How to Write a Case Study: Bookmarkable Guide & Template

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How to Write a Case Study: Bookmarkable Guide & Template

how-to-write-a-case-study:-bookmarkable-guide-&-template

Incomes the belief of doubtless possibilities is also a battle. Earlier than chances are high you’ll possibly presumably presumably even starting up as a lot as query to fabricate their trade, it be a must to prove your skill to bring on what your services or merchandise guarantees.

Obvious, additionally, you will bid that additionally, you will very successfully be colossal at X, or that additionally, you will very successfully be formulation sooner than the opponents when it involves Y. However at the head of the day, what you in actuality want to make a choice contemporary trade is chilly, laborious proof.

One of many good ways to point to your price is by strategy of a compelling case behold. In reality, HubSpot’s 2020 Verbalize of Marketing myth stumbled on that they’re so compelling that they’re the fifth most ordinarily dilapidated form of jabber material dilapidated by marketers.

Download our free case study templates here to help you display your company's  success.

Below, I would possibly trip you thru what a case behold is, the good approach to feature up for writing one, what it be a must to encompass in it, and one of the best device it would possibly possibly well possibly presumably even be an efficient tactic. To soar to assorted areas of this post, click on on the links below to routinely scroll.

Case Leer Definition

Programs to Write a Case Leer

Programs to Structure a Case Leer

Substitute Case Leer Examples

Showcasing Your Work

Case Leer Definition

A case behold describes a specific feature a trade has faced, and the answer they’ve chosen to resolve it. Case experiences can fluctuate drastically in length and point of curiosity on a resolve on of critical points linked to the initial feature and utilized answer, and is also presented in diversified kinds esteem a video, white paper, weblog post, and so forth.

In legit settings, it be current for a case behold to instruct the account of a winning trade partnership between a vendor and a client. Most definitely the success additionally, you will very successfully be highlighting is within the resolve on of leads your shopper generated, possibilities closed, or income gained. Any one in every of these key efficiency indicators (KPIs) are examples of your firm’s services in circulation.

When done accurately, these examples of your work can myth the glorious impact your trade has on contemporary or outdated possibilities and allow you to design contemporary possibilities.

To allow you to arm your possibilities with data they are able to belief, we’ve place together a step-by-step data on the good approach to develop tremendous case experiences for your trade — as successfully as free case behold templates for creating your have. Catch them utilizing the invent above, after which salvage creating utilizing the steps below.

Programs to Write a Case Leer

  1. Catch started with case behold templates.
  2. Resolve the case behold’s goal.
  3. Build a case behold medium.
  4. Receive the ideal case behold candidate.
  5. Contact your candidate for permission to write about them.
  6. Draft and send your self-discipline a case behold liberate invent.
  7. Guarantee additionally, you will very successfully be asking the ideal questions.
  8. Lay out your case behold layout.
  9. Submit and promote your case behold.

1. Catch started with case behold templates.

Telling your customer’s account is a gentle project — it be a must to specialise in their success while naturally incorporating your trade into their account.

In the occasion additionally, you will very successfully be accurate getting started with case experiences, we recommend you download HubSpot’s Case Leer Templates. Incorporated are three unpleasant-text and three designed templates to point to how your possibilities thrived while utilizing your services or merchandise.

case study templateRanking Now

2. Resolve the case behold’s goal.

All trade case experiences are designed to prove the price of your services, however they are able to point of curiosity on lots of assorted shopper targets.

Your first step when writing a case behold is to search out out the target or aim of the topic additionally, you will very successfully be that contains. In other words, what’s going to the shopper have succeeded in doing by the head of the fragment?

The shopper goal you point of curiosity on will count on what you esteem to must point to to your future possibilities as a outcomes of publishing this case behold.

Your case behold can point of curiosity on one in every of the next shopper targets:

  • Complying with govt law
  • Reducing trade costs
  • Turning into winning
  • Generating extra leads
  • Closing on extra possibilities
  • Generating extra income
  • Increasing into a brand contemporary market
  • Turning into extra sustainable or vitality-ambiance devoted

3. Build a case behold medium.

Next, you will resolve the medium at some stage in which you will develop the case behold. In other words, how will you instruct this account?

