It happens to every marketer. You want to reach a particular sector of prospective customers, but no matter what you do, your prospects don’t convert as much as you’d like. That’s what happened to me with an industry that was especially challenging to sell to.
I got through from the back door, writing for companies that serve multiple industries, including this one, but I wanted more.
I’ve been using case studies for years – from the time I collected thank you notes from customers at my first job, where no one believed we had any satisfied customers – but I’ve never used them to introduce myself to companies I want to work with.
It was time to step up my game – and it worked.
As a result of incorporating case studies in introductory emails, I doubled my response rate, closed the deal with a higher-than-usual percentage of the companies I pitched – and it was one of my shortest sales cycles ever.
And still, there’s a problem with case studies that too many companies face.
Case studies convince prospects because they feature interviews with your customers, who describe how your solution helped them. Case studies allow you to tell stories in a non-salesy way, with your customers as heroes and your product as their magic wand.
New to case studies? Here’s what they’re all about (watch until the end to see what happens with the baby bears):
But here’s the problem:
Case studies aren’t easy to create. You need to decide on goals, find customers who’ll participate, then do your research, come up with interview questions, conduct interviews, write the case study, edit the case study, and get customer consent for publication.
And that’s before you even start marketing the case study.
Therefore, many marketers fear the ROI won’t be enough to justify their efforts, and they resolve to do nothing at all.
That’s why I decided to do a mini research of best practices.
For 3 months, I emailed, Skyped and talked on the phone with amazing marketing experts from 5 countries (OK, most are from the US, but we also have people here from Canada, Israel, Australia and Uganda).
In this post, they share their success stories of case study marketing, so you can follow in their footsteps and make a bigger impact.
Who are the Marketers in this Expert Roundup?
The marketers featured here hold different positions in a multitude of company sizes and company types around the world.
You’ll recognize some company names, like….
- Rainmaker Digital (formerly Copyblogger Media)
- Constant Contact
- GoAnimate
- Mirasee (formerly Firepole Marketing)
- There’s even a former Facebook and White House executive here
…. and you’ll probably learn a few new ones, like….
- G(irls)20 Summit, which was founded by one of BBC’s Top 100 Women at the Clinton Global Initiative
- Set Her Free, a nonprofit that saves girls from the sex industry
But regardless of their differences, they all share one important strategy in common:
They all use case studies to increase the return on their marketing investment… and to make this world a better place.
This is the inaugural post of my new monthly blog, which I’m starting to make sure you take action that leads to better results with content. Welcome aboard!
Therefore, I’ve come up with two ways you can make actual money by reading this inaugural post:
To celebrate the launch of my monthly blog and the 4th biziversary (biz anniversary) of my freelance writing business, I’m giving away $3,000 worth in copywriting services… to help you launch anything you want.
Click here today for your chance to win (time sensitive!).
There’s no easy way to way to say it. Simply reading a post, even one with massive value, doesn’t really make you money or brings in any type of results.
There’s a ton of valuable information and strategies in this roundup, that you can take to your company and team. Take notes while reading, then leave a comment at the end of this post, and tell our experts what 1 action you’ll take this week to increase your own bottom line and make a difference in the world. There’s nothing like public accountability, and we’ll all be cheering for you!
Got your pen or smartphone ready? Here are the top ways marketers around the world get meaningful results with case studies.
Let’s start from the top. Every company needs to generate income, and industry studies constantly rank case studies as the most effective way to do just that for a reason.
Danny Iny (Canada), founder and CEO of Mirasee (previously Firepole Marketing) and the Business Reimagined podcast. Best selling author of multiple books for visionary entrepreneurs.
“A big challenge was that the work we do is quite unique – the support we offer, the value we offer, and the results our students experience. It’s beyond the norm.
“If you’ve bought competing products, you assume that represents what’s possible, and it doesn’t. Instead of telling our audience that we’re different, we use case studies to show them.
“I can’t remember who said it – ‘When you talk about yourself, it’s bragging. When others talk about you, it’s proof’. But results don’t speak for themselves unless you capture them.
“I can’t point to a specific result and say this is because of case studies. You can’t split test everything. But in 2014, we had 1.25 million dollars in revenue. We closed 2015 with close to 3 million dollars in revenue, and one of the biggest things we did in 2015 was put an emphasis on case studies.”
About Danny Iny: Danny Iny is the CEO and founder of Mirasee (previously Firepole Marketing), a company that offers training and support to visionary entrepreneurs looking to create income through impact. Danny is the host of the Business Reimagined podcast, and the best-selling author of multiple books, including Engagement from Scratch!, The Audience Revolution and Teach and Grow Rich.
Tina-Marie Gulley (USA), Director of Marketing at SmartFocus and an expert global marketing strategist.
“I’ve used case studies in every role I’ve held. I tell our sales people how many case studies I need every quarter. Whoever gives them to me gets an award – like an iPad or Apple TV.
About Tina-Marie Gulley: Tina-Marie Gulley is the director of marketing, North America, at SmartFocus, where she drives one of the company’s largest growth areas. SmartFocus, which redefines context-driven marketing, helps over 2,500 customers – including Macy’s, Mercedes-Benz and HP – deliver 60 billion personalized interactions and 7 million email campaigns annually. An expert global marketing strategist, Tina-Marie previously led marketing strategies at Accelerite and White Pages PRO.
Alison Mudock (USA), growth-focused SVP of Marketing at Verto Analytics, and the former VP of Marketing at 6sense.
“As a company that gives companies the power and the technology to predict sales and the buying stage of every prospect – known and unknown – it was extremely important to have our customers verify concretely how 6sense’s predictive intelligence platform had an impact on their business.
