriting.

2. IDEO: INFARM

What we like so much about IDEO's case study about INFARM is that it reads just like a simple blog post – there's no sections and no busy graphics. While this doesn't work for everyone, it really matches the vibe of IDEO's brand.

This case study is short, sweet, and to the point, with the largest elements on the page being the images and a quote. At the very top, they outline the entire case study in two small sections – the challenge and the outcome.

What we like about this particular case study is how IDEO talks about what's next for INFARM. Beyond the typical problem-solution-result structure, they took it one step further to talk about the future and what INFARM plans on doing next. 

3. Forge and Smith: Happy Planet

Forge and Smith effectively uses real mockups and examples from the work they did for Happy Planet to showcase their work in action.

This case study is perfectly designed into multiple modules to break up chunks of text into three phases. They start off with the objectives they set in place for their website design and development work for Happy Planet, which is pretty unique for a case study.

What's great about this case study is the opportunity to view the finished website. A hyperlink isn't just hidden within the text forcing you to dig around looking for it; it's called out right then and there to let you view their finished work on the Happy Planet website.

Another great feature is the option to view a previous case study or all the case studies if you're interested. No need to locate the main page, you have direct access! 

4. CoSchedule: English Heritage

CoSchedule treats their case studies as customer stories, highlighting who their customers are and how their platform was able to help them. Their case study on English Heritage is simple to view and comprehend.

On the left, there is a customer spotlight on English Heritage, complete with a company logo, brief description, industry, company size, size of the marketing team, and more. These little details help give you a better idea of who the company is.

Then, on the right side of the screen, is a blog-like case study.

Rather than breaking up their message into the standard format, CoSchedule calls out the results that English Heritage has seen since switching to CoSchedule. Within each result, they touch on the challenge they had before CoSchedule then the lasting impact it created.

Throughout the case study, CoSchedule includes relevant screenshots and impactful quotes from English Heritage employees. This helps readers visualize what they are talking about.

5. Slack: OpenAI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have quickly claimed center stage in the digital world. Slack is one business that hopped on the bandwagon and incorporated AI generated assistance into their platform, and this case study tells a story of success using modern technology.

In this case study , Slack relies heavily on testimonials to share the impact that OpenAI has made on their product. The story of Slack and OpenAI is told directly to readers by the people who experienced the partnership and how it can improve user experience for all kinds of businesses. Sharing a success story in this way makes the whole case study feel much more personal than just providing a list of statistics. 

When customers read through the case study, they'll get to know perspectives from multiple people, hopefully coming across one that really resonates with them. 

6. Square: The Epicurean Trader

The Epicurean Trader case study featured on the Square website follows the tried and true structure for a closer look into a success story. First, this case study introduces The Epicurean Trader and what problems they were facing as a retail business. 

The next section of the case study discusses the solution proposed by Square and the implementation of their products as The Epicurean Trader expanded their business. Finally, this case study concludes with notable impacts as a result of using Square's software, including revenue growth and comparisons to standards set within the industry. 

Reading through this case study, you'll join The Epicurean Trade on their journey to enhance their retail practices. Thanks to testimonials from the owner of the business, you'll also get an inside look at how this brand was able to grow with some help from Square. 

Overall, this case study example is clear, concise, and easy to follow. Readers will get to know a highlighted business and how Square stepped in to resolve a problem they were facing. 

7. Bluleadz: BandGrip

We couldn't  not pat our own backs for recently publishing a case studies page on our website.

Bluleadz often uses case study PDFs as sales collateral to send to qualified prospects. While we used these PDF designs internally, we wanted to make sure our client success stories were available to everyone coming to our site.

Thus, our case study page was born.

Our BandGrip case study really sticks out to us. We start off by introducing who BandGrip is, who they serve, and what they do.

Then, we highlight the struggles they were having with getting demo sign-ups on their page. We included relevant quotes from the CEO to show their need for a solution.

We then begin to outline all the pre-show and post-show tactics that we implemented to help them tackle their challenge and earn them more demo sign ups. Landing page screenshots and other various graphics help readers visualize what we were able to do.

Toward the end of the case study, we highlight the impact of our efforts, calling out some of the major statistics. 

Highlight Your Past Successes to Attract Future Business

Each of these case study examples does an excellent job of outlining the challenges, solutions, and results provided. If you are building a portfolio of case studies, use these excellent examples for inspiration and format.

Once you master the art of the case study, you’ll find it’s packed with marketing power, giving you a huge ROI for the time you put into creating it.

If your leads have been falling off in the decision phase, a marketing case study may be just what you need.

Case studies are a powerful tool in your content marketing arsenal, so why not create one today? Click below to create your very own case study!

General FAQ

What is a case study.

Case studies are narratives that feature real-world situations or uses of products or services to demonstrate their value. A well-written case study will follow a customer as they define a problem, determine a solution, implement it, and reap the benefits.

The more to-the-point you can be in a case study, the better. Case Studies typically range from 500 words to 1,500 words depending on what's getting highlighted.

What Format Should My Case Study Be In?

Typically, a case study contains an introduction, a challenge, a solution, a benefit, and a result.

Why are Case Studies Important?

Case studies allow businesses to showcase how their product or service has been implemented successfully by their customers. It allows businesses to show how their product/service is actually used and the impact that it can have.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie is a Copywriter at Bluleadz. She graduated from Elon University with a degree in Creative Writing and is currently living in Charlotte, NC. If you need her, you can find her exploring the city or relaxing with a good book.

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How to Write an Effective Case Study That Closes Sales

Part of any marketer’s responsibilities is providing salespeople with   thoughtful, well-written   digital assets that help   overcome sales objections   and seal deals. Among the most useful of those assets are   case studies . Yet, far too many case studies fall short of their potential.

This isn’t just my opinion. The 2023 “ B2B Content Marketing ” report released by Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, and ON24 points to a major problem with content marketing case studies. Although 67% of marketers say they created case studies in the past year, just 36% say those case studies produced the best results. So, where’s the disconnect?

The answer: Many content marketers are not following best practices when it comes to crafting compelling   content marketing   case studies.

Remember: Case studies represent deep dives into how a client used your products, services, and talents to achieve results. The most relevant case studies include quite a bit of pertinent data points to serve as objective indicators that, yes, you’re as good as you say you are. They’re real-life examples that help   build trust between your company and leads .

Having content marketing case studies can be a boon to salespeople because they arm them with undeniable proof that others have put their faith in your company — and were awarded with excellent outcomes. Sales teams that can confidently say, “I have something to show you.” have a better chance at converting leads into paying customers.

Case studies serve another purpose too: They make the sales process more engaging. Demos, sales calls, and Zoom meetings can be wildly monotonous and boring if you let them. Case studies add sizzle and memorability to the experience. (And this sets your salespeople apart — in a good way.)

How to Create a Case Study

Unfortunately, many marketing teams just aren’t sure how to write an effective case study from beginning to end. If this describes your position, try the following strategies to pull together your next batch of case studies.

1. Identify which types of prospective clients you want to appeal to.

Ideally, your case studies should be varied. They shouldn’t just target one type of client (unless you’re only interested in one type of client, that is). Instead, mix up your case studies by industry, client size, pain point, innovative solution, etc. That way, your sales team can pick and choose the right case study for each lead.

To determine which case studies you need at the moment, ask sales whether they’re trying to land clients from a certain sector or whether your company is attempting to sell a specific product or service because of its attractive profit margins.   Collaborating with sales   to determine these answers will guide you toward which existing clients’ successful use cases might be most appropriate for a new case study.

2. Tell a story.

From a bird’s-eye view, your case study should follow a rather staid pattern. You’ll name a client problem, talk about the client’s goal, talk about your solution and strategy, and outline the (impressive!) results. Nevertheless, you don’t have to be dull in your delivery. Find ways to spice up the case study so it reads more like an interesting narrative and less like an academic paper.

For example, when our marketing experts wanted to talk about the way   we helped our client Heartbeat   achieve results through press mentions, we wanted to draw readers in right away. That’s why we flipped the script and gave readers a snapshot of the happy ending as part of the introduction. Essentially, we used a creative storytelling technique to set up the Heartbeat case study a bit differently than a more traditional chronological approach.

We still used the rest of the case study to break down the objectives, discuss our strategic decision-making, and go over the numbers in greater detail. The main change we made wasn’t the “meat” but the way the meat was dished out.

3. Don’t overlook ‘skimmability.’

Skimmability. It’s become a significant part of everyday life. We all skim everything we read, including pillar pages, news articles, and more. Consequently, don’t assume leads will read your case study from top to bottom. I’m sure 99.99% of them won’t.

The point is that no matter how impressive your case study results might be, you can’t afford to bury them. Utilize skimmable formats such as bullet points, callout boxes, headers, graphics, bold text, colors, and other eye-catching (but not distracting) visuals like we have in   our client case study for FitOn . Nix the notion of writing case studies that are just walls of text. They won’t get read, and that means they won’t be much help to your sales team members.

In our   case study for our client Digilant , we took care to break up the information on and around the page. We wanted to make sure it was simple to understand and digest. As a side note, we still stuck with solid keyword, context, and tagging rules to get as much SEO juice as we could from the page. (Yes, it’s fine if your case studies do double duty!)

4. Give away the actual numbers.

You might be hesitant to shine a light on what you feel is proprietary data. But avoid giving in to that instinct when it comes to your case studies. Each case study must use real numeric insights. Otherwise, it will just read as a generalization; it will seem more like an advertisement and less like an educational asset.

The only way to illustrate your value in a case study is with real data. You don’t have to reveal   all   the data, such as how much revenue you made or what your client agreement looked like. Nonetheless,   do   showcase all the numbers that make your company’s positive impact irrefutable.

For our   case study about our client eLearning Industry , we drilled down. Sure, we could have said, “We increased page authority by 12 positions.” Instead, we went into the weeds and gave a better indicator of where eLearning Industry started with its page authority and where it ended up, which offers a much clearer picture for our prospective clients.

5. Make your case studies easy to find.

Too many content marketing case studies are tough to uncover. Assume that not everyone who’s a lead has spoken to your salespeople. Maybe they’re just poking around your website. You want to have a dedicated place where you house your case studies. Ours are under a “Results” tab in our website’s main navigation. However, yours might make sense somewhere else.

Case in point, you could house case studies as individual pages or as hashtagged, searchable blog posts. Many companies are experimenting with video case studies. In that circumstance, you might want to set up your case studies on a YouTube channel   and   embed them into your website. The options for ensuring your case studies stay front and center are endless. Just make sure you choose an organizational approach that’s intuitive.

Now it’s your turn. Go build (or rebuild) your strongest case studies with an eye toward these best practices. Changing up your efforts can seriously boost your company’s sales — and your salespeople will appreciate having truly helpful assets to aid the sales process.

