«Return to Blog List Right #6 of Case Studies that Compel & Sell – Right Presentation
"Don’t judge a book by its cover."
While that might be good advice, it’s easier said than done. The way something looks and is presented – especially your marketing materials – really matters.
That’s why "right presentation" is Right #6 of case studies that compel and sell.
Here are some tips on producing case studies and success stories that compel and sell in various formats.
Written, Audio or Video
Tell a story – This is what differentiates a customer success story or case study from other marketing materials and stand-alone testimonials. It’s a real customer’s experience in an engaging format, so don’t miss the opportunity to actually tell a story here.
Written
Use descriptive subheads – Go beyond the traditional, formulaic look of grouping case studies and success stories into staid "Company, Challenge, Solution, Results" blocks. Instead, use descriptive headlines and subheads that tell the reader something – without forcing him to read every word.
Feature quotes – Choose your best customer quote or two and highlight those on the layout. Again, if the reader only skims, those quotes should sum up the customer’s experience.
Call-out highlights – On page 1 of your story, summarize it for readers in a sidebar. Who is the customer? What solutions are they using? And what were the results?
Match your marketing – People sometimes ask me whether a case study should look independent, or not as polished as the rest of your marketing and sales materials. Prospects know that case studies are produced by vendors. If they are evaluating stacks of information from various vendors, your information should match the look and branding of all your other materials.
Video
Go beyond talking heads – I recently watched a documentary that had way too many people sitting there talking at the camera. If at all possible, mix up a customer’s story with something interesting such as footage from the customer’s business environment.
Don’t be linear – New video technology allows viewers to self-direct their experience, instead of watching something end-to-end. They can search by keywords and drop into any point in the story or transcript, click links for more information, or email a friend to start viewing a specific segment.
Always remember: Your packaging and presentation make the difference in whether someone even looks at your story, and what they take away from it.