Case experiences place now now not must be easy, written one-pagers. Utilizing assorted media in your case behold can mean chances are high you’ll possibly presumably presumably promote your closing fragment on assorted channels. Shall we bid, while a written case behold would possibly possibly well presumably accurate stay for your web web page and salvage featured in a Facebook post, chances are high you’ll possibly presumably presumably post an infographic case behold on Pinterest, and a video case behold for your YouTube channel.

Here are some assorted case behold mediums to middle of attention on:

Written Case Leer

Do away with into consideration writing this case behold within the invent of an ebook and changing it to a downloadable PDF. Then, gate the PDF within the wait on of a touchdown web page and invent for readers to bear out earlier than downloading the fragment, allowing this case behold to generate leads for your trade.

Video Case Leer

Thought on meeting with the shopper and taking pictures an interview. Seeing the topic, in particular person, talk in regards to the provider you supplied them can prance a prolonged formulation within the eyes of your doubtless possibilities.

Infographic Case Leer

Employ the prolonged, vertical layout of an infographic to instruct your success account from top to bottom. As you progress down the infographic, emphasize main KPIs utilizing bigger text and charts that uncover the successes your shopper has had since working with you.

Podcast Case Leer

Podcasts are a platform so that you can have a candid conversation with your shopper. This form of case behold can sound extra staunch and human to your viewers — they will know the partnership between you and your shopper became success.

4. Receive the ideal case behold candidate.

Writing about your outdated projects requires bigger than deciding on a client and telling a legend. You would possibly possibly well presumably like permission, quotes, and a opinion. To starting up, right here are about a issues to peep for in doubtless candidates.

Product Data

It helps to resolve a customer who’s successfully-versed within the logistics of your services or merchandise. That formulation, he or she will be able to better talk to the price of what you provide in a skill that is useful for future possibilities.

Excellent Outcomes

Purchasers that have viewed the good outcomes are going to create the strongest case experiences. If their have companies have viewed an exemplary ROI out of your services or merchandise, they’re extra likely to lift the enthusiasm that you in actuality resolve on possibilities to no doubt feel, too.

One section of this step is to make a choice possibilities who have skilled sudden success out of your services or merchandise. Ought to you’ve got supplied non-veteran possibilities — in industries that you do now not on the total work with, as an illustration — with glorious outcomes, it would possibly possibly well possibly presumably lend a hand to resolve doubts from possibilities.

Recognizable Names

While small corporations can have highly tremendous reports, bigger or extra well-known brands are likely to lend credibility to your have. In reality,89% of possibilities bid they will resolve from a effect they already acknowledge over a competitor, especially if they already note them on social media.

Switchers

Prospects that came to you after working with a competitor lend a hand highlight your competitive serve, and would possibly possibly well presumably even sway decisions in your prefer.

5. Contact your candidate for permission to write about them.

To salvage the case behold candidate spellbinding, it be crucial to feature the stage for decided and starting up verbal exchange. Which skill that outlining expectations and a timeline without prolong — now now not having those is one in every of the largest culprits in delayed case behold creation.

Most importantly at this point, on the opposite hand, is getting your self-discipline’s approval. When first reaching out to your case behold candidate, present them with the case behold’s goal and layout — both of which you have attain up with within the principle two steps above.

To salvage this initial permission out of your self-discipline, place your self of their sneakers — what would they need out of this case behold? Even though additionally, you will very successfully be writing this for your have firm’s serve, your self-discipline is a long way extra concerned with the serve it has for them.

Advantages to Offer Your Case Leer Candidate

Here are four doubtless benefits chances are high you’ll possibly presumably presumably promise your case behold candidate to develop their approval.

Brand Exposure

Reveal to your self-discipline whom this case behold shall be uncovered to, and one of the best device this publicity can help amplify their effect awareness both in and past their have trade. In the B2B sector, effect awareness is also laborious to find starting up air one’s have market, making case experiences in particular precious to a client taking a discover to amplify their name’s attain.

Employee Exposure

Permit your self-discipline to present quotes with credits wait on to explicit workers. When right here’s an chance to them, their effect is now now not the good thing expanding its attain — their workers can salvage their name accessible, too. This offers your self-discipline with networking and career-building alternatives they’d possibly presumably also now now not have in another case.