About Lauren Tellman

I'm a content-obsessed word person with a passion for finding the coziest coffee shop in town. By day, I'm the content marketing manager at Intero Digital's Content & PR Division. In my downtime, you can find me hanging out with my husband and son, reading a book, sipping a latte, drawing, hand lettering, or watching "The Office" for the zillionth time.

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What Is a Case Study & Customer Success Story?

Learn the definition of a business case study, its meaning, benefits & use in marketing. Get best methods to research, write & design business case studies.

Dominika Krukowska

10 minute read

Short answer

What is a business case study.

A case study, also called customer success story, is a product marketing document used to show how your clients solved a business problem with the aid of your product or service. Case studies include statistics, quotes, and concrete examples with the goal of credibly demonstrating your capability to deliver results.

Bad case studies are not just ineffective - they lead to lost sales

A poorly done business case study can be a real bottleneck in your marketing funnel.

Sure, you have to have them; they're a non-negotiable part of the buying process. But if they're not compelling, you might as well not waste your time on it.

It’s bad enough that it’s hard to make a case study that gets results. But making a weak case study can actually cause you to look less attractive than the competition and cost you leads and sales.

Sometimes more is less.

This post is your roadmap to transforming your case studies from forgettable fillers to customer magnets. And ultimately, turning more prospects into customers.

Let's jump in!

What are the benefits of case studies in business and marketing?

Case studies are an essential part of any well-oiled marketing engine. They demonstrate real-life applications, showcase your unique value, build trust, address concerns, and connect with your audience.

Let’s get a bit into detail.

Demonstrating real-life applications: Business case studies show your product or service in action, offering a peek into how it can be used in real-world situations. It's like offering a test drive before asking customers to commit.

Showing your unique value: Customer success stories let your product or service shine. They illustrate exactly what you bring to the table and why customers should choose you over anyone else.

Building trust: Think of business case studies as your brand's personal advocate. They show how you've helped others succeed, which makes potential customers more likely to trust you with their business.

Easing concerns and objections: Got customers sitting on the fence? Business case studies can gently nudge them towards you by addressing common doubts or worries. It's about showing potential customers that you can deliver what they need.

Connecting with your audience: A good business case study is like a mirror—your potential customers should be able to see themselves in it. It's all about tapping into their hopes, their worries, and their needs.

What to include in a case study?

A successful business case study is the product of a strategic blend of essential components. Each one carries its weight, shaping a narrative that is both engaging and impactful.

Introduction: Set the stage with a one-liner summarizing your unique value proposition. Tailor it to grab your readers' attention and pique their curiosity.

Company overview: Give your audience a snapshot of your customer's business, helping them understand who they are and what they do.

The problem/challenge: Dive into the nitty-gritty of the issue your customer was facing (from their perspective), making it relatable to your audience.

Your solution: Detail how your product or service swooped in as the game-changing solution, addressing the customer's problem.

Results: Showcase the impressive outcome of your solution, demonstrating tangible success that can't be ignored. Back it up with relevant data and metrics.

Customer quotes/testimonials: Add authenticity and credibility to your case study with direct quotes from the customer who experienced the transformation first-hand.

Next steps: Conclude with a call to action, guiding the reader on what to do next, whether it's contacting your company or booking a product demo.

Here's an example of a case study designed according to this structure:

UX Case study

This template for case studies in UX and UI comes with tons of space for text and many visual elements such as charts, timelines, or graphs. This one is perfect for those case studies in which you need to explain the process in greater detail.

What makes a good case study?

A good case study follows a story format of problem-solution-impact. It includes key details of the client’s problem, how they solved it with the help of your product, and the impact it brought them.

8 critical components of a successful case study:

• Talking from the client’s perspective
• Addressing well-defined business problem
• Telling the WHY, not just the WHAT and the HOW
• Giving concrete example
• Backing the story with statistics and facts
• Weaving quotes and testimonials into the story
• Making the content interactive
• Including a call to action

In principle, a top-tier business case study is more than a testimonial.

Think of it as a blockbuster movie, where your customer is the hero Luke Skywalker, the problem is the looming death star, and your solution is the trusted guide Obi-Wan Kenobi.

This gives readers an engaging narrative that not only captures interest but also propels action.

Now let's take a look behind-the-scenes. at the key elements that make a good business case study.

1. Story from the client’s perspective

The key to a captivating case study lies in whose story you're telling. Let your customer be the hero, not your product or service. By focusing on their journey, you'll create a narrative that resonates with your audience, making them more invested in the outcome.

A great example is Adobe’s case study with Under Armour :

In this case study, Adobe tells the story of how Under Armour used Adobe Experience Manager Assets to streamline and enhance their creative asset management. The case study is presented from Under Armour's point of view, providing a customer-centric perspective.

2. Common but well-defined business problem

The best case studies revolve around relatable, well-articulated problems. The issue should be common enough for your audience to identify with, yet specific enough to avoid being generic.

Shoot for the sweet spot that makes a specific segment of your prospective clients say, "That sounds like us!"

A great example is Slack’s case study with HubSpot :

HubSpot, a well-known inbound marketing , sales, and service software provider, grappled with the challenge of maintaining internal communication and collaboration across a rapidly expanding global team.

This case study by Slack outlines how they addressed HubSpot's problem - a common issue faced by many growing businesses.

3. Tell the WHY, not just the WHAT and the HOW

The magic of a compelling case study lies in the mystery of 'why' your solution works. It's crucial to share what happened and how, but digging into the reasons behind the decisions and outcomes adds mystery to your story and keeps your audience intrigued.

An example of this is Marketo’s case study with Panasonic :

In this business case study, Marketo digs into why Panasonic decided to implement a new marketing automation solution.

The case study doesn't just focus on the solutions Marketo provided, but also highlights the reasons behind Panasonic's decision, adding depth to the narrative.

4. Concrete examples

Details make your case study relatable and tangible. Incorporate specifics - who did what , when , where , and how . These concrete examples help your audience visualize the scenario, making your narrative more compelling and memorable.

Zendesk's case study with LendingClub presents concrete examples:

It follows how LendingClub used Zendesk's customer service software to improve their customer support operations.

The case study offers a clear narrative about the problems LendingClub faced, the solutions provided by Zendesk, and the impact these solutions had on LendingClub's business.

Numbers lend authority and credibility that words often cannot. They provide concrete evidence of your solution's impact, creating a stronger case for your product or service.

But remember, these stats should be significant, reliable, and, most importantly, show real impact on your customer’s bottom line.

Here's an example of a great animated numbers slide:

6. Quotes and testimonials

There's nothing like a testimonial from a happy customer to boost your credibility. Direct quotes add a personal touch and authenticity to your case study, making it more believable and trustworthy.

Here’s a great testimonial example from Hotjar:

7. Interactive design

Incorporating interactive design elements will make your case studies stand out, but more importantly, drive high-engagement.

Use eye-catching graphics, use clickable elements like tabs, videos, and menus, include live graphs, animated flipbooks , and so on. Use these elements tactically in order to break up your text into digestible chunks and make your content easier to read and to navigate.

Here’s an example of an interactive business case study:

Marketing case study

White glove delivery with a focus on process optimization explained by a compelling story.

8. Call to action

A good case study doesn't just end; it leads your reader to the next step. Be it trying your product, booking a demo, getting in touch with your team, or reading another case study - your call to action should be clear, compelling, and easy to follow.

Here’s what a clear, singular call to action should look like:

If you want to learn more practical tips, check out our post on how to create a business case study that converts .

How to use a case study in business and marketing?

Often underestimated and underused , business case studies have the power to leverage real-life narratives to shape opinions, influence decision-making, and ultimately, drive conversions.

Let me show you how you can use that power to your advantage.

1. Used as sales collateral

In the world of sales, your case study can be the difference between a polite “we’ll consider it” and a bought-in “show me how it works!”

Picture this: you're reaching out to potential clients, and you slip in a case study showcasing how you've helped a similar business overcome a common hurdle. It's not just a pitch, it's proof you can do it.

But the magic doesn't stop there. Weave these real-life success stories into your sales presentations , and watch as they accelerate your pipeline.

They provide tangible evidence of your value proposition, helping you remove objections, demonstrate value, and differentiate yourself in a crowded market.

2. Used as marketing collateral

I) Use on your website:

On the marketing front, case studies can significantly boost your self-serve conversion rate . By featuring them on your website, you're offering visitors a peek into your track record of success - letting them feel like they're missing out.

II) Add to brochures and product catalogs:

Just sprinkle in a few case studies, and you've just added an extra layer of credibility.

III) Leverage social media:

Share your case studies on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, to promote your business; and start a conversation around your brand.

IV) Include in PPC campaigns on Google AdWords:

Add case studies as site links to give potential customers another reason to click. It's like saying, "Don't just take our word for it, see how we've helped businesses like yours."

Here’s an example of what it looks like:

Obstacles for creating business case studies & how to overcome them

Creating captivating business case studies is essential, but let's be real: it's not a walk in the park.

So let's buckle up and navigate the most common roadblocks and learn how to steer around them.

Hurdle 1: Spotting the right stories feels like finding a needle in a haystack.

Hold on there! Locating customers ready to share their success tales might seem daunting, but it's not mission impossible. Here's the deal: people love to share success.

How to get clients to share their success stories

Collaborate with your customer success team to identify delighted or triumphant clients

Seek out customers who are scoring high on NPS

Team up with sales to single out recent renewals or upsells

Engage with super active customers on social media

Ask your team during meetings about any standout customers

Reach out to customers who have spoken at your events

Connect with Customer Advisory Board members

Do this and you're bound to uncover some star storytellers.

Hurdle 2: Customers might not want to get involved.

Let's flip the script! Instead of begging for a favor, portray this as an opportunity for customers to amplify their industry status.

Make it a hassle-free and rewarding experience for them. Provide data, draft points for discussion, and be their cheerleader throughout the journey.

Remember, appreciation is infectious. A heartfelt thank you can turn a one-time participant into a long-term advocate.

Hurdle 3: It’s a mammoth task.

Creating business case studies can feel like a marathon, particularly when you're juggling multiple roles.

Delegating the task to an experienced industry writer can save your team a ton of time and energy. You might find the right person within your network, or you might need to explore industry-specific job boards.

Creating a structured timeline and using a shared tool can help keep everyone on track and in the loop.

Here's how to streamline the process of creating a case study:

Extend an invitation to the potential customer

Connect them with the lead writer

Conduct an internal review of the first draft before sending it to the customer

Incorporate their feedback into the second draft

Get final approval for the final draft

Publish and promote your case study!

How to design a business case study?

Your case study design supports the text like your body language supports what you’re saying when you talk. It adds that extra layer of emotional meaning you can't quite put into words.

Luckily, even if you're not a design expert, there are tools to help you add that extra emotional depth to your content. Let’s review a few tools that help you design your case study.

Design using a website builder

If you’d prefer to get hands-on with your design, website builders like Wix or Squarespace offer a versatile platform for creating a business case study from scratch.

