Statistics show that in a B2B setting, case studies help convert and accelerate leads. Similarly, a separate survey noted that 73% of B2B marketers use case studies for their content marketing. Furthermore, 47% of B2B marketers consider case studies the most successful form of content marketing. Below are more reasons why case studies are important for industrial marketers:
- – Case studies are niche-specific and very targeted. As an industrial company, your target readers are primarily engineers, so you need content that interests them. Case studies are never vague or general; they focus on a very specific topic. You can use them to create engineering content that is related to your product or service.
- – Case studies help position your brand’s authority. Case studies are produced based on researched conclusions. This research that you publish helps boost your brand’s authoritative reputation within your industry because it shows what you did and how you attained positive results. You can also produce engineering case studies with brands or customers that you’ve worked with. In terms of marketing, customers prefer learning what other people have to say about you over what you have to say about yourself.
- – Case studies explain how problems are solved. Case studies not only focus on customers but on how your product or service has been successfully used. They serve as documentation of how your product can be used by the customers and the sort of results they can expect. It shows how your company was able to help solve a customer’s particular problem.
- – Case studies are your social proof. Your case studies demonstrate success and give your company more credibility. They prove that your words are backed up by real accomplishments, and help reassure customers that they are making a good investment by buying your product or using your services.
- – Case studies can be used as a lead to make more related content. After publishing several engineering case studies, you can focus on specific takeaways and use them as a framework for other related content. You can produce blog posts, newsletters, and videos that discuss the smallest of details with your readers.
Steps in Creating Effective Engineering Case Studies
Let’s take a look at how you can create engineering case studies for your industrial business.
1. Introduce the customer.
Engineering case studies should begin with an introduction to the customer and what they do. This helps readers understand why that particular company needed you in the first place. You can share information about the project that you worked on. Other details to include are:
- – The scope of the project, including the limitations of the processes involved
- – The timeline of your involvement with the customer as it relates to the problem at hand
- – The top challenges you encountered along the way
- – The reason your company was hired to do the job or the reason your product was purchased
2. Explain the challenge.
The second step in creating engineering case studies is to explain what challenges the customer faced. It’s helpful to interview your client’s main point of contact and capture their words or thoughts on why you were chosen to help them. Help your readers understand the extent of the problem and how it affects the customer’s overall business. By doing this, new customers may be able to relate and see that they need you too.
3. Develop a narrative.
Guide your reader through the detailed components of the job. You can do this through a form of storytelling. Start from the beginning and tell your readers what worked and what didn’t. Make it engaging and relatable. Don’t forget to emphasize your company’s engineering skills and expertise throughout the narrative to let readers know that you offer a solution and are a worthwhile partner.
4. Provide a solution.
Summarizing the job is not enough to convince people that they should hire you or buy your product. You have to show them why you are the perfect solution to their engineering problems. When creating your engineering case studies, it’s critical to capture exactly how you were able to solve the problem. Get into the specifics by including the equipment involved, the processes done, and the engineering protocols that you used. It’s important to include evidence of the successful outcome, and relate this to the benefits for the client.