A case is a way to demonstrate on a real example how this or that company works. It shows the successful solution of a specific task, demonstrates key factors of work and further prospects. As a result, the client’s fears disappear and confidence in the successful completion of his own project appears. Therefore, in this article, we will consider in detail how to make the business case for your marketing budget.
What Is It?
The case shows all the advantages of the project, but at the same time does not hide mistakes in the work. It is necessary to explain the reasons for their appearance, as well as ways of solving and eliminating such negative traces in the work of the company. Then even the admission of errors will play in your favor. To see the most successful techniques, which should be used, we suggest reading the examples of cases.
How to Make A Case?
Start by Making A Structure
To understand what you will write a case about and how you will write it, first make a plan. You can use a universal structure that is suitable for describing any business process:
- Title (the title of the case, capturing the essence of the situation).
- Lead (an introduction that engages the reader).
- Summary (a summary of the content in facts and figures).
- What was initially there (a description of the situation at hand).
- What was done in the process of solving the problem (your actions).
- What was achieved (the results of your actions).
- The conclusion (what positive impact the result had on the client’s business or problem).
Following the structure, create a draft for each item. Briefly describe what you are going to talk about, and note important facts to mention.
Gather the Necessary Information
The most important step in creating a case study is gathering information. You need to find anything that will help describe the situation and serve as evidence for the decisions you are describing. For example, for this you will need the following information:
- Information about the company’s operations or the client’s business;
- data from business process statistics collected through analytical services;
- figures and indicators from interim and final business reports.
Tip: To make it easier to create a case, keep a diary from the beginning of the project. Write down in it the detailed sequence of your actions, intermediate results, and important facts.
Think About the Visual Design
Information is easier to perceive when it is presented visually. Wherever possible, use visualization (presentation of information in the form of images, graphs, tables). For example, instead of talking in the text about the growth of sales and writing the data for each month – make a chart or graph.
Example of Graphic Visualization in A Case:
In some cases, visual information is needed to support facts. For example, a story about the results of an online advertising campaign can be confirmed with reports from Google Analytics or Yandex.Metrika (free analytics services).
Example of Using Analytical Reports:
Visualization is also handy when presenting social proof. Let’s say you’re talking about how satisfied a customer was with your work. Show customer feedback as a screenshot of a written message from correspondence or a thank-you letter from a customer, you can shoot a video testimonial.
Write A Case Study
When you’ve thought through the structure and have all the necessary data, start writing your case study. Keep in mind that your material may be read by people with similar problems but no experience in your field. So write as simply as possible: decipher all the complex terms, do not use professional slang, describe your actions clearly. In fact, your case should look like a practical guide that can be used to solve a similar problem.
Some Useful Tips
- If you are writing about a client’s business, be sure to get their consent to use information about the project.
- Always write a “what was-what became” summary before the main body of the case so that the reader can imagine the content in advance and decide whether the material is interesting and useful to him or her.
- If possible, use the title to address the target audience, the problem, and a significant result to motivate the reader (“How we increased our online spare parts store sales by 70% in two months”).
- Add a call to action at the end of the case that the reader can take (“Want the same result? Get in touch”).
- Try to include “real” characters in the text to build credibility: talk about the team, use quotes from customers and employees.
Preparing the case is only part of the job. You need to take care of distributing it. Publish the material in your blog on your site, place the case on other thematic resources. If the finished text does not fit the format of the chosen site, you can shorten it or modify the presentation: make a narrative (a story in pictures), make a video, create a presentation.
Conclusion
Cases are one way to help your target audience see the benefits of your services. Their strength is that they don’t advertise or convince you of anything. They tell the story of a successful project, and the reader draws his or her own conclusions. The job of companies is to tell stories that will lead potential customers to the right conclusions. There is no recipe for the “perfect case. The main quality criteria, in this case, are informativeness, accessibility, and achieving your goal (attracting clients, increasing recognition, etc.). Experiment with the structure, try different presentation formats, but don’t ignore cases. This is a tool that will help you tell a wider audience about your business.