They provide a blank canvas and a wealth of design elements, giving you the liberty to choose each piece and place it just where you want it.

It takes time and a keen eye for design to make all the elements come together seamlessly, but the end result can be rewarding.

Design using a case study maker

A case study maker gives you pre-set elements ready for use. All you need to do is drop in your content, and the tool takes care of the aesthetics and user experience.

It's a much more efficient way to create a case study with all its unique building blocks than using a website builder.

We know, since we see how fast our users create astounding case studies using our own case study creator. Try for yourself .

Don’t design - use a template

Templates provide an immediate and easy to work with structure for your design and content.

But beyond that, our gallery of interactive case study templates gives you time-tested designs we know have high-engagement and killer conversion (based on more than 100K reading sessions we’ve analyzed).

Grab a template - and you can skip the long design process, save time, money and frustration, and simply start creating.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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What Is a Case Study and Why You Should Use Them

Case studies can provide more insights into your business while helping you conduct further research with robust qualitative data analysis to learn more.

If you're in charge of running a company, then you're likely always looking for new ways to run your business more efficiently and increase your customer base while streamlining as many processes as possible.

Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult to determine how to go about implementing the proper program in order to be successful. This is why many business owners opt to conduct a case study, which can help significantly. Whether you've been struggling with brand consistency or some other problem, the right case study can identify why your problem exists as well as provide a way to rectify it.

A case study is a great tool that many businesses aren't even aware exists, and there are marketing experts like Mailchimp who can provide you with step-by-step assistance with implementing a plan with a case study. Many companies discover that not only do they need to start a blog in order to improve business, but they also need to create specific and relevant blog titles.

If your company already has a blog, then optimizing your blog posts may be helpful. Regardless of the obstacles that are preventing you from achieving all your professional goals, a case study can work wonders in helping you reverse this issue.

What is a case study?

A case study is a comprehensive report of the results of theory testing or examining emerging themes of a business in real life context. Case studies are also often used in the healthcare industry, conducting health services research with primary research interest around routinely collected healthcare data.

However, for businesses, the purpose of a case study is to help small business owners or company leaders identify the issues and conduct further research into what may be preventing success through information collection, client or customer interviews, and in-depth data analysis.

Knowing the case study definition is crucial for any business owner. By identifying the issues that are hindering a company from achieving all its goals, it's easier to make the necessary corrections to promote success through influenced data collection.

Why are case studies important?

Now that we've answered the questions, "what is a case study?" Why are case studies important? Some of the top reasons why case studies are important include:

• Understand complex issues: Even after you conduct a significant amount of market research , you might have a difficult time understanding exactly what it means. While you might have the basics down, conducting a case study can help you see how that information is applied. Then, when you see how the information can make a difference in business decisions, it could make it easier to understand complex issues.
• Collect data: A case study can also help with data tracking . A case study is a data collection method that can help you describe the information that you have available to you. Then, you can present that information in a way the reader can understand.
• Conduct evaluations: As you learn more about how to write a case study, remember that you can also use a case study to conduct evaluations of a specific situation. A case study is a great way to learn more about complex situations, and you can evaluate how various people responded in that situation. By conducting a case study evaluation, you can learn more about what has worked well, what has not, and what you might want to change in the future.
• Identify potential solutions: A case study can also help you identify solutions to potential problems. If you have an issue in your business that you are trying to solve, you may be able to take a look at a case study where someone has dealt with a similar situation in the past. For example, you may uncover data bias in a specific solution that you would like to address when you tackle the issue on your own. If you need help solving a difficult problem, a case study may be able to help you.

Remember that you can also use case studies to target your audience . If you want to show your audience that you have a significant level of expertise in a field, you may want to publish some case studies that you have handled in the past. Then, when your audience sees that you have had success in a specific area, they may be more likely to provide you with their business. In essence, case studies can be looked at as the original method of social proof, showcasing exactly how you can help someone solve their problems.

What are the benefits of writing a business case study?

Although writing a case study can seem like a tedious task, there are many benefits to conducting one through an in depth qualitative research process.

• Industry understanding: First of all, a case study can give you an in-depth understanding of your industry through a particular conceptual framework and help you identify hidden problems that are preventing you from transcending into the business world.
• Develop theories: If you decide to write a business case study, it provides you with an opportunity to develop new theories. You might have a theory about how to solve a specific problem, but you need to write a business case study to see exactly how that theory has unfolded in the past. Then, you can figure out if you want to apply your theory to a similar issue in the future.
• Evaluate interventions: When you write a business case study that focuses on a specific situation you have been through in the past, you can uncover whether that intervention was truly helpful. This can make it easier to figure out whether you want to use the same intervention in a similar situation in the future.
• Identify best practices: If you want to stay on top of the best practices in your field, conducting case studies can help by allowing you to identify patterns and trends and develop a new list of best practices that you can follow in the future.
• Versatility: Writing a case study also provides you with more versatility. If you want to expand your business applications, you need to figure out how you respond to various problems. When you run a business case study, you open the door to new opportunities, new applications, and new techniques that could help you make a difference in your business down the road.
• Solve problems: Writing a great case study can dramatically improve your chances of reversing your problem and improving your business.
• These are just a few of the biggest benefits you might experience if you decide to publish your case studies. They can be an effective tool for learning, showcasing your talents, and teaching some of your other employees. If you want to grow your audience , you may want to consider publishing some case studies.

What are the limitations of case studies?

Case studies can be a wonderful tool for any business of any size to use to gain an in-depth understanding of their clients, products, customers, or services, but there are limitations.

One limitation of case studies is the fact that, unless there are other recently published examples, there is nothing to compare them to since, most of the time, you are conducting a single, not multiple, case studies.

Another limitation is the fact that most case studies can lack scientific evidence.

Types of case studies

There are specific types of case studies to choose from, and each specific type will yield different results. Some case study types even overlap, which is sometimes more favorable, as they provide even more pertinent data.

Here are overviews of the different types of case studies, each with its own theoretical framework, so you can determine which type would be most effective for helping you meet your goals.

Explanatory case studies

Explanatory case studies are pretty straightforward, as they're not difficult to interpret. This type of case study is best if there aren't many variables involved because explanatory case studies can easily answer questions like "how" and "why" through theory development.

Exploratory case studies

An exploratory case study does exactly what its name implies: it goes into specific detail about the topic at hand in a natural, real-life context with qualitative research.

The benefits of exploratory case studies are limitless, with the main one being that it offers a great deal of flexibility. Having flexibility when writing a case study is important because you can't always predict what obstacles might arise during the qualitative research process.

Collective case studies

Collective case studies require you to study many different individuals in order to obtain usable data.

Case studies that involve an investigation of people will involve many different variables, all of which can't be predicted. Despite this fact, there are many benefits of collective case studies, including the fact that it allows an ongoing analysis of the data collected.

Intrinsic case studies

This type of study differs from the others as it focuses on the inquiry of one specific instance among many possibilities.

Many people prefer these types of case studies because it allows them to learn about the particular instance that they wish to investigate further.

Instrumental case studies

An instrumental case study is similar to an intrinsic one, as it focuses on a particular instance, whether it's a person, organization, or something different.

One thing that differentiates instrumental case studies from intrinsic ones is the fact that instrumental case studies aren't chosen merely because a person is interested in learning about a specific instance.

Tips for writing a case study

If you have decided to write case studies for your company, then you may be unsure of where to start or which type to conduct.

However, it doesn't have to be difficult or confusing to begin conducting a case study that will help you identify ways to improve your business.

Here are some helpful tips for writing your case studies:

1. Your case study must be written in the proper format

When writing a case study, the format that you should be similar to this:

Administrative summary

The executive summary is an overview of what your report will contain, written in a concise manner while providing real-life context.

Despite the fact that the executive summary should appear at the beginning of your case studies, it shouldn't be written until you've completed the entire report because if you write it before you finish the report, this summary may not be completely accurate.

Key problem statement

In this section of your case study, you will briefly describe the problem that you hope to solve by conducting the study. You will have the opportunity to elaborate on the problem that you're focusing on as you get into the breadth of the report.

Problem exploration

This part of the case study isn't as brief as the other two, and it goes into more detail about the problem at hand. Your problem exploration must include why the identified problem needs to be solved as well as the urgency of solving it.

Additionally, it must include justification for conducting the problem-solving, as the benefits must outweigh the efforts and costs.

Proposed resolution

This case study section will also be lengthier than the first two. It must include how you propose going about rectifying the problem. The "recommended solution" section must also include potential obstacles that you might experience, as well as how these will be managed.

Furthermore, you will need to list alternative solutions and explain the reason the chosen solution is best. Charts can enhance your report and make it easier to read, and provide as much proof to substantiate your claim as possible.

Overview of monetary consideration

An overview of monetary consideration is essential for all case studies, as it will be used to convince all involved parties why your project should be funded. You must successfully convince them that the cost is worth the investment it will require. It's important that you stress the necessity for this particular case study and explain the expected outcome.

Execution timeline

In the execution times of case studies, you explain how long you predict it will take to implement your study. The shorter the time it will take to implement your plan, the more apt it is to be approved. However, be sure to provide a reasonable timeline, taking into consideration any additional time that might be needed due to obstacles.

Always include a conclusion in your case study. This is where you will briefly wrap up your entire proposal, stressing the benefits of completing the data collection and data analysis in order to rectify your problem.

2. Make it clear and comprehensive

You want to write your case studies with as much clarity as possible so that every aspect of the report is understood. Be sure to double-check your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and more, as you don't want to submit a poorly-written document.

Not only would a poorly-written case study fail to prove that what you are trying to achieve is important, but it would also increase the chances that your report will be tossed aside and not taken seriously.

3. Don't rush through the process

Writing the perfect case study takes time and patience. Rushing could result in your forgetting to include information that is crucial to your entire study. Don't waste your time creating a study that simply isn't ready. Take the necessary time to perform all the research necessary to write the best case study possible.

Depending on the case study, conducting case study research could mean using qualitative methods, quantitative methods, or both. Qualitative research questions focus on non-numerical data, such as how people feel, their beliefs, their experiences, and so on.

Meanwhile, quantitative research questions focus on numerical or statistical data collection to explain causal links or get an in-depth picture.

It is also important to collect insightful and constructive feedback. This will help you better understand the outcome as well as any changes you need to make to future case studies. Consider using formal and informal ways to collect feedback to ensure that you get a range of opinions and perspectives.

4. Be confident in your theory development

While writing your case study or conducting your formal experimental investigation, you should have confidence in yourself and what you're proposing in your report. If you took the time to gather all the pertinent data collected to complete the report, don't second-guess yourself or doubt your abilities. If you believe your report will be amazing, then it likely will be.

5. Case studies and all qualitative research are long

It's expected that multiple case studies are going to be incredibly boring, and there is no way around this. However, it doesn't mean you can choose your language carefully in order to keep your audience as engaged as possible.

