When I began copywriting in 1998 – in the pioneer days of the World Wide Web – businesses still relied largely on printed materials.
If you walked into an office, you’d see stack after stack of boxed brochures and other sales collateral – case studies included.
Back then, all my clients created professionally designed case study PDFs to print and hand out at sales meetings or trade shows.
Since then, the web has grown exponentially as a marketing tool.
As companies rely on their websites as the one spot for everything customers need to know, printed materials have dwindled in number – saving marketers time, money and hassle.
In a matter of minutes, they can load the text of a customer case study onto their website and voila, it’s ready for consumption. Sales reps can simply share the link with prospects in an email.
In light of that, do organizations still create polished PDF versions of case studies?
Surprisingly, YES.
I find MOST of my clients still produce attractive PDF versions of their case studies.
Here’s why…
• It’s handy for sales reps to email prospects a document, rather than just a link. They can download and keep it, rather than trying to keep track of an email with a URL.
• They can easily print the case study to share with prospects in face-to-face opportunities or at trade shows.
In the scope of a case study project, design is a small part. Once you create a branded template for all your case studies, flowing the text and images into it probably takes no more than half an hour.
Give your audience multiple ways of consuming case studies. It’s just another way to cater to their unique needs and preferences.
