The Power of Case Studies, Part 4 of 4: Writing

Stick with one product/service and one success per case study. Don’t make any unsupported claims. You must prove everything you say. Using the subheads suggested above, include the following information:

About the Client

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What business is the company in?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]Specifically, what does it produce?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]How is it structured?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]Where is it located?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]How long has it been in business?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]How many employees?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]How long has it been a client?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What’s the current state of that industry?

Their Challenge

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What was the situation like when you arrived?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What challenges were they facing?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What effect were those challenges having on their business?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What solutions had they tried?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]Why didn’t those solutions work?

Our Solution

[if !supportLists]· [endif]How did you successfully address the client’s challenges?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]Why did you suggest this particular solution?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What were the specifics of the solution?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What were the features of your offering that benefited the client most?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]Why did your product/service succeed when others failed?

Their Success

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What did the client achieve because of your solution?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What were the benefits?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]What was the return on investment?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]How did the solution improve operations?

[if !supportLists]· [endif]How does the solution continue to contain costs?

Figure about three pages and somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 words. Any less and you’re probably skimping on the convincing details: Any more and you’re probably including unnecessary information.

It’s OK to use your client’s industry jargon. It sends the message that you know the industry well. You’ll want to strike a balance between overly technical and overly simple. Your number one goal is accuracy, number two is providing proof, and number three is persuasiveness.