If your audience loses interest in your case study at the beginning, for whatever reason, then this increases the likelihood that your case study will not be funded.

Case study examples

If you want to learn more about how to write a case study, it might be beneficial to take a look at a few case study examples. Below are a few interesting case study examples you may want to take a closer look at.

• Phineas Gage by John Martin Marlow : One of the most famous case studies comes from the medical field, and it is about the story of Phineas Gage, a man who had a railroad spike driven through his head in 1848. As he was working on a railroad, an explosive charge went off prematurely, sending a railroad rod through his head. Even though he survived this incident, he lost his left eye. However, Phineas Gage was studied extensively over the years because his experiences had a significant, lasting impact on his personality. This served as a case study because his injury showed different parts of the brain have different functions.
• Kitty Genovese and the bystander effect : This is a tragic case study that discusses the murder of Kitty Genovese, a woman attacked and murdered in Queens, New York City. Shockingly, while numerous neighbors watched the scene, nobody called for help because they assumed someone else would. This case study helped to define the bystander effect, which is when a person fails to intervene during an emergency because other people are around.
• Henry Molaison and the study of memory : Henry Molaison lost his memory and suffered from debilitating amnesia. He suffered from childhood epilepsy, and medical professionals attempted to remove the part of his brain that was causing his seizures. He had a portion of his brain removed, but it completely took away his ability to hold memories. Even though he went on to live until the age of 82, he was always forced to live in the present moment, as he was completely unable to form new memories.

Case study FAQs

When should you do a case study.

There are several scenarios when conducting a case study can be beneficial. Case studies are often used when there's a "why" or "how" question that needs to be answered. Case studies are also beneficial when trying to understand a complex phenomenon, there's limited research on a topic, or when you're looking for practical solutions to a problem.

How can case study results be used to make business decisions?

You can use the results from a case study to make future business decisions if you find yourself in a similar situation. As you assess the results of a case study, you can identify best practices, evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention, generate new and creative ideas, or get a better understanding of customer needs.

How are case studies different from other research methodologies?

When compared to other research methodologies, such as experimental or qualitative research methodology, a case study does not require a representative sample. For example, if you are performing quantitative research, you have a lot of subjects that expand your sample size. If you are performing experimental research, you may have a random sample in front of you. A case study is usually designed to deliberately focus on unusual situations, which allows it to shed new light on a specific business research problem.

Writing multiple case studies for your business

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the idea of writing a case study and it seems completely foreign, then you aren't alone. Writing a case study for a business is a very big deal, but fortunately, there is help available because an example of a case study doesn't always help.

Mailchimp, a well-known marketing company that provides comprehensive marketing support for all sorts of businesses, can assist you with your case study, or you can review one of their own recently published examples.

Mailchimp can assist you with developing the most effective content strategy to increase your chances of being as successful as possible. Mailchimp's content studio is a great tool that can help your business immensely.

100 Best Case Study Questions for Your Next Customer Spotlight

Published: November 29, 2022

Case studies and testimonials are helpful to have in your arsenal. But to build an effective library, you need to ask the right case study questions. You also need to know how to write a case study .

Case studies are customers' stories that your sales team can use to share relevant content with prospects . Not only that, but case studies help you earn a prospect's trust, show them what life would be like as your customer, and validate that your product or service works for your clients.

Before you start building your library of case studies, check out our list of 100 case study questions to ask your clients. With this helpful guide, you'll have the know-how to build your narrative using the " Problem-Agitate-Solve " Method.

What makes a good case study questionnaire?

The ultimate list of case study questions, how to ask your customer for a case study, creating an effective case study.

Certain key elements make up a good case study questionnaire.

A questionnaire should never feel like an interrogation. Instead, aim to structure your case study questions like a conversation. Some of the essential things that your questionnaire should cover include:

• The problem faced by the client before choosing your organization.
• Why they chose your company.
• How your product solved the problem clients faced.
• The measurable results of the service provided.
• Data and metrics that prove the success of your service or product, if possible.

You can adapt these considerations based on how your customers use your product and the specific answers or quotes that you want to receive.

What makes a good case study question?

A good case study question delivers a powerful message to leads in the decision stage of your prospective buyer's journey.

Since your client has agreed to participate in a case study, they're likely enthusiastic about the service you provide. Thus, a good case study question hands the reins over to the client and opens a conversation.

Try asking open-ended questions to encourage your client to talk about the excellent service or product you provide.

Free Case Study Templates

Tell us about yourself to access the templates..

Categories for the Best Case Study Questions

• Case study questions about the customer's business
• Case study questions about the environment before the purchase
• Case study questions about the decision process
• Case study questions about the customer's business case
• Case study questions about the buying team and internal advocates
• Case study questions about customer success
• Case study questions about product feedback
• Case study questions about willingness to make referrals
• Case study question to prompt quote-worthy feedback
• Case study questions about the customers' future goals

Showcase your company's success using these three free case study templates.

• Data-Driven Case Study Template
• Product-Specific Case Study Template
• General Case Study Template

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business

Knowing the customer's business is an excellent way of setting the tone for a case study.

Use these questions to get some background information about the company and its business goals. This information can be used to introduce the business at the beginning of the case study — plus, future prospects might resonate with their stories and become leads for you.

• Would you give me a quick overview of [company]? This is an opportunity for the client to describe their business in their own words. You'll get useful background information and it's an easy prompt to get the client talking.
• Can you describe your role? This will give you a better idea of the responsibilities they are subject to.
• How do your role and team fit into the company and its goals? Knowing how the team functions to achieve company goals will help you formulate how your solution involves all stakeholders.
• How long has your company been in business? Getting this information will help the reader gauge if pain points are specific to a startup or new company vs. a veteran company.
• How many employees do you have? Another great descriptor for readers to have. They can compare the featured company size with their own.
• Is your company revenue available? If so, what is it? This will give your readers background information on the featured company's gross sales.
• Who is your target customer? Knowing who the target audience is will help you provide a better overview of their market for your case study readers.
• How does our product help your team or company achieve its objectives? This is one of the most important questions because it is the basis of the case study. Get specifics on how your product provided a solution for your client. You want to be able to say "X company implemented our solution and achieved Y. "
• How are our companies aligned (mission, strategy, culture, etc.)? If any attributes of your company's mission or culture appealed to the client, call it out.

How many people are on your team? What are their roles? This will help describe key players within the organization and their impact on the implementation of your solution.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Environment Before the Purchase

A good case study is designed to build trust. Ask clients to describe the tools and processes they used before your product or service. These kinds of case study questions will highlight the business' need they had to fulfill and appeal to future clients.

• What was your team's process prior to using our product? This will give the reader a baseline to compare the results for your company's product.
• Were there any costs associated with the process prior to using our product? Was it more expensive? Was it worth the cost? How did the product affect the client's bottom line? This will be a useful metric to disclose if your company saved the client money or was more cost-efficient.
• What were the major pain points of your process prior to using our product? Describe these obstacles in detail. You want the reader to get as much information on the problem as possible as it sets up the reasoning for why your company's solution was implemented.
• Did our product replace a similar tool or is this the first time your team is using a product like this? Were they using a similar product? If so, having this information may give readers a reason to choose your brand over the competition.
• What other challenges were you and your team experiencing prior to using our product? The more details you can give readers regarding the client's struggles, the better. You want to paint a full picture of the challenges the client faced and how your company resolved them.
• Were there any concerns about how your customers would be impacted by using our product? Getting answers to this question will illustrate to readers the client's concerns about switching to your service. Your readers may have similar concerns and reading how your client worked through this process will be helpful.
• Why didn't you buy our product or a similar product earlier? Have the client describe any hesitations they had using your product. Their concerns may be relatable to potential leads.
• Were there any "dealbreakers" involved in your decision to become a customer? Describing how your company was able to provide a solution that worked within those parameters demonstrates how accommodating your brand is and how you put the customer first. It's also great to illustrate any unique challenges the client had. This better explains their situation to the reader.
• Did you have to make any changes you weren't anticipating once you became a customer? Readers of your case study can learn how switching to your product came with some unexpected changes (good or bad) and how they navigated them. If you helped your client with troubleshooting, ask them to explain that here.

How has your perception of the product changed since you've become a customer? Get the interviewee to describe how your product changed how they do business. This includes how your product accomplished what they previously thought was impossible.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Decision Process

Readers of the case study will be interested in which factors influenced the decision-making process for the client. If they can relate to that process, there's a bigger chance they'll buy your product.

The answers to these questions will help potential customers through their decision-making process.

• How did you hear about our product? If the client chose to work with you based on a recommendation or another positive case study, include that. It will demonstrate that you are a trusted brand with an established reputation for delivering results.
• How long had you been looking for a solution to this problem? This will add to the reader's understanding of how these particular challenges impacted the company before choosing your product.
• Were you comparing alternative solutions? Which ones? This will demonstrate to readers that the client explored other options before choosing your company.
• Would you describe a few of the reasons you decided to buy our product? Ask the interviewee to describe why they chose your product over the competition and any benefits your company offered that made you stand out.
• What were the criteria you used when deciding to buy our product? This will give readers more background insight into the factors that impacted their decision-making process.
• Were there any high-level initiatives or goals that prompted the decision to buy? For example, was this decision motivated by a company-wide vision? Prompt your clients to discuss what lead to the decision to work with you and how you're the obvious choice.
• What was the buying process like? Did you notice anything exceptional or any points of friction? This is an opportunity for the client to comment on how seamless and easy you make the buying process. Get them to describe what went well from start to finish.
• How would you have changed the buying process, if at all? This is an opportunity for you to fine-tune your process to accommodate future buyers.
• Who on your team was involved in the buying process? This will give readers more background on the key players involved from executives to project managers. With this information, readers can see who they may potentially need to involve in the decision-making process on their teams.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business Case

Your case study questions should ask about your product or solution's impact on the customer's employees, teams, metrics, and goals. These questions allow the client to praise the value of your service and tell others exactly what benefits they derived from it.

When readers review your product or service's impact on the client, it enforces the belief that the case study is credible.

• How long have you been using our product? This will help readers gauge how long it took to see results and your overall satisfaction with the product or service.
• How many different people at your company use our product? This will help readers gauge how they can adapt the product to their teams if similar in size.
• Are there multiple departments or teams using our product? This will demonstrate how great of an impact your product has made across departments.
• How do you and your team currently use the product? What types of goals or tasks are you using the product to accomplish? Get specifics on how the product actively helps the client achieve their goals.
• If other teams or departments are using our product, do you know how they're using it? With this information, leads can picture how they can use your product across their teams and how it may improve their workflow and metrics.
• What was the most obvious advantage you felt our product offered during the sales process? The interviewee should explain the benefits they've gained from using your product or service. This is important for convincing other leads you are better than the competition.
• Were there any other advantages you discovered after using the product more regularly? Your interviewee may have experienced some additional benefits from using your product. Have them describe in detail what these advantages are and how they've helped the company improve.
• Are there any metrics or KPIs you track with our product? What are they? The more numbers and data the client can provide, the better.
• Were you tracking any metrics prior to using our product? What were they? This will allow readers to get a clear, before-and-after comparison of using your product.
• How has our product impacted your core metrics? This is an opportunity for your clients to drive home how your product assisted them in hitting their metrics and goals.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Buying Team and Internal Advocates

See if there are any individuals at the customer's company who are advocates for your product.