Product Prick price

Here’s a extra tangible incentive chances are high you’ll possibly presumably presumably provide your case behold candidate, especially if they are a fresh customer of yours. If they conform to be your self-discipline, provide them a product slice price — or free trial of yet another product — as a thank-you for their lend a hand creating your case behold.

One device links and Net online page Net page online page visitors

Here’s a serve that is excellent to resonate with your self-discipline’s marketing and marketing group: In the occasion you post your case behold to your web web page, and your behold links wait on to your self-discipline’s web web page — is called a “back-link” — this small gesture can present them web web page online page online page visitors from guests who click on by strategy of to your self-discipline’s web web page.

Furthermore, a back-link from you will enhance your self-discipline’s web page authority within the eyes of Google. This helps them contaminated extra highly in search engine outcomes and find online page online page visitors from readers who’re already taking a discover for data about their trade.

6. Case behold e-mail template.

As soon as your case behold candidate approves of your case behold, it be time to send them a liberate invent.

A case behold liberate invent tells you what you will have out of your chosen self-discipline, esteem permission to make expend of any effect names and share the project data publicly. Kick off this project with an e-mail that runs by strategy of precisely what they are able to query from you, as successfully as what you would possibly want to from them. To present you with an idea of what that will possibly also peep esteem, inspect this sample e-mail:

sample case study email release form template

You would possibly possibly well presumably also very successfully be wondering, “What’s a Case Leer Unlock Catch?” or, “What’s a Success Tale Letter?” Let’s demolish those down.

Case Leer Unlock Catch

This document can fluctuate, searching on elements esteem the size of your trade, the nature of your work, and what you suggest to fabricate with the case experiences as soon as they are finished. That mentioned, additionally, you will still normally aim to encompass the next within the Case Leer Unlock Catch:

  • A clear clarification of why additionally, you will very successfully be creating this case behold and one of the best device this is in a position to possibly presumably also very successfully be dilapidated.
  • An announcement defining the certainty and doubtlessly trademarked data you query to encompass in regards to the firm — issues esteem names, logos, job titles, and footage.
  • An clarification of what you query from the participant, past the completion of the case behold. Shall we bid, is this customer spellbinding to act as a reference or share solutions, and fabricate you have gotten permission to circulation contact data alongside for these functions?
  • A uncover about compensation.

Success Tale Letter

As successfully-known within the sample e-mail, this document serves as an interpret for the total case behold project. As opposed to a transient clarification of how the shopper will serve from case behold participation, you will are searching to create glorious to interpret the next steps within the Success Tale Letter.

The Acceptance

First, you will want to salvage interior approval from the firm’s marketing and marketing group. As soon as accredited, the Unlock Catch needs to be signed and returned to you. Or now now not it shall be a upright time to search out out a timeline that meets the needs and capabilities of both groups.

The Questionnaire

To create glorious that that you have got gotten a productive interview — which is one in every of the good ways to find data for the case behold — you will are searching to quiz the participant to total a questionnaire earlier than this conversation. That can present your group with the well-known foundation to feature up the interview, and salvage the most out of it.

The Interview

As soon as the questionnaire is finished, somebody for your group would possibly possibly well presumably also still attain out to the participant to agenda a 30- to 60-minute interview, which would possibly possibly also still encompass a series of custom-made questions linked to the shopper’s skills with your services or merchandise.

The Draft Review

After the case behold remains to be, you will are searching to send a draft to the shopper, allowing an exchange to present you with solutions and edits.

The Final Approval

As soon as any well-known edits are finished, send a revised replica of the case behold to the shopper for closing approval.

As soon as the case behold goes stay — for your web web page or in other locations — it be biggest to contact the shopper with a hyperlink to the web page the place the case behold lives. Do now not be afraid to quiz your contributors to share these links with their have networks, as it now now not biggest demonstrates your skill to bring glorious outcomes, however their spectacular instruct, as successfully.

