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Use Case Studies and White Papers to Help Energize Your Marketing and Boost Sales
Case studies and white papers are two excellent ways to strengthen your marketing and sales efforts. Case studies are essentially extended testimonials that present a real world summary of how a product or service helped someone solve a problem or undertake a task. White papers are persuasive, practical essays that both introduce a business solution and present related or supporting information, often technical in nature.
Case studies: success stories that never go out of style
Case studies are generally two to three pages in length and are framed around solving a problem or challenge. They are very readable and often have subheadings that highlight their main components, typically "overview" or "introduction," "challenge," "solution" and "conclusion."
Case studies are effective for a number of reasons. One key reason is that they have greater credibility than many other marketing tools because they are essentially a third-party endorsement. For example, a brochure may tell why widget X is a superior choice. However, in a case study a customer tells why widget X is a superior choice. Because they contain experiences straight from customers in the form of success stories, case studies are very powerful and credible business-building tools.
Here are some more reasons why case studies are effective and why companies continue to them use them:
Real-world point of view. In case studies, customers tell about their experiences with a product or service in real world or actual working conditions, as opposed to a laboratory or a simulated environment.
Command attention. Case studies can outshine ads, brochures and similar types of marketing materials because they make claims that are based on actual customer experiences.
Generate strong interest. Case studies tell a story about how a product or service was used to overcome a challenge or solve a problem. These stories never go out of style because they are about successes—people are inherently drawn to stories in which other people succeed at doing something.
Help build customer loyalty. When approached about being the subject of a case study, many customers are flattered. Case studies are an effective way to help solidify and sustain customer loyalty.
Enhance workforce morale. Case studies can have a powerful impact on a workforce. The success stories they tell can help employees' renew their enthusiasm for their jobs and reinforce their pride in their company.
Another reason for the popularity and effectiveness of case studies is that they are compact documents that can be used in a variety of ways. They can be included in newsletters, leave-behind sales packets, trade show materials and media kits, as well as posted on web sites.
White papers succeed by blending information with solutions
White papers and their abbreviated sibling, mini-white papers, are very popular and effective marketing tools because they balance the presentation of solutions with valued information. White papers are used to introduce new products or services, demonstrate thought leadership and help support sales efforts.
According to findings reported by Marketing Sherpa in its new Business Technology Benchmark, white papers continue to be among the most popular lead generation tools and compare very favorably to such marketing vehicles as webinars and blogs.
Essentially a combination of an article and a brochure, white papers typically educate the reader about a challenge or problem as well as offer a solution to the challenge or problem. In the process, they often include varying degrees of technical information. White papers are also preferred in many instances because they provide a solution in a less overt, "hard sell" way compared to brochures and other marketing literature.
White papers are used in a variety of ways, which include being posted on web sites, sent out with e-mails, offered as free incentives in direct mailings, and syndicated through fee-based Internet sites such as Bitpipe and Knowledge Storm. They are especially popular with business decision makers, executives, IT professionals and engineers.
White papers generally range in length from a minimum of six or seven pages up to 15 pages, and are sometimes considerably longer. They typically include a summary of a problem or challenge, a general solution and its benefits, a list of factors to consider when evaluating a potential solution, and finally a specific solution and its benefits.
Other white paper components may include a historical overview, examples or case studies (usually in an abbreviated form), an explanation of how the solution works, and a list of specific product or service features.
Mini-white papers, as the name suggests, are shorter and normally run three to five pages. Their components typically include most of the core elements of a white paper but in an abbreviated way. Mini-white papers are favored by marketers and audiences who value white papers but prefer having the information in a shorter format.
If you're looking for ways to help improve your marketing and sales, white papers and case studies offer two solid options that have helped numerous organizations get results. These tools can help you generate leads and educate prospects, and they're especially effective in filling in gaps in lengthy sales cycles in which your prospect may require additional product or service information before making a buying decision.