• Are there any additional team members you consider to be advocates for our product? For example, does anyone stick out as a "power user" or product expert on your team? You may want to interview and include these power users in your case study as well. Consider asking them for tips on using your service or product.
• Is there anyone else on your team you think we should talk to? Again, the more people can share their experience using your product, the better.
• Are there any team members who you think might not be the biggest fans of our product or who might need more training? Providing extra support to those struggling with your product may improve their user experience and turn into an opportunity to not only learn about their obstacles but turn them into a product fan
• Would you share some details about how your team implemented our product? Get as much information as possible about the rollout. Hopefully, they'll gush about how seamless the process was.
• Who from your company was involved in implementing our product? This will give readers more insight into who needs to be involved for a successful rollout of their own.
• Were there any internal risks or additional costs involved with implementing our product? If so, how did you address them? This will give insight into the client's process and rollout and this case study question will likely provide tips on what potential leads should be on the lookout for.
• Is there a training process in place for your team's use of our product? If so, what does it look like? If your company provided support and training to the client, have them describe that experience.
• About how long does it take a new team member to get up to speed with our product? This will help leads determine how much time it will take to onboard an employee to your using your product. If a new user can quickly get started seamlessly, it bodes well for you.
• What was your main concern about rolling this product out to your company? Describing their challenges in detail will provide readers with useful insight.

Case Study Interview Questions About Customer Success

Has the customer found success with your product? Ask these questions to learn more.

• By using our product can you measure any reduced costs? If it has, you'll want to emphasize those savings in your case study.
• By using our product can you measure any improvements in productivity or time savings? Any metrics or specific stories your interviewee can provide will help demonstrate the value of your product.
• By using our product can you measure any increases in revenue or growth? Again, say it with numbers and data whenever possible.
• Are you likely to recommend our product to a friend or colleague? Recommendations from existing customers are some of the best marketing you can get.
• How has our product impacted your success? Your team's success? Getting the interviewee to describe how your product played an integral role in solving their challenges will show leads that they can also have success using your product.
• In the beginning, you had XYZ concerns; how do you feel about them now? Let them explain how working with your company eliminated those concerns.
• I noticed your team is currently doing XYZ with our product. Tell me more about how that helps your business. Illustrate to your readers how current customers are using your product to solve additional challenges. It will convey how versatile your product is.
• Have you thought about using our product for a new use case with your team or at your company? The more examples of use cases the client can provide, the better.
• How do you measure the value our product provides? Have the interviewee illustrate what metrics they use to gauge the product's success and how. Data is helpful, but you should go beyond the numbers. Maybe your product improved company morale and how teams work together.

Case Study Interview Questions About Product Feedback

Ask the customer if they'd recommend your product to others. A strong recommendation will help potential clients be more open to purchasing your product.

• How do other companies in this industry solve the problems you had before you purchased our product? This will give you insight into how other companies may be functioning without your product and how you can assist them.
• Have you ever talked about our product to any of your clients or peers? What did you say? This can provide you with more leads and a chance to get a referral.
• Why would you recommend our product to a friend or client? Be sure they pinpoint which features they would highlight in a recommendation.
• Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. Your interviewee may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
• What is your advice for other teams or companies who are tackling problems similar to those you had before you purchased our product? This is another opportunity for your client to talk up your product or service.
• Do you know someone in X industry who has similar problems to the ones you had prior to using our product? The client can make an introduction so you can interview them about their experience as well.
• I noticed you work with Company Y. Do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.
• Does your company participate in any partner or referral programs? Having a strong referral program will help you increase leads and improve customer retention.
• Can I send you a referral kit as a thank-you for making a referral and give you the tools to refer someone to us? This is a great strategy to request a referral while rewarding your existing customers.
• Are you interested in working with us to produce additional marketing content? The more opportunities you can showcase happy customers, the better.

Case Study Interview Questions About Willingness to Make Referrals

• How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or client? Ideally, they would definitely refer your product to someone they know.
• Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Again, your interviewee is a great source for more leads. Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. They may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
• I noticed you work with Company Y; do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.

Case Study Interview Questions to Prompt Quote-Worthy Feedback

Enhance your case study with quotable soundbites from the customer. By asking these questions, prospects have more insight into other clients and their success with your product — which helps build trust.

• How would you describe your process in one sentence prior to using our product? Ideally, this sentence would quickly and descriptively sum up the most prominent pain point or challenge with the previous process.
• What is your advice to others who might be considering our product? Readers can learn from your customer's experience.
• What would your team's workflow or process be like without our product? This will drive home the value your product provides and how essential it is to their business.
• Do you think the investment in our product was worthwhile? Why? Have your customer make the case for the value you provide.
• What would you say if we told you our product would soon be unavailable? What would this mean to you? Again, this illustrates how integral your product is to their business.
• How would you describe our product if you were explaining it to a friend? Your customers can often distill the value of your product to their friends better than you can.
• What do you love about your job? Your company? This gives the reader more background on your customer and their industry.
• What was the worst part of your process before you started using our product? Ideally, they'd reiterate how your product helped solve this challenge.
• What do you love about our product? Another great way to get the customer's opinion about what makes your product worth it.
• Why do you do business with us? Hopefully, your interviewee will share how wonderful your business relationship is.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customers' Future Goals

Ask the customer about their goals, challenges, and plans for the future. This will provide insight into how a business can grow with your product.

• What are the biggest challenges on the horizon for your industry? Chances are potential leads within the same industry will have similar challenges.
• What are your goals for the next three months? Knowing their short-term goals will enable your company to get some quick wins for the client.
• How would you like to use our product to meet those challenges and goals? This will help potential leads understand that your product can help their business as they scale and grow.
• Is there anything we can do to help you and your team meet your goals? If you haven't covered it already, this will allow your interviewee to express how you can better assist them.
• Do you think you will buy more, less, or about the same amount of our product next year? This can help you gauge how your product is used and why.
• What are the growth plans for your company this year? Your team? This will help you gain insight into how your product can help them achieve future goals.
• How can we help you meet your long-term goals? Getting specifics on the needs of your clients will help you create a unique solution designed for their needs.
• What is the long-term impact of using our product? Get their feedback on how your product has created a lasting impact.
• Are there any initiatives that you personally would like to achieve that our product or team can help with? Again, you want to continue to provide products that help your customers excel.
• What will you need from us in the future? This will help you anticipate the customer's business needs.
• Is there anything we can do to improve our product or process for working together in the future? The more feedback you can get about what is and isn't working, the better.

Before you can start putting together your case study, you need to ask your customer's permission.

If you have a customer who's seen success with your product, reach out to them. Use this template to get started:

Thank you & quick request

Hi [customer name],

Thanks again for your business — working with you to [solve X, launch Y, take advantage of Z opportunity] has been extremely rewarding, and I'm looking forward to more collaboration in the future.

[Name of your company] is building a library of case studies to include on our site. We're looking for successful companies using [product] to solve interesting challenges, and your team immediately came to mind. Are you open to [customer company name] being featured?

It should be a lightweight process — [I, a product marketer] will ask you roughly [10, 15, 20] questions via email or phone about your experience and results. This case study will include a blurb about your company and a link to your homepage (which hopefully will make your SEO team happy!)

In any case, thank you again for the chance to work with you, and I hope you have a great week.

[Your name]

If one of your customers has recently passed along some praise (to you, their account manager, your boss; on an online forum; to another potential customer; etc.), then send them a version of this email:

Hey [customer name],

Thanks for the great feedback — I'm really glad to hear [product] is working well for you and that [customer company name] is getting the results you're looking for.

My team is actually in the process of building out our library of case studies, and I'd love to include your story. Happy to provide more details if you're potentially interested.

Either way, thank you again, and I look forward to getting more updates on your progress.

You can also find potential case study customers by usage or product data. For instance, maybe you see a company you sold to 10 months ago just bought eight more seats or upgraded to a new tier. Clearly, they're happy with the solution. Try this template:

I saw you just [invested in our X product; added Y more users; achieved Z product milestone]. Congratulations! I'd love to share your story using [product] with the world -- I think it's a great example of how our product + a dedicated team and a good strategy can achieve awesome results.

Are you open to being featured? If so, I'll send along more details.

Case Study Benefits

• Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.
• Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.
• Case studies are easily sharable.
• Case studies build rapport with your customers.
• Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

1. Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.

If you haven't noticed, customers aren't always quick to trust a brand's advertisements and sales strategies.

With every other brand claiming to be the best in the business, it's hard to sort exaggeration from reality.

This is the most important reason why case studies are effective. They are testimonials from your customers of your service. If someone is considering your business, a case study is a much more convincing piece of marketing or sales material than traditional advertising.

2. Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.

Your business isn't the only one that benefits from a case study. Customers participating in case studies benefit, too.

Think about it. Case studies are free advertisements for your customers, not to mention the SEO factor, too. While they're not promoting their products or services, they're still getting the word out about their business. And, the case study highlights how successful their business is — showing interested leads that they're on the up and up.

3. Case studies are easily sharable.

No matter your role on the sales team, case studies are great to have on hand. You can easily share them with leads, prospects, and clients.

Whether you embed them on your website or save them as a PDF, you can simply send a link to share your case study with others. They can share that link with their peers and colleagues, and so on.

Case studies can also be useful during a sales pitch. In sales, timing is everything. If a customer is explaining a problem that was solved and discussed in your case study, you can quickly find the document and share it with them.

4. Case studies build rapport with your customers.

While case studies are very useful, they do require some back and forth with your customers to obtain the exact feedback you're looking for.

Even though time is involved, the good news is this builds rapport with your most loyal customers. You get to know them on a personal level, and they'll become more than just your most valuable clients.

And, the better the rapport you have with them, the more likely they'll be to recommend your business, products, or services to others.

5. Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

Data is the difference between a case study and a review. Customer reviews are typically based on the customer's opinion of your brand. While they might write a glowing review, it's completely subjective and there's rarely empirical evidence supporting their claim.

Case studies, on the other hand, are more data-driven. While they'll still talk about how great your brand is, they support this claim with quantitative data that's relevant to the reader. It's hard to argue with data.

An effective case study must be genuine and credible. Your case study should explain why certain customers are the right fit for your business and how your company can help meet their specific needs. That way, someone in a similar situation can use your case study as a testimonial for why they should choose your business.