7. Guarantee additionally, you will very successfully be asking the ideal questions.

Earlier than you fabricate the questionnaire and exact interview, create glorious additionally, you will very successfully be surroundings your self up for success. A stable case behold outcomes from being ready to quiz the ideal questions. What fabricate those peep esteem? Here are about a examples to salvage you started:

  • What are your targets?
  • What challenges had been you experiencing earlier than shopping our services or merchandise?
  • What made our services or merchandise stand out in opposition to our opponents?
  • What did your resolution-making project peep esteem?
  • How have you ever benefited from utilizing our services or merchandise? (Where appropriate, incessantly quiz for data.)

Have in solutions that the questionnaire is designed to permit you to develop insights into what form of stable, success-centered questions to quiz within the route of the exact interview. And even as you salvage to that stage, we recommend that you note the “Golden Rule of Interviewing.” Sounds love, correct? Or now now not it’s no doubt comparatively easy — quiz starting up-ended questions.

In the occasion additionally, you will very successfully be taking a discover to craft a compelling account, “glorious” or “no” solutions would possibly possibly well presumably also now now not present the crucial points you would possibly want to. Level of curiosity on questions that invite elaboration, akin to, “Are you able to portray …?” or, “Advise me about …”

By formulation of the interview structure, we recommend categorizing the questions and waft into six explicit sections that can mirror a winning case behold layout. Mixed, they will mean chances are high you’ll possibly presumably presumably rep ample data to place together a rich, total behold.

Start with the shopper’s trade.

The aim of this fragment is to generate a bigger notion of the firm’s fresh challenges and targets, and one of the best device they match into the landscape of their trade. Sample questions would possibly possibly well presumably encompass:

  • How prolonged have you ever been in trade?
  • How many workers fabricate you have gotten?
  • What are about a of the targets of your division right this moment?

Cite an nervousness or pains point.

In affirm to instruct a compelling account, you would possibly want to context. That helps match the shopper’s need with your answer. Sample questions would possibly possibly well presumably encompass:

  • What challenges and targets led you to peep for a answer?
  • What would possibly possibly well presumably also need came about even as you did now now not name a answer?
  • Did you discover other alternate choices earlier than this that did now now not determine? If this is the case, what came about?

Focus on the resolution project.

Exploring how the shopper arrived at the resolution to work with you helps to data doubtless possibilities by strategy of their have resolution-making processes. Sample questions would possibly possibly well presumably encompass:

  • How did you hear about our services or merchandise?
  • Who became taking into account the exchange project?
  • What became predominant to you when evaluating your alternate choices?

Reveal how a answer became implemented.

The purpose of curiosity right here needs to be placed on the shopper’s skills within the route of the onboarding project. Sample questions would possibly possibly well presumably encompass:

  • How prolonged did it take to salvage up and running?
  • Did that meet your expectations?
  • Who became taking into account the approach?

Reveal how the answer works.

The aim of this fragment is to better tag how the shopper is utilizing your services or merchandise. Sample questions would possibly possibly well presumably encompass:

  • Is there a explicit facet of the services or merchandise that you count on most?
  • Who’s utilizing the services or merchandise?

Terminate with the outcomes.

In this fragment, you esteem to must uncover spectacular measurable outcomes — the extra numbers, the higher. Sample questions would possibly possibly well presumably encompass:

  • How is the services or merchandise serving to you place time and amplify productiveness?
  • In what ways does that enhance your competitive serve?
  • How great have you ever increased metrics X, Y, and Z?

8. Lay out your case behold layout.

When it comes time to take all the certainty you’ve got unruffled and no doubt turn it into something, it be easy to no doubt feel overwhelmed. Where would possibly possibly well presumably also still you starting up? What would possibly possibly well presumably also still you encompass? What’s the good formulation to structure it?

To allow you to salvage a contend with on this step, it be crucial to first tag that there would possibly possibly be no one-measurement-suits-all when it involves the ways chances are high you’ll possibly presumably presumably prove a case behold. They is also very visual, which you will scrutinize in about a of the examples we’ve incorporated below, and can most ceaselessly be communicated mostly by strategy of video or pictures, with a bit of accompanying text.

Whether or now now not your case behold is primarily written or visual, we recommend specializing within the seven-section interpret, below. Screen: Even even as you fabricate elect to make expend of a visual case behold, it would possibly possibly well possibly presumably also still still encompass all of this data, however presented in its intended layout.

