Ah, case studies, one of the most useful and versatile forms of social proof for businesses. Literal content goldmines that outline the exact problem a product or solution solves, explain how said company went about fixin’ the issue, and most importantly, the results, (not to mention the opportunity for client-approved, dried-in-ink testimonials).
While case studies make excellent website fodder — and do well as printed collateral — there are many other ways to use the content. Check out our favorite four ways to leverage this valuable form of social proof.
Turn case studies into a video
These days, video editors can work magic with only audio recordings, stock footage, and a few static assets. (And of course, their many years of experience). Chances are, to create your case study you collected all the above. Work with a video professional to turn your sound clips and other assets into a short video that complements your case study.
For your case-study-turned-film-debut, don’t forget:
- Keep it short and sweet! Attention spans are limited these days, try to keep the video under two minutes.
- Captions. Many people prefer videos without sound and it’s more accessible to all with captions. Services like Rev can help you quickly and accurately add them to your final video.
- Embed the video on the case study landing page to make it more interactive.
Hyperlink to it in your email signatures
The email signature line is an often overlooked opportunity as a place to promote high-priority information. Succinctly sum up your case study in one sentence and hyperlink the whole thing. Not quite sure what we mean?
Something like:
Your Name
Your title, other details
We love helping our clients see how Content Matterz
Shout-outs on social media
We hope you’re not just publishing and forgetting! After doing the work to complete your case study, social media is a great way to share with the world. And we’re not talking about a simple “check out this case study” post, but leveraging all the nuggets that accompany your study to help amplify the story.
A few ways to boost your efforts:
- Tag the company (and person you interviewed). Bonus, provide them with copy to use on their own channels.
- Tailor your messaging to highlight your client or customer so that instead of boasting it’s about celebrating a successful partnership.
- Drum up internal amplification. Share the posting link via Slack or email so everyone can easily interact with your intended post. Include suggestions for comments to further increase engagement.
Don’t forget to follow up
Whether you have a customer you simply love working with or perhaps helped a client implement a huge project, make it a priority to check back in with them down the road. Chances are you can either reuse your already completed case study (and circulate it on social media or in emails) or even update and add to it with new data. And, reaching out is a great way to remind your contact of your successful track record and learn if there is a new opportunity to work together.
Though case studies can be heavy lifts, they are the social proof that keeps giving. From client-approved, website-ready testimonials to the many methods and channels to distribute your success stories, case studies are one form of content you won’t want to skip.
Need a little help tackling your content projects? We might know someone! Reach out today to learn how Content Matterz can help.