Use the case study questions above to create an ideal customer case study questionnaire. By asking your customers the right questions, you can obtain valuable feedback that can be shared with potential leads and convert them into loyal customers.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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100+ Case Study Examples for Sales and Marketing

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Imagine you come home after a long, tiring week of work, and you decide to satiate your taste buds by ordering a delicious, exotic dish. What would be your further course of action? Let us guess - you pull out your phone, log in to your favourite on-demand food delivery platform, search for the dish you're looking for, and hit the order button. Oh, wait! We missed out a crucial action that most of us perform while ordering a palate from a new food outlet – Rating & reviews!  

The first instinct that each one of us has when we subscribe to a new product or service is to get validation or proof from others.

In this post, we talk about one such crucial marketing collateral that provides  proof  to your prospects – Case Studies.

What is a Case Study?

Case studies are an indispensable tool for providing proof of quality and utility. They help demonstrate exactly what you have done to help other customers or clients attain their goals. They're sure to draw potential clients because they establish the factor of faith in the ability of your products or services.

To some, case studies may seem dull and boring, but it remains an integral part of a content marketing strategy for almost every B2B company. A content marketing report states that 70% of B2B marketers believe case studies are an effective tool for the content marketing mix.

How long should your case study be? 

If you type this query into the Google search bar, the answer that pops up on your screen is 500 to 1500 words. Although this is fairly ideal, it is important to note that there is no hard and fast rule for the word limit of a case study. Like everything else in Marketing, the answer is - it depends. 

Depends on various factors like the industry you’re writing the case study for, the narrative you’re building, the audience you’ll cater to and the like. 

Case studies are primarily built to generate an in-depth understanding of why exactly prospects should choose your product. In today’s world, where all content consumers have an attention span of roughly 7 seconds (if not lesser) - getting them to read a case study that’s nothing less than 500 words requires skill, to say the least. 

The length of a case study depends on the following factors :

Target audience

Identifying the target audience for your case study is the first and foremost step of the writing process. Who will be reading this case study and how do you tailor it to fit their flow of reading? It’s no big secret that everyone’s attention span varies. (We hear you. Do people even have an attention span these days?) 

Thanks to the myriad of visual content available in abundance, going through a 50-word post, let alone a 500-word case study, might be an arduous task for most people. However, this massively depends on the target audience and the industry your client belongs to. 

Case studies provide deep insight into your product/service and give potential customers one, if not more, solid reasons to get onboard. 

Formulating your case study based on these parameters will result in the best outcomes. 

For example, if your product caters directly to the general public (B2C) , then your case studies have to be short, precise and to the point. It has to provide just the right amount of information to put forth about your company, the services you offer, its features and benefits. Hence, these case studies can be anywhere between 100-300 words. 

On the other hand, formulating a case study for a B2B audience will require more detailed insights, examples, solution-oriented steps, and overall contain highly compelling research. This is solely because the individuals reading our case studies will be established business professionals looking to invest a good amount in your product . These case studies can extend up to 1500 words . 

Purpose of the case study 

The second factor/question to keep in mind is, “Why are we writing this case study?”. Here we cannot help but think of the famous quote - “You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” 

It’s safe to say that this quote is applicable to almost every situation in life. Especially while selling a product. Or, attempting to do so. In this stage, you need to take into consideration 3 very important factors :  

At which point of the sales process are we sending out this case study?

For starters, case study content changes according to the various points of the sales process it is being sent out during. The content required for a case study at the beginning of the sales process differs from the content required for a case study when the deal is about to be closed. 

Case studies sent out at the beginning of the sales process focus on the following :

• Recognition of your company/brand  
• An insight into your company & what you do 
• A generic overview of what your product offers 

Hence, these case studies can range anywhere from 300-500 words.

Case studies sent out at the end of the sales process focus on the following :

• Presenting a precise problem faced by a client
• Presenting how your company provided a solution for the same 
• The process
• Use-case specific insights

Hence, the sky’s the (word) limit with these case studies. The length that narrates to your prospect that your company is the best solution is the length you stop at. 

What do we want our readers to take away from this case study?

The length of your case study also majorly depends on the point you want to put forth in your case study. Are you trying to simply establish brand identity? Are you talking about a new campaign run by your company? Or is it a case study showcasing the work you did for a specific client? 

What medium are we sending the case study via? 

The medium through which your case study is being sent is a key point while determining the length of your case study. 

Let us throw in a quick example here. We are in the midst of our relentless online shopping phase and our package has finally arrived. Obviously, we can’t wait to go through the contents of the package (Because which order even is this?) - Doesn’t it make the unpacking process much easier when the packaging is precise and easy to open? Who wants loads of duct tape and clunky wrapping? It instantly puts us off, and we might even decide to open it later.  Similarly, the medium via which you send your case study and the presentation of it matters a lot. 

Here are some of the methods through which you can send your case study :

A good ol’ fashioned e-mail

“I’ll send across an email” is a phrase most of us have probably used more than our names. And, that’s fine. 

Sending your case studies and other documents through email has unmistakably been the go-to method for the longest time. Even so, sending your documents and case studies via email have its pros and cons. 

If you include a number of attachments, your prospects might have a hard time going back and forth between the document and email to open it up. The best option, in this case, is to include a single case study and make it crisp & concise in order to avoid shuffling between tabs. So, we’d say a single case study, about 500 words. 

A personalized storyboard

Personalized. Pretty. Extremely easy to go through. Nothing against emails, but imagine sending your case studies in a personalized collection that is exclusive to your reader, gives them a binge-worthy experience with your case studies, enables them to pick up exactly where they left off and much more. 

With a presentation like this, we’re sure the length of your case study isn’t going to stop readers from going through the contents of your case study.

Types of Case Studies

Case studies can be broadly classified into the following categories:

1. Third-Person Case Studies

An external agency primarily publishes this type of case study. This external research & consulting firm validates the solution provided by your company to your customers and publishes the same on its website.

2. Explanatory Case Studies

Explanatory case studies are primarily descriptive studies. They typically use one or two instances of a phenomenon or event to show the existing solution. Explanatory case studies primarily exist to familiarize the unfamiliar situation to prospects and give them a brief overview of the subject.

3. Instrumental Case Study

To gain insight into a phenomenon, an instrumental case study is deployed. The focus of this type of case study is not on the results but on the phenomenon. It tries to make the prospects discern the relationship between the phenomenon and its solution.

4. Implementation Case Study

This is perhaps the most important type of case study for a content marketer. It encompasses how your business went about executing the solution of a customer's challenge.

Case studies are the best example of marketing collateral used during the consideration stage and are used to showcase the success stories of your company. They can be written as single-page or multi-page documents.

Steps to writing a case study solution

Crafting the headline.

Headlines are the hellos in the world of writing. Just as a simple hello can help gain surface-level insight into a person, a headline establishes just that about a piece of written content. 

The first step to drafting a case study is also to pick a suitable headline. 

The headline of a case study has to include the following elements :

• The name of the company
• The use case
• The results
• Quantitative data (all about the numbers)

Let’s go with a fictional take on this - 

Let’s say you have a company, “Mattleberg Associates."

Mattleberg Associates offer consultative tools and guidance to understand, buy and adopt marketing technology tools for an enterprise. If Mattleberg Associates is to write a case study on how their product benefited a client of theirs, Acme Corporation , and upped their sales turnover by 70% , 

This is how the case study should ideally be titled : 

Acme Corp’s Sales Turnover Increased by 70% - Meet the Mattleberg MarTech Tool that made it possible. 

By glancing at this case study title, the reader gets an insight into the company (Mattleberg), the client (Acme Corp), the use case (Increasing sales turnover), the industry (Sales and Marketing) and the outcome (A 70% increase). 

Highlighting the challenge/situation 

In this part of the case study, the problem is made aware to the reader. This is where we let the reader know that “Hey, there was a grave situation taking place, and this is how it played out.”. 

In this part, you have to mention : 

• The challenge that was present
• The root cause of the problem 
• Statistics about the same 

Arriving at the solution

This part of your case study has to be your company’s stellar introduction.

In this part of the case study, you will include :

• How the client arrived at your company 
• The process of how the client fixed on your company (yay!)
• The executives involved in the process 

Behold! The results

Quantitative results .

This indicates the end of the case study. This is the part you indicate that Happily Ever After was made possible. Here is where you include all of the magical numbers that were a result of your company’s product/service, the remarkable results of the process and the outcome. 

Qualitative results

Remember when Spotify allowed 6500 of their employees to work from anywhere in the world? 

Now, fast forward to a year later; Spotify has released a statement saying their turnover rate dropped and they’re doing great! 

Here’s another example of how a qualitative result approach can be included in your case studies. This is the tie between quantitative and qualitative results. They go hand in hand. 

Tying this back to the topic, while writing a case study and mentioning the end results, it is important to also mention how the process eased the lives of the team, resulting in joy in the workplace and so on. This, in return, can directly result in quantitative results. :)

Best Practices to implement while writing a Case Study

More often than not, content marketers find it a herculean task to create a case study that is intriguing for their prospects. Here are 5 easy tips to make your case studies less boring, and more engaging.

1. Incorporate visuals in your case study

Multimedia can make your case studies more engaging and provide you with a means to connect with auditory and visual learners. Here are two ways in which you can incorporate multimedia in your case study:

• Include pictures, charts, and infographics to interpret a story out of the content-heavy data.
• Incorporate videos in your case studies and use them throughout your integrated marketing communication.

2. Prioritize firsthand knowledge over second-hand evidence

Case studies are stories. And stories can be narrated aptly only when you get real firsthand insights from the customer. Hence, to write a good case study, all you need is an excellent customer interview. Refrain from writing case studies based on resources such as testimonial quotes, videos, email, and so on.

It will only make your case studies time-consuming and difficult (or dare we say boring?).

3. Use slide-in call-to-action in lieu of pop-ups

Huge pop-ups can be annoying to the readers. Hence, marketers should try to use slide-in call-to-action that does the same job without distracting your prospects.

4. Don't be keen on listing the problem statement/challenge

Get into the shoes of your prospects while writing the challenge section. Most businesses often commit the mistake of writing the problem of a case study that caters to a narrow audience. To effectively hook a broader target audience , you should address the problem by considering the perspective of different prospects and write a detailed and compelling challenge . Your case study's first sentence should always address a broad business issue, and provide the reader with context.

5. Improve the tone of the customer quotes

Being a case study writer, you should not be transfixed on strictly reproducing all the customer quotes as it is - that is what a reporter does. As a case study writer, you should embellish the customer quotes in a way that makes their point effective. However, the altered quote should not drift away from the actual customer quote and should live up to the spirit of the customer's statement.

Examples of Case Studies

Here is a list of the finest examples of case studies across each sector with our commentary on a handpicked few to further ease your process of writing a case study.

To give you a holistic understanding of different types of case studies, we have collated the best templates from each industry.

