Usually when you hear the term ‘case study’, you might think of medical research or geeky mad scientists. Sure, those industries use case studies and, actually, case studies are an effective client getting strategy for entrepreneurs.
While I know intellectually that case studies are a powerful method for telling a story, I haven't used them much because I've never felt confident about how to create a great case study. That's changing because I've witnessed how one of my colleagues (and good friend and mastermind partner) Rachna Jain has tripled her business this year by using case studies. As I've watched her attract more clients than she can serve, I realized I was missing the boat by not using this tactic to share the results my clients get from our work together so that others can understand how they can benefit too.
In fact, case studies are a fantastic visibility builder…for your client and for you. It's a win-win in my book.
Just in case you’re not really familiar with case studies, let’s review what they are:
A case study, as it sounds, is an individualized client experience that is used to highlight your business processes while serving the client as well. These experiences are structured and time limited. There are certain things you must know in order to make case studies effective and profitable for you.
The best case studies are designed with intention and purpose. This gives the case studies a feeling of aliveness and freshness which is very appealing to your potential clients.
Case studies work for all businesses, and work especially well if your services are unique or hard to describe. Case studies free you from having to describe; you can demonstrate instead.
Developing powerful case studies is one way to build your business. Not only do you attract clients directly, but case studies can be used to build your business credibility and proof.
They are also a great way to refine your services, so that you’re sure you’re offering exactly what works.
If you’re ready to use case studies to build your business, I have a special invitation for you at the end of this blog post, but before then, let’s look at three ways to use case studies to attract more clients.
1) Put them on your website. Case studies are a more powerful and distinct form of testimonial. They can help new potential clients see you as effective and credible. Case studies can be an efficient way of showcasing what you do and how you do it.
2) Share in social media. People love stories, especially when they are meaningful and easy to understand. Case studies can be a way of subtly selling your services without too much hype. You can, in a way, let results speak for themselves.
3) Turn your case studies into full-term clients. When your case study is complete, gracefully move your case study clients to become full-term clients at your usual rates. There is a way to have this conversation that is both honoring and profitable.
While there are other ways to use case studies in your business, these three can make a huge difference almost right away.
If you’d like to learn how to build effective and profitable case studies, I have a special invitation for you. Join my colleagues and friends, Andrea J. Lee and Rachna Jain, for a four session specialized training program on how to build client getting case studies. Rachna used this strategy to more than triple her income this year and she’ll share step-by-step how she did it. I'm registered for this program, because I need to master this tactic. I invite you to join me, too.
Credibility and proof! That’s exactly why I can never resist opening emails from lists I’ve subscribed to when the subject heading says ‘case study’.
A case study provides information from which the reader/client can decide his own plan of action. He can decide to follow it word for word or make alterations to suit his purposes. Thus, besides the credibility and proof factors, the options that the user can come up with by himself gives him confidence in that the he wouldn’t feel like he is being spoon fed. He is, after all, also injecting his own initiatives into a case study-proven process.
This is great! Thanks for sharing. I just wrote about managing your brand’s credibility by flaunting positive reviews and feedback in a tasteful manner, and taking the time to actually apply graphical treatment for display of the really good ones. I think sharing case studies falls right in line with that! Feel free to read my post and share your insight in the comments!
http://redgals.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/managing-your-brands-credibility/
The ideas you’ve shared here are fantastic and no doubt so great and it may really improve the variety of individuals visiting your website.
thanks for the share.