    Programs to Structure a Case Leer

    1. Title
    2. Subtitle
    3. In regards to the Topic
    4. Challenges and Goals
    5. How the Resolution Helped
    6. Outcomes
    7. Supporting Visuals and Quotes
    8. Future Plans
    9. Name to Action

  1. Title: Desire it short. Make a succinct however appealing project name chances are high you’ll possibly presumably presumably give the work you did with your self-discipline.
  2. Subtitle: Employ this replica to briefly elaborate on the accomplishment. What became done? The case behold itself will point to how you bought there.
  3. Executive Summary: A 2-4 sentence summary of the total account. You would possibly possibly well are searching to study it with 2-3 bullet points that uncover metrics showcasing success.
  4. In regards to the Topic: An introduction to the actual person or firm you served, which is also pulled from a LinkedIn Substitute profile or shopper web web page.
  5. Challenges and Goals: A 2-3 paragraph description of the shopper’s challenges, prior to utilizing your services or merchandise. This fragment would possibly possibly well presumably also still also encompass the targets or targets the shopper feature out to carry out.
  6. How Product/Provider Helped: A 2-3 paragraph fragment that describes how your services or merchandise supplied a answer to their nervousness.
  7. Outcomes: A 2-3 paragraph testimonial that proves how your services or merchandise particularly benefited the actual person or firm, and helped carry out its targets. Consist of numbers to quantify your contributions.
  8. Supporting Visuals or Quotes: Utilize one or two highly tremendous quotes that chances are high you’ll possibly feature at the bottom of the sections above, as successfully as a visual that supports the account additionally, you will very successfully be telling.
  9. Future Plans: Everybody likes an epilogue. Touch upon what’s forward for your case behold self-discipline, whether or now now not or now now not those plans involve you.
  10. Name to Action (CTA): No longer every case behold needs a CTA, however placing a passive one at the head of your case behold can abet your readers to take an circulation for your web web page after discovering out in regards to the work you’ve got done.

To allow you to visualize this case behold interpret, inspect the case behold template below, which is also downloaded right here.

case study template: cover page example

case study template: results and solution page example

When laying out your case behold, point of curiosity on conveying the certainty you’ve got gathered within the most decided and concise formulation that chances are high you’ll possibly presumably presumably imagine. Catch it easy to scan and comprehend, and create glorious to present a qualified name-to-circulation at the bottom — that will possibly also still present readers an exchange to be taught extra about your services or merchandise.

9. Submit and promote your case behold.

You doubtlessly have finished your case behold, it be time to post and promote. Some case behold formats have pleasing obvious promotional shops — a video case behold can prance on YouTube, accurate as an infographic case behold can prance on Pinterest.

However there are still exchange ways to post and promote your case behold. Here are a couple of solutions:

Gated Leisurely a Weblog Post

As acknowledged earlier listed right here, written case experiences create terrific lead-mills even as you exchange them into a downloadable layout, esteem a PDF. To generate leads out of your case behold, middle of attention on writing a weblog post that tells an abbreviated account of your shopper’s success and asking readers to bear out a invent with their name and e-mail contend with if they’d esteem to be taught the leisure in your PDF.

Then, promote this weblog post on social media, by strategy of a Facebook post or a tweet.

Revealed as a Net page on Your Net online page

As a rising trade, chances are high you’ll possibly want to uncover your case behold out within the starting up to develop the belief of your target viewers.

Rather than gating it within the wait on of a touchdown web page, post your case behold to its have web page for your web web page, and narrate of us right here out of your homepage with a “Case Evaluate” or “Testimonials” button alongside your homepage’s top navigation bar.

Substitute Case Leer Examples

You drove the outcomes, made the connect, feature the expectations, dilapidated the questionnaire to behavior a winning interview, and boiled down your findings into a compelling account. And at the least of that, additionally, you will very successfully be left with a dinky fragment of gross sales enabling gold — a case behold.

To uncover you what a successfully-completed closing product looks esteem, have a discover at each one in every of these marketing and marketing case behold examples.

1. “Novel England Journal of Remedy,” by Corey McPherson Nash

new england journal of medicine medical case study example

When branding and create studio Corey McPherson Nash showcases its work, it’s miles useful for it to be visual — at the least, that’s what they fabricate. So in building the case behold for the studio’s work on the Novel England Journal of Remedy’s integrated selling marketing and marketing campaign — a project that incorporated the aim of promoting the shopper’s digital presence — Corey McPherson Nash confirmed its viewers what it did, as an exchange of purely telling it.