• Aviation and Defense 
• Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI)
• Energy & Utility
• Healthcare and Life Sciences
• Manufacturing
• Technology and Services
• Telecommunications

Best Case Study Examples for Aviation, Aerospace & Defense Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Aviation, Aerospace and Defence sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Electromagnetic Solutions | Leonardo

Type of case study : Explanatory

Leonardo, first, defined their electromagnetic solutions and then furnished an explanatory case study to further enlighten their target audience to the solution they offer. They provided their prospects with a lucid explanation of the phenomenon with their solution in this case study.

2. Indira Gandhi International Airport | Collins Aerospace

Type of case study: Implementation

This case study is one of the best templates you will find in the aviation & defence sector. Two reasons make it exceptional. First, Collins has tailored the case study in a way that it can collaborate with direct marketing efforts . The case study is brief, yet gives a clear explanation of how it went about executing the solution. Also, the testimonial Collins took from Delhi International Airport Ltd., explained in a nutshell, the outstanding results they produced.

Best Case Study Examples for BFSI Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the BFSI sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Implementing a Complete Target-Date Fund Solution |  JPMorgan Chase

Type of case study: Explanatory

Writing a case study in the sector of financial services is tricky, to say the least. If you are looking to benchmark a case study, this should undoubtedly be the one. JPMorgan deep-dived to explain the needs of the client and listed out the top investment priorities. After that, the cast study introduced the unique solution offered to give their prospects a gist of the same. 

2. Global Inventory Management | Broadridge

Broadridge created a stellar case study by incorporating a testimonial, visuals, and an elaborate solution together. The cast study went one step ahead by talking about how it will utilize this opportunity to build Broadridge's future solutions.

Best Case Study Examples for Energy & utilites Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Energy & Utilities sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Creating Value through Technology and Innovation | Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL)

Type of case study: Instrumental

This case study focuses more on the different technologies offered by CNRL. What makes this case study unique is that the brand has included various collaborations for each technology and clearly demarcated the status of each technique. The usage of visuals and quantifiable results is spot on!

2. City of Monterey Park | Engie

Engie has produced a phenomenal template for a case study in the energy sector. Prospects could better relate to this kind of a case study because it includes multiple testimonials alongside the images of the solution which can serve as the best catalyst for prospects in the consideration stage of the buyer journey.

Best Case Study Examples for Healthcare & Life Sciences Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Healthcare and Life-sciences sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. BD Vacutainer | Becton Dickinson and Company

BD did a fantastic job of quantifying its success in solid numbers. They have incorporated the same in their headline to make it a worthy read for a prospect. Furthermore, they included a separate "results" section which listed out the benefits and illustrated the same using a bar graph. These best practices help a prospect digest text-heavy content easily.

2. Helping Biopharma Companies Unravel the Many Facets of the Oncology Market | McKesson Corporation

This template is an excellent example of an instrumental case study in the healthcare sector. McKesson takes the onus on them to educate the healthcare industry on the oncology market. It provides vital insights into how the biopharma industry can leverage McKesson's resources and excel in oncology.

Best Case Study Examples for Logistics Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Logistics sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Inventory Optimization Case Study | Neovia Logistics

Type of case study: Third-Person

This case study serves as a great template of collaboration with other organizations to deliver a customized solution for your customer. Neovia Logistics and SAP Service Parts Planning worked in unison to provide a top-notch solution for inventory management. This template makes a brilliant usage of coloured theme and an engaging dashboard to display the results lucidly.

2. Building a better distribution model to accommodate rapid growth | FedEx Corporation

FedEx adopts a customer-centric approach in this case study and explains the challenges faced by the customer in detail. It elaborately explains how the problems of temperature-sensitive products of the clients were dealt with. This type of case study can prove to be very useful as a marketing communication  for a client dealing in a similar sector.

Best Case Study Examples for Manufacturing Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Manufacturing sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Twilight River Cruises | Mitsubishi Electric

The testimonial and the embedded hyperlinks (that redirects to their product range) make this case study stand apart from others. Mitsubishi Electric has ensured that the client furnishes a well-crafted testimonial that makes the prospects acquire faith in their prowess.

2. Danfoss' Digital Journey and Strategic Approach to MES | Siemens

This is, by far, the best template we have discovered in the manufacturing sector. It ticks all the boxes for writing a stellar case study – slide-in CTAs (call-to-action), integration with social media, an excellent testimonial, captivating visuals, and a consistent theme. You do not want to miss this out!

Best Case Study Examples for Technology & Services Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Technology & Services sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. FreshDesk - Case Study | Chargebee

The best thing about this case study is that Chargebee incorporated testimonials from different departments and individuals. The case study uses crisp headlines and explains the challenge in detail before jumping the gun to mention the results.

2. Aspire Systems Provides Data Integration Services  | Aspire Systems

For a technical product/software, it is important to know where to use technical keywords and where to use plain, simple language. Aspire Systems did a fantastic job of creating different sections for a summary (in plain language) and a tech snapshot (where they mention the suite of data management products). It also included an image of the system architecture to educate their prospects on the process and solutions.

Best Case Study Examples for Telecommunications Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Telecommunications sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Managed Network Services | Telkomtelstra

Incorporating video testimonials in the case study is one of the best practices to be followed to create a compelling case study; and, Telkomtelstra has done that precisely. The practice of integrating social media in your overall content marketing strategy never fails to fetch you brownie points!

2. Supporting the community with a mobilized workforce | Rogers Communications Inc.

Rogers Communications has adopted the strategy of assigning a dedicated page for case studies. It has also integrated social media and slide-in CTAs buttons, in this case study, for enhanced engagement. A unique practice that Rogers embraced in this case study was to mention the details of the current services with that particular client. You may want to consider this strategy while writing your upcoming case study!

Strategies to leverage the power of Case Studies 

On the same lines, let us now deep-dive into how content marketers can leverage the power of case studies to their full potential. Mentioned below are some of the strategies you can use to incorporate case studies into your organization's overall integrated marketing communications strategy.

1. Highlight the case studies on a dedicated page

When B2B customers search online for your goods and services, they will search for your company's websites as well as your rivals' websites. So make sure the case studies on your website are easy to find. Refrain from categorizing them in the section of "downloads" or "resources" list, or hiding them so profoundly that visitors need to find them on your search facility.

Offer multiple paths that will lead them directly to the stories of customers that most interest them. Feature your homepage with a recent case study. Ask your webmaster to set up a display that will generate a different case study each time the visitor clicks on a new page or returns to a given page.

Be sure to provide a link where more case studies can be found by the visitor, in case the story does not match the interests of the visitor.

2. Include case studies in white papers

Do you have a case study showing how a client used your product or service to solve a widespread problem in the industry? If so, you have the building blocks for an effective white paper . Case studies and effective white papers share the same basic structure: challenge/solution.

You will need to develop the problem section further, examine previous solutions and why they are not working, and present your solution as part of a generic class.

However, once you have described your solution, you can introduce your particular product by means of an abbreviated version of your case study.

3. Include case studies in press releases

The company press releases are the perfect platform to share customer stories with prospects, customers, partners, and employees. The case studies in your prospect press releases allow you to highlight your solutions and the different verticals that you represent.

This helps to develop trust over time. In addition, case studies are great for keeping partners informed about how customers use your solutions. You'll support their sales efforts by providing customers with new ideas that they can present. You'll also keep them excited about your partnership, as well as about your products and services.

4. Collaborate your direct marketing efforts with case studies

Many of the most popular all-time direct mail promotions start with a story. Stories are enthralling. They promise entertainment and news. Of course, they gain our attention. Hence, a well-written case study for a newsletter or a direct mail campaign can be an excellent lead material.

Moreover, with a lead drawn from a recent case study, you'll not only get the attention of your prospects right away but also establish credibility with a real-world illustration of what your company has done for others already.

5. Consolidate your SEO strategy with case studies

Case studies can be among the best content types to attract attention from search engines. Phrases of keywords are the SEO currency . And if well-written, it is most likely that your case studies will include several instances of keywords and phrases relevant to the product or service they feature.

Make sure you incorporate the links and meta tags to boost the search engine rankings. Google attaches great importance to links, so be sure to link back to your case studies from press releases, blog posts, and discussion forums that refer to them. Encourage your clients to link your website to their success stories.

Even meta tags can improve your search rankings. Ensure that the title and description tags are used well by including your target keywords in them.

6. Collaborate your case studies with your social media marketing strategy

Social media provides a range of platforms to distribute case studies to your target audience. You can post a link to your latest case studies on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms. Forums are another excellent platform way to promote your customer success.

Trade associations and LinkedIn Groups provide thousands of tightly focused discussions across the entire spectrum of interests in the industry. And most of these forums will let you post links, making it easy to reach specific audiences.

Case studies are vital building blocks for your brand’s social currency. With the right balance between data and a compelling narrative, case studies go a long way in positioning your brand as the ideal choice in the minds of your prospects.

So before you rule out this collateral as mundane and boring, ask yourself again - would you order from a restaurant that is not backed by good reviews and ratings?

Other interesting blogs that might help bolster your content marketing strategy:

100+ Best Examples of Press Release Templates

100+ Brochure Examples for Sales and Marketing

100+ Testimonial Examples for Sales and Marketing

The Best White Paper Examples for B2B Marketers      

• Case Study Templates
• Case Studies
• Marketing Collateral
• Content Marketing

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If you’ve worked in sales for any amount of time, you know the standard sales process looks something like this: You identify a prospect and conduct research, you figure out what pain point or challenge they’re trying to solve, and then you offer your product or services as the solution. Why don’t some buyers admit they need help?

7 Sales Pitch Examples (+ 10 Tips for A Winning Sales Pitch)

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

Fortunately, there are plenty of good sales pitch examples out there to light the way. The most basic example is: Opening statement : This is your hook, where you get the customer’s attention or pique their curiosity. 7 good sales pitch types Need an example of a sales pitch? And is there even a “right” way to sell something?

8 Examples of Good and Bad Sales Content

APRIL 6, 2020

That graphic is an example of bad sales content — one of the easiest ways to lose a prospect's trust and interest. You use sales content to show prospects if and why your company suits their business or personal interests. Prospects need to want to know more about you. Case Studies . A Good Case Study .

A Conversation With Julian Lumpkin: Leveraging Case Studies as a Fundamental Part of the Sales Process

OCTOBER 30, 2018

As a sales manager at Axial, I realized how important case studies are in the sales process. It was this first-hand experience that inspired Julian to found SuccessKit , a content management platform designed specifically to help B2B sales teams generate and deliver content to their prospects .

4 Steps for Creating a B2B Value Proposition and Connecting With Your Prospect

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

The best way to create the kind of value proposition your prospect is looking for is by addressing a need. For example , if you’re evaluating a solution that costs $30,000, and you expect to get $300,000 in incremental revenue – the value that you receive is $270,000. And that’s not what your prospect is looking for.

