One of the most important stories your brand has to tell is how you can help customers reach their goals. However, in the world of social media, a constant struggle for businesses lies in finding ways to share this information without coming off as overly promotional. After all, consumers have been trained to block out even the stealthiest of sales pitches.
Instead of directly telling someone what you can do for their business, a better approach is to tell a story about what your business has done for someone else. If the reader can identify with another customer that you’ve helped, or if they can relate to a problem that you’ve solved, they’re more likely to build a stronger connection with your company. By narrating someone else’s story, you’re essentially telling your prospective customers how your product or services can fit into their lives.
Are you ready to share your successes? Here’s how to create a case study that will do your business justice.
Find your story.
Is there a customer with a story about your company that could inspire others to take action? The most obvious people are those who have already said positive things about your company, but some of the best stories are told by those who wouldn’t traditionally use your services. Compile a list of both types of customers by digging into your inbox for thank you notes, searching Yelp for positive reviews or talking your account management team.
Get the details.
Once you have a few names in mind, reach out to each with a brief email that congratulates them for their success and thanks them for letting your company be involved. In this initial communication, be as personal as the relationship merits, share why you want to tell their story, give some options for future conversations (ie: phone vs. email) and make it as easy on them as possible. After all, this customer is helping you out when all is said and done.
Start writing.
Once you have all the necessary information, it’s time to bring your story to life. Share your customer’s success story by identifying their starting point, specifying their goal, sharing the tactics used and detailing the end result.
Giving some of the specifics is fine when setting the story’s tone, but don’t divulge anything about your client that can be interpreted as embarrassing. You may also want to have a second set of eyes read over what you’ve written to check for use of jargon or sales-speak. Although you’re sharing some of your company’s benefits, your first priority should be to tell an informative and relatable story.
Spread the word.
Once you’ve written a stellar case study, get it in front of the right sets of eyes! Share your client’s success story on your blog and social media, blast it out on your e-newsletter, highlight it on your website and send it to your client so they can help spread the good word.
Would you like even more ways to tell your business’s story? Get our free social media checklist!