Corporate case histories (or case studies) are arguably among the most utilized tools by marketers, primarily in the B2B sector.
Corporate case histories: 2 ways to write them — Cover Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash
Recently, I found myself discussing with my colleague Stefano, an expert in user experience, about the best way to write a case history for a website publication. Aware that in digital marketing there are rarely absolute truths, I want to share with you a couple of insights that emerged from this conversation. Specifically, I will give you two perspectives, two approaches for writing a case history, to be used according to your marketing objectives.
But let's proceed in order.
Table of contents
- What is a case history?
- How to write a successful one
- Focusing on brand reputation
- Focusing on informativeness
- Hybrid solution
- Successful company case histories
What is a case history?
Limiting our discussion to marketing, we can say that a case history is content that provides detailed information about a specific activity, from the reasons that necessitated it to the methods of its execution, and the consequences that followed.
The main goal is usually simple and singular: to demonstrate one's competencies to interlocutors (especially prospects) by documenting successes achieved with other clients.
How to write a successful case history?
Fundamental elements of a case history
There are several ways to create content of this kind, but the distinctive and, in my opinion, necessary elements are usually five:
- Client / Who
- Need / Why
- Activity / How
- Results / What
- (Endorsement)
These five elements are crucial because they tell a success story in almost all its relevant aspects. It is no coincidence that many websites ,structure their success story pages, to always include a section dedicated to these points.
And it's no coincidence either that this list closely resembles the 5 Ws rule of journalism (Who, What, When, Where, Why), in fact it contains three out of the five. This is because, after all, it's always about answering questions of definite interest to the reader. Among our fundamental elements, I have not mentioned "When" and "Where," but it's clear that for certain sectors, these also assume significant relevance.
Having looked at the general aspects, let's get to the heart of the matter and see, in my opinion, two possible ways of producing business case histories and when to choose them.
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1. Brand Reputation Case History
Brand reputation case history — Photo by Jonathan Francisca on Unsplash
A Brand Reputation Case History highlights the client, focusing on the first point mentioned in the previous paragraph: who. The more important or known the client's brand is (even just in their sector), the stronger the content will be.
In this type of case history, the tone is usually emphatic, the editorial approach often includes impactful titles and an emotional narrative. The client's logo becomes very important, as does an endorsement (a statement/report from the representative) to accompany the content.
The aspects related to "reputation" become fundamental because the value of the client's brand partially transfers to the supplier, sparking considerations like "if they have worked for them, they must be really good."
This approach has undeniable commercial benefits but, I believe, makes sense only when the client is indeed significant.
Moreover (and here my professional bias comes into play), it should be considered that this type of approach hardly brings results in terms of organic traffic from search engines. In fact, it's very likely (and almost always happens) that the web page hosting the content will rank for irrelevant keywords, linked to the client's brand but completely useless for the supplier. This is because it is difficult to carry out effective optimization without "eroding" the communicative strength.
For example
In this case history on TeamSystem's website, it is very clear that the focus is on the client, in this case, Leroy Merlin. The page includes four endorsements, the photo with the client's logo is very prominent, and there are no images or graphic elements that refer to Alyante, the product subject of the case study. The technical details are there, but they do not stand out at first glance. The URL of the page contains only and exclusively the name of the prestigious client.
2. Informative Case History
Informative Case History — Photo by Arie Wubben on Unsplash
The second approach I've named the Informative Case History because it centers around information and content, shifting the client to the background.
A case study of this type highlights the need, the activity carried out, or the results obtained. The tone of voice is usually more technical, with titles and paragraphs focused on the peculiarities of the work done. Therefore, the value no longer comes from the notoriety of the client's brand but from the possibility that the reader identifies with the presented context.
Creating case histories of this kind can be advantageous when your company has less well-known clients, when you want to highlight products or services, and when you intend to use the content for SEO purposes. Proceeding in this way makes it much more natural to optimize a page for informative keywords related to specific issues, services, or objectives.
For example
MTC, an independent research and development center for the manufacturing sector, presents an informative approach to case histories. For instance, in this case study, the focus is very technical, centered on needs and objectives, with the client (The Regent Engineering Co. LTD) decidedly in the background.
Another similar case is this article by the English company Channel, operating in the VoIP and Unified Communication sector. The content is entirely oriented towards products and installations carried out. Even the page title is extremely informative and does not even mention the client's name, and the URL is structured similarly.
Hybrid solution
As in all things, often "virtue lies in the middle." In some contexts, the most effective solution might be to draw on both approaches, creating balanced and effective case histories in terms of both reputation and information.
Successful company case histories
Here are some examples from successful companies that, in my opinion, have been able to best combine these two paths in their case histories.
- DropBox | Client: The Association of Volleyball Professionals
- SproutSocial | Client: Southern California Edison
- SolidWorks | Client: Aldebaran Robotics
Do you have any to recommend? Write it in the comments!
Does your company need consulting and support for its content marketing strategy?
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