As a management consulting firm, DSV Consulting has developed marketing strategies and content for Software as a Service (SaaS) companies, management consulting firms, and publicly traded companies expressing their investment value. In our experience, case studies are a particularly powerful tool for #SaaS brands because the sale process so closely resembles our own service-based approach. By showcasing real-world examples of how you have helped customers, case studies build credibility and trust with potential buyers. Given our experience driving results for SaaS brands, we have seen firsthand how impactful case studies can be.
Here are some tips for creating and leveraging case studies as part of your SaaS marketing strategy, based on our proven consulting expertise in this space.
Success Stories: Spotlight Your Best Customers
Carefully select customers who have achieved outstanding results or success to feature in your case studies. Look for examples that showcase the benefits and return on investment (ROI) of your SaaS product or service. If possible, get customer quotes and metrics to back up claims.
Structure the case study to focus on the customer’s situation, challenges, and results achieved through using your SaaS product/service. Provide details on how you helped them reach their goals. Quantify results with hard metrics when possible. Forbes’ article 11 Excellent Ways To Use Case Studies To Convert Leads Into Sales does a good job of outlining best practices for creation of a case study.
Key points to describe in your case study:
- Your client, their industry, and their challenges.
- Your product or service’s specific benefits.
- Their quantifiable results.
- Their ROI with specific dollar figures.
- Use customer quotes.
Content Velocity: Spread Your Case Studies Far and Wide
“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.” – Mark Twain
This quote from Twain highlights the importance of getting your message and content in front of readers, because otherwise they will remain unaware or be influenced by other sources.
Feature case studies prominently on your website. Write compelling titles and descriptions that include relevant keywords to help get found in search. Link to case studies from other website pages whenever relevant. Create a dedicated case studies page that is well-optimized for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Promote case studies heavily on social media outlets like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook groups, and relevant online communities. Repurpose them into different formats like videos, infographics, slide decks, and audio content.
Include case studies in your email marketing campaigns and newsletters. Segment your email lists to target case studies to audiences most interested in that customer profile or vertical.
Host live webinars and livestreams focused on each case studies. Interview the featured customer and create an engaging presentation around their success story. Promote these events across marketing channels to drive registrations.
Sales leads generated from case studies convert at higher rates from other content offers because they come pre-qualified and ready to buy. Capitalize on this by prominently featuring case studies in your nurturing program, and always capture leads during the process of making case studies available.
Here are the key points within this section for your case study:
- Make your website the primary publication spot for your case study, but also publish on LinkedIn for business related SaaS programs or services.
- Choose keywords and hashtags that backup your SEO for the case study.
- Create posts on social media linking to your website’s case study, including your keywords and hashtags.
- Schedule webinars focusing on the case study and client.
- Build your business’ monthly e-mail newsletter around your case study’s keywords / hashtags and use it to promote any webinars associated with the case study.
Keep Case Studies Fresh and Relevant
“Change is the only constant in life.” – Heraclitus
Rotate new case studies on a regular basis to keep content fresh. But also revisit old examples and follow up for updated results, new quotes, and additional details that may not have been included initially.
Updating stale case studies improves SEO as it registers as new content. Plus, it shows your solution has stood the test of time and continues delivering value. Offer the featured customer a small referral incentive to participate in the update.
When featuring a customer in a case study, explore opportunities to connect with others in their network through introductions, referrals, or partnerships. Updated case studies provide a great avenue for this.
Example #1
Here’s a recent example of a case study by ThreatGEN. This isn’t a perfect implementation of this process, but it has proven successful in the sales process for the ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue TableTop eXercise (TTX) module:
- The original case study – ThreatGEN case study
- The website / blog entry on the case study – Too Important to Skip, Too Broken to Ignore: Fixing the IR Tabletop Exercise (threatgen.com)
- LinkedIn publication of same article – Too Important to Skip, Too Broken to Ignore: Fixing the IR Tabletop Exercise | LinkedIn
- LinkedIn post for article.
- E-mail newsletter referencing article (using MailChimp).
- LinkedIn monthly newsletter referencing article on LinkedIn – Too Important to Skip, Too Broken to Ignore: Fixing the IR Tabletop Exercise | LinkedIn
Things that are missing from this implementation include:
- Keyword and hashtag focus.
- Webinar.
- Client quotes – sometimes a client require anonymity, which requires some finesse.
Summary
Case studies are an invaluable component of a comprehensive content marketing strategy. By showcasing customer success stories, they provide compelling proof of your value proposition. This article outlined best practices for creating high-impact case studies and leveraging them across channels:
- Carefully select your best client examples that clearly demonstrate strong ROI.
- Focus the case study narrative on customer challenges and quantifiable results.
- Promote case studies across all marketing channels for maximum visibility.
- Optimize case studies for SEO by using strategic keywords.
- Host webinars spotlighting the case study and client.
- Feature case studies prominently in email campaigns and nurturing.
- Continuously refresh case studies with updated client stories and metrics.
In summary, case studies convert buyers more than other content by telling a relatable story backed by hard proof. By putting case studies at the core of your marketing and optimizing distribution, you will attract more qualified leads and accelerate sales. The tips in this article will help build case studies that showcase value and drive conversions.
About Robert Rhodes
Robert C. Rhodes is an experienced sales and business development professional with a background in finance, operations, and #strategicplanning. His proven track record of success in driving sales, leading teams, and managing customer relationships is visible as a former CEO of publicly traded companies with a history of successful #fundraising, #mergersandacquisitions, and revenue growth. He is skilled in managing financial and operational challenges in high-tech and #cybersecurity industries.
- Industries – Edtech, Oil & Gas, Heavy Industry, and Technology
- Specializes in public company M&A and disclosure
- LinkedIn profile
- Listed on Business Talent Group as available for projects through DSV Consulting
DISCLOSURE – I made frequent usage of Claude from Anthropic to write this.
Here is the original article on LinkedIn.