How to Write a Business Proposal [Tips & Examples]

OCTOBER 9, 2018

But how can you reach the prospects who might benefit from your product or service? Solicited business proposals are requested by a prospective client. I designed this example business proposal using Canva.). Are you qualified to solve this prospect's problem? Title page. Qualifications. Why should they trust you?

The Sales Funnel Defined With Examples

SEPTEMBER 19, 2022

At least half of all prospects entering your funnel aren’t a good fit. The sales funnel model illustrates this by gradually narrowing as prospects near the bottom of the funnel (hence the name funnel). . Before diving into our example , let’s dress down the different stages of a sales funnel and its functions.

Real Results: Inspiring Digital Marketing Success Stories for Small Businesses

MARCH 15, 2024

Looking at case studies of small businesses that overcame hurdles using strategic digital marketing can equip you with fresh perspectives. One such motivating example is Johnny Cupcakes, a retailer that crafted a unique brand persona through innovative and consistent social media engagement.

How to craft effective sales emails for every stage of the sales pipeline (with examples)

SEPTEMBER 4, 2020

With the help of sales emails, you can connect with potential prospects , nurture and convert them into paying customers. With the help of “Effective” sales emails, you can grab the attention of potential prospects , engage them, and increase your conversion rate. You’ve just got a few minutes to impress the prospects .

Mastering the Art of Overcoming Cold Call Objections in Sales

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Understanding Cold Call Objections: Before diving into strategies for overcoming objections, it’s crucial to understand why prospects raise objections in the first place. Building Rapport and Trust: One of the most powerful ways to overcome objections is by building rapport and trust with your prospects .

That initial curiosity in your content offering — eBooks, whitepapers, case studies — might grow into an interest in your solution. Keep in mind that potential prospects may already be interested in your competitors — and your current customers could jump ship. What Makes a Good Landing Page? They both need this engagement!

10 Ways to Generate More Quality Leads for Your Logistics Pipeline

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As it brings prospects already interested in your product, the chances of conversions are much higher than outbound leads. Opt for logistics pipeline software with features to find and target the right prospects in seconds. Refine Sales Prospecting Nurturing logistics leads are complex. Create case studies to support your pitch.

4 Foolproof Ways to Beat Price Objections

JUNE 10, 2018

Most of the time, when a prospect says, “I can’t afford it,” they’re not usually talking about price at all. You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but until your prospect sees your product in action, they won’t truly understand its value. If your prospect seems hesitant, ask questions of your own to get them talking.

How to handle price objection in sales(with examples)

Sales prospecting: Ultimate guide to your B2B sales success

DECEMBER 19, 2022

Sales prospecting acts as the first stage in the sales process. In many cases , just initiating the first contact doesn’t deliver any business growth. And poorly managed prospecting lists will result in seller fatigue. B2B sales prospecting in a nutshell. Sales leads vs. prospects vs. customers.

The Perfect Sales Pitch: Examples, Templates, and Best Practices 

JULY 23, 2021

For instance, you’d use different language based on whether you’re pitching a prospect via social media than you would via email. ” Go for strong, timely, actionable phrases instead – check out the examples in the next section for more inspiration. What Needs to Be Included in a Sales Pitch? The Shared Connection.

Land More Prospects By Broadcasting Your Customer's Voice

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With so much information at their fingertips, prospects are more empowered. But your job as a sales rep is to influence the prospect's buying decision. What do prospect consume before you interact with them? The best sales organizations are providing content that: Helps the prospect realize a problem exists. Get Started.

A Straightforward Guide to Missionary Selling [+ Examples]

JUNE 29, 2020

Did you connect with a prospect and follow a prescriptive sales process that culminated in you asking directly for the sale? Direct, competitive selling is a widely adopted approach and is what most folks think of when they approach working with prospects . Missionary Selling Examples . Has each deal followed the same steps?

Use Outreach? Here’s How to Nurture Unresponsive Prospects

JULY 8, 2022

When the prospect reconsiders their needs, you’re positioned to be the first choice. Bonus: At the end of this article I’ll cover how to automatically route prospects into your nurture sequence using triggers. Example sequence. Here’s an example of one of our sequence structures for you to use. Allow for longer gaps.

10 Sales Email Templates to Get & Keep a Client's Attention

When it comes to sales prospecting , it's more important than ever that you write concise, effective communication. Even if you do get your prospect’s attention, you can’t expect them to read your long, fluffy emails filled with the buzzwords of the day when they have many other emails to open. Spend some time on the subject line.

The Difference Between Lead & Prospect in Sales

MAY 16, 2023

From seeds to success: Journey of leads and prospects in sales 2. What is a prospect ? Lead Vs Prospect : what’s the difference? Where are prospects and leads in the funnel? How to turn a lead into a prospect ? Let’s take a stroll through the sales garden, examining the subtle differences between leads and prospects .

Small Business, Big Wins: Inspiring Stories of Digital Marketing Success

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

Exploring Case Studies of Small Businesses and Their Digital Marketing Success The allure of digital marketing success consistently attracts attention, especially with small businesses due to the vast potential for growth. These examples underscore the potential pathways to digital marketing success for small businesses.

Ecosystem-Led Growth (ELG) for GTM

MARCH 8, 2024

What you’ll get at ELG Con: Case studies from companies like Data, Cloudera, and more. Stuck trying to engage a prospect ? Partner data (or second-party data) provides additional intel on customers and prospects , and can also inform your product and feature roadmap. Early-bird tickets expire next week. Efficiency.

Here Are 5 Follow Up Email Examples (to Fix Your Follow Up Process)

OCTOBER 7, 2020

When done right, a follow-up email can keep your company top-of-mind with prospects , demonstrate your investment in your customer relationships, and convey the value of your business without being intrusive or obnoxious. 5 Follow-Up Email Examples to Fix Your Follow-Up Process. What strategies to use. Let’s dive right in.

Warm email prospecting: How to make more sales by writing to an audience of one

APRIL 24, 2019

Once you understand how warm email prospecting works, you’ll be able to generate a steady stream of leads for your business, book more sales calls, and close more deals. Many sales reps never see success from their email prospecting efforts because they try and do too much in each message. Understand Your Email’s Purpose.

How To Write Your Follow-Up Emails with Examples & Templates

MAY 2, 2023

Nowadays, the majority of marketers and salespeople believe it is safe to infer that a prospect is indifferent if their email does not receive a response. Instead of using follow-up emails to encourage a prospect to purchase their product or service, they instead move on to new prospects . A follow-up email, what is it?

Secrets to Crafting Effective Cold Emails – From Analyzing 20,000 Emails

JANUARY 26, 2024

Showcasing Results in Cold Emails The Persuasive Impact of Case Studies People are more likely to believe the effectiveness of your offerings when backed by evidence. Include brief case studies or share examples of successful outcomes achieved for your clients. FAQs How long should a cold email typically be?

Qualifying Prospects Through Lead Scoring

Janek Performance Group

MARCH 16, 2022

They don’t waste time selling to prospects who are not ready to buy. Instead, they have a system to identify the highest value prospects in their pipeline and invest their time with those that are most likely to close. Sales leaders do not want their sales reps wasting their time calling low likelihood prospects .

Enterprise Lead Generation: What, Why, And How?

JANUARY 26, 2021

Enterprise prospects are what salespeople and marketers like to refer to as “the whale” of all leads. Create Case Studies To Demonstrate Value. Case studies can help move the sales process forward, and can be easily shared with various decision makers. What Is Enterprise Lead Generation?

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• Knowledge Base

Methodology

• What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

Published on May 8, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on November 20, 2023.

A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research.

A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods , but quantitative methods are sometimes also used. Case studies are good for describing , comparing, evaluating and understanding different aspects of a research problem .

Table of contents

When to do a case study, step 1: select a case, step 2: build a theoretical framework, step 3: collect your data, step 4: describe and analyze the case, other interesting articles.

A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. It allows you to explore the key characteristics, meanings, and implications of the case.

Case studies are often a good choice in a thesis or dissertation . They keep your project focused and manageable when you don’t have the time or resources to do large-scale research.

You might use just one complex case study where you explore a single subject in depth, or conduct multiple case studies to compare and illuminate different aspects of your research problem.

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Once you have developed your problem statement and research questions , you should be ready to choose the specific case that you want to focus on. A good case study should have the potential to:

• Provide new or unexpected insights into the subject
• Challenge or complicate existing assumptions and theories
• Propose practical courses of action to resolve a problem
• Open up new directions for future research

TipIf your research is more practical in nature and aims to simultaneously investigate an issue as you solve it, consider conducting action research instead.

Unlike quantitative or experimental research , a strong case study does not require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed new light on the research problem.

Example of an outlying case studyIn the 1960s the town of Roseto, Pennsylvania was discovered to have extremely low rates of heart disease compared to the US average. It became an important case study for understanding previously neglected causes of heart disease.

However, you can also choose a more common or representative case to exemplify a particular category, experience or phenomenon.

Example of a representative case studyIn the 1920s, two sociologists used Muncie, Indiana as a case study of a typical American city that supposedly exemplified the changing culture of the US at the time.

While case studies focus more on concrete details than general theories, they should usually have some connection with theory in the field. This way the case study is not just an isolated description, but is integrated into existing knowledge about the topic. It might aim to:

• Exemplify a theory by showing how it explains the case under investigation
• Expand on a theory by uncovering new concepts and ideas that need to be incorporated
• Challenge a theory by exploring an outlier case that doesn’t fit with established assumptions

To ensure that your analysis of the case has a solid academic grounding, you should conduct a literature review of sources related to the topic and develop a theoretical framework . This means identifying key concepts and theories to guide your analysis and interpretation.

There are many different research methods you can use to collect data on your subject. Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as interviews , observations , and analysis of primary and secondary sources (e.g., newspaper articles, photographs, official records). Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data.

Example of a mixed methods case studyFor a case study of a wind farm development in a rural area, you could collect quantitative data on employment rates and business revenue, collect qualitative data on local people’s perceptions and experiences, and analyze local and national media coverage of the development.

The aim is to gain as thorough an understanding as possible of the case and its context.

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In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject.

How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are doing. Some case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper or thesis , with separate sections or chapters for the methods , results and discussion .

Others are written in a more narrative style, aiming to explore the case from various angles and analyze its meanings and implications (for example, by using textual analysis or discourse analysis ).

In all cases, though, make sure to give contextual details about the case, connect it back to the literature and theory, and discuss how it fits into wider patterns or debates.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Normal distribution
• Degrees of freedom
• Null hypothesis
• Discourse analysis
• Control groups
• Mixed methods research
• Non-probability sampling
• Quantitative research
• Ecological validity

Research bias

• Rosenthal effect
• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Selection bias
• Negativity bias
• Status quo bias

Cite this Scribbr article

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McCombes, S. (2023, November 20). What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods. Scribbr. Retrieved April 1, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/case-study/

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