How Understanding B2B Buying Processes Helps Me Increase Engagement and Conversion as a Freelance Case Study Writer

 

Case studies consistently rank in industry studies as a top 3 or top 5 most efficient strategy to convert prospects into prospects during the decision stage – and they rank so high for a reason. Also known as success stories, using case studies is a proven way to increase sales. Case studies convince prospects because they feature interviews with your customers, who describe how your solution helped them overcome challenges your prospects are still facing.

 

“Ayelet has been helping SHARE by penning beautiful success stories about our scholarship program. When we told her about Joanitha, our first SHARE Scholar, she was so moved that she did further research on Joanitha, and was able to put together a perfect, moving summary of Joanitha’s experiences as a girl in Tanzania, and as SHARE’s first scholar. Ayelet’s work is fantastic, and I highly recommend that anyone reach out to her if they are in need of a success story.”

– Shannon McNamara, founder of SHARE in Africa and winner of a United Nations Youth Achievement Recognition Award

 

 

Case Studies Provide Instant Trust and Increased Revenue

 

Ads are expensive, yet “you are 279.64 times more likely to climb Mt. Everest and reach the summit than you are to click on a banner ad,” declared Solve Media, which specializes in CAPTCHA ads. A survey by Forrester Research reaffirms this: Only 10% of its 58,000 respondents testified they trust ads, yet 70% trust recommendations from friends and family members. 46% trust online reviews written by other customers. When familiarity isn’t available, people rely mostly on those who overcame similar challenges to their own.

 

That’s where case studies come in. With case studies, you let your happy customers promote you themselves. They’ll share how your product or service changed their lives, jobs and business operations for the better, and they’ll do it in a way humans are wired to learn. With the help of a skilled freelance B2B case study writer, they’ll do it by telling a story.

 

Farah-Mohamed“An exceptional writer, Ayelet has a deep appreciation for being innovative while being authentic to the subject matter. She is enthusiastic, committed to deadlines and shows the type of initiative which is rare.

I enjoyed working with her and hope to do so again soon.”

                                – Farah Mohamed, CEO of Malala Fund (founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai), founder of G(irls)20 Summit (partners with Google and the United Nations foundation GirlUp), and one of BBC’s Top 100 Women

 

 

Case Studies Provide the Secret Sauce: A Story Prospects Emotionally Relate to, Backed by Data

According to Psychology Today, fMRI testing shows that when people evaluate brands, they evaluate them with emotions first. So what a brand makes a customer feel is going to have a much greater impact than, say, product features.

In B2B, it’s easy to ignore this.

After all, we’re marketing to companies.

To intelligent people.

To professionals who need to show bottom line results to stakeholders.

But while all that is true, we still market to human beings.

I go more in depth into this in the following video, but here’s what you need to know:

 

 

In a study by Google, the CEB and Motista, 48% of B2B participants – pretty much half the people – said they haven’t spoken up in their company, even when they’ve wanted to buy a new solution, because they have been too afraid of the risk.

According to the study, providing a personal value to business buyers has twice as much impact as providing business value to them.

71% of buyers who see a personal value will purchase a product, and 68% of buyers who see a personal value will pay a higher price for a service.

 

 

A big part of that personal value is to gain their trust on a deeper level than numbers, and then, yes, back it up by data.

A customer story does that by sharing a heroine or a hero:

A professional (or a team), who was in the position your prospect is right now, dealing with the same painful challenges, yet the professional faced her fears, found a solution, and used that solution to overcome the challenges and create dream results.

 

 

How I Get Case Study Testimonials that Help You Convert: A Quick Behind the Scenes Tour of My Process as a Freelance Case Study Writer

Personally, having worked as a freelance B2B case study writer for so long, I’ve developed a process that helps me get efficient case studies and customer quotes, that are actually relevant for your specific target audience.

Here it is:

 

 

 

 

 

31 Ways to Repurpose One Case Study After Working with a Freelance Case Study Writer

As you can see, to set your freelance case study writer for success, it’s important to share your goals for the project (as much as you’re able to), and give her plenty of room to ask questions, to ensure she understands both the customer story and how to help you meet your goals.

Once you get the case study from your writer, you want to make sure as many prospects see it as possible. You can ask your freelance case study writer to provide multiple versions of the story, suited to different platforms and situations, or take what she submits and repurpose it internally – whatever is more convenient.

 

 

 

One single case study can be used in:

  1. Your home page
  2. A dedicated case study section
  3. Landing pages
  4. Web pages
  5. Blog posts
  6. Poscasts
  7. Videos
  8. Webinars
  9. Ebooks
  10. White papers
  11. Newsletter
  12. Social media marketing
  13. Pitches to trade publications and top blogs
  14. Press releases
  15. Interviews with the media
  16. Commercials
  17. Conferences and presentations
  18. Award applications
  19. Grant applications
  20. Venture capital proposals
  21. Direct marketing
  22. Sales calls

 

 

Plus, insights from your case studies can be used internally to propel growth. For example:

  1. Find out how customers *really* use your product
  2. Improve or integrate product features that were left behind
  3. Create a more strategic content plan
  4. Recruit top talent by showing you make a difference
  5. Engage current employees by showing them they make a difference
  6. Train employees and volunteers to understand your customers more deeply
  7. Prove the value of your work to stakeholders
  8. Increase the budget your get from stakeholders
  9. Recruiting top talent by showing you make a difference

 

… and so much more.

 

 

 

 

Ready for Case Studies that are Customized to Your Audience’s Needs and Your Company’s Growth Goals?

Contact me at [email protected], and I’ll help your customer heroines and heroes shine in stories that gain trust.