Watch that the case behold does encompass some light written replica — which contains the most necessary points we’ve instructed — however in actuality lets the visuals fabricate the speaking, allowing customers to no doubt absorb the studio’s services.

2. “Shopify Makes expend of HubSpot CRM to Remodel High Quantity Gross sales Organization,” by HubSpot

shopify case study example

What’s appealing about this case behold is the style it leads with the shopper. This displays a necessary HubSpot credo, which is to incessantly resolve for the shopper first. The replica leads with a transient description of why Shopify uses HubSpot, and is accompanied by a transient video and some current statistics on the firm.

Watch that this case behold uses mixed-media. Yes, there would possibly possibly be a transient video, however it be elaborated upon within the additional text on the web page. So, while case experiences can expend one or the opposite, don’t be afraid to combine written replica with visuals to emphasize the project’s success.

3. “Designing the Future of City Farming,” by IDEO

ideo urban farming business case study example

Here’s a create firm that knows the good approach to lead with simplicity in its case experiences. As rapidly as the visitor arrives at the web page, he or she is greeted with a enormous, heroic characterize, and two comparatively easy columns of text — “The Instruct” and “The Result.”

Straight away, IDEO has communicated two of the case behold’s main pillars. And while that’s colossal — the firm created a answer for vertical farming startup INFARM’s feature — it does now not quit there. As the patron scrolls down, those pillars are elaborated upon with total (however now now not overwhelming) replica that outlines what that project appeared esteem, replete with quotes and extra visuals.

4. “Steady Wi-Fi Wins Substantial for Tournament,” by WatchGuard

Then, there are the situations when visuals can instruct nearly the total account — when completed accurately. Network safety provider WatchGuard is in a place of residing to fabricate that by strategy of this video, which tells the account of how its services enhanced the attendee and vendor skills at the Windmill Ideally pleasant Frisbee tournament.

5. Rock and Roll Corridor of Status Boosts Social Media Engagement and Brand Consciousness with HubSpot

hubspot engagement and brand awareness campaign case study exampleIn the case behold above, HubSpot uses pictures, videos, screenshots, and precious stats to instruct the account of how the Rock and Roll Corridor of Status dilapidated the bot, CRM, and social media instruments to develop effect awareness.

6. Runt Desk Plant Substitute United statesSales by 30% With Trello

trello small business case study example

This case behold from Trello is simple and uncomplicated to possess. It begins by explaining the background of the firm that decided to make expend of it, what their targets had been, and one of the best device they planned to make expend of Trello to lend a hand them.

It then goes on to talk about how the gadget became implemented and what duties and groups benefited from it. Towards the head, it explains the gross sales outcomes that came from enforcing the gadget and contains quotes from resolution-makers at the firm that implemented it.

7. Facebook’s Mercedes Benz Success Tale

Facebook’s Success Stories web page hosts a resolve on of successfully-designed and uncomplicated-to-tag case experiences that visually and editorially salvage to the final analysis rapidly.

Every behold begins with key stats that design the reader in. Then it be organized by highlighting an nervousness or aim within the introduction, the approach the firm took to attain their targets, and the outcomes. Then, at the head, Facebook notes the instruments dilapidated within the case behold.

facebook automobile industry case study example

Showcasing Your Work

You work laborious at what you fabricate. Now, it be time to uncover it to the arena — and, presumably extra crucial, to doubtless possibilities.

However earlier than you blow their have horns the projects that create you the proudest, create glorious you note the crucial steps that can lend a hand create glorious that that work is successfully communicated, and leaves all events feeling upright about it.

Have to be taught as you write your case behold? Listen to an audio summary of this post below.

For a straightforward formulation to starting up, salvage your free case behold template below, and prance develop a case behold that makes your self-discipline proud of their success.

Editor’s Screen: This weblog post became at the starting up published in February 2017 however became as a lot as this point for comprehensiveness and freshness in July 2021.

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In the origin published Aug 5, 2021 2: 00: 00 PM, as a lot as this point August 06 2021

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