About Alison Murdock: Alison Murdock is a growth-focused professional with a great network, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and a sense of humor. Alison recently wrapped her role as VP of marketing at 6sense, a B2B predictive intelligence engine for sales and marketing. She is now the senior vice president of marketing at Verto Analytics, a pioneer in digital, multi-screen media measurement.
Osnat Broshi-Chen (Israel), MA. CEO of Concept, a branding and business strategist, and a tourism crisis management expert.
“I often use case studies to sell without selling. Whether I stand in front of an audience or work with a client, I talk about clients I’ve worked with, dilemmas we’ve dealt with, and the transformation these clients have gone through. Prospects can identify with these stories, which markets me as the best option.
About Osnat Broshi-Chen: Osnat Broshi-Chen, MA, is a branding and business strategist, and a tourism crisis management expert. A PhD student at the University of Haifa, she combines academic knowledge of creativity and innovation and years-long practical experience in the business world. As the founder and CEO of Concept, she helps business owners market with their hearts without selling their souls. If you can read Hebrew, get branding tips from Osnat on Concept’s Facebook page.
Jessie Kwak (USA), experienced freelance B2B copywriter by day, novelist by night.
“Most of the clients who come my way have a pretty solid idea of what content they want me to write. But on occasion, I get a client who’s looking to change their strategy, or is just starting out. Often, those are the clients who need advice on what types of content will work best for their business, and how to market those pieces.
“For that reason, it’s nice to have a wide range of client case studies tucked into my back pocket when discussing a project with a new client. When I was speaking to a potential client about B2B blogging packages, he shied away from buying because he wasn’t sure it would actually bring customers to his site. I was able to point to a different client of mine, who had trouble gaining traction on their B2B blog until they started posting the content I wrote for them on LinkedIn. After the shares and likes started rolling in from LinkedIn, this other company saw a return on investment for their blog.
“After hearing that, my potential client was willing to take the plunge and buy a blogging package from me.”
About Jessie Kwak: Jessie Kwak is a freelance B2B copywriter and novelist. By day, she helps her clients rock their content marketing initiatives (with articles published on sites like Forbes and LearnVest); by night, she creates adventurous worlds that entertain. You can find her copywriting portfolio at jlkwak.com, and her fiction (including her brand new novel, Shifting Borders) at jessiekwak.com.
Diane Autey (USA), marketing expert and sales support content manager at RedBrick Health.
“We have a large client that was up for renewal. The client issued an RFP (request for proposal) we were in the process of responding to, and the account team feared we were going to lose the business due to service issues and our delay in rolling out a new platform.
“A presentation for the client’s key decision-makers was held at RedBrick Health. We printed and displayed on easels throughout the board room summaries of consumer success stories. These were all employees of the client and we included the client’s logo.
About Diane Autey: With over two decades in marketing communications and public relations, Diane Autey is in charge of sales-supporting content at RedBrick Health. RedBrick works with large companies to help their employees lead healthier lives – with cutting edge behavioral science, technology and data analytics. Read Diane’s Life Lessons series on LinkedIn.
Tamar Sasson (Israel), experienced director of special projects, marketing and communications at Gvahim.
“We’re a nonprofit, so we measure things a little differently than businesses, but marketing is marketing. We noticed that when we share success stories on social media, people are more interested in what we do, so we decided to share success stories for our startup accelerator program, The Hive, and the course was filled up.
About Tamar Sasson: Tamar Sasson is the director of special projects, marketing and communications at Gvahim, a nonprofit that successfully incorporates international talents into the Israeli economy and top Israeli companies. Prior to Gvahim, Tamar was the audience development strategist and consultant at The Economist, and a communications and press professional at the Clinton Foundation.
Adam Toren (USA), award winning co-founder of Kidpreneurs, Young Enterpreneur and Small Business, Big Vision.
“My brother’s daughter was 8 years old at the time when she asked him, “Daddy, what do you and Uncle do as your job (Entrepreneurs)?” The fact that she knew what a doctor, dentist, lawyer and nurse were, but had no clue what a small business owner or entrepreneur did really bothered us. This great country we live in was founded on entrepreneurship, and we felt it was important for her to at least understand the basics, whether she was going to go down the entrepreneurial path or not.
About Adam Toren: Adam Toren is an award winning author, entrepreneur, adviser and investor. He and his brother, Matthew, co-founded Kidpreneurs to provide kids with tools and strategies to start and grow successful business ventures. Among others, Adam also co-founded YoungEnterpreneur.com, a network that helped like-minded entrepreneurs start and grow business ventures, and Small Business, Big Vision, where he and his brother teach entrepreneurs how to dominate the market.
Dave Schneider (USA), co-founder of NinjaOutreach and founder of SelfMadeBusinessman.
(UPDATE: Dave no longer runs these websites, but can be found at lesschurn.io and daveschneider.me)
“People who use a software want to see other people being successful with it. They need to not just be taught how to use the features but how to achieve a tangible result with it. This is most aptly shown through case studies, which puts the actual software in the context of a real campaign.
“When we are successful with our own outreach, we make case studies of these, and then we add them to the educational part of our onboarding email series, so that our sign ups can benefit from them, and frankly copy them and apply them to their own outreach campaigns.
“Using case studies was one of several things we did, but this has been important in increasing our trial to sign up paid conversions from 25% to over 45%.”
About Dave Schneider: Dave Schneider is the co-founder of NinjaOutreach, an innovative blogger outreach software for marketers. As someone who left a Fortune 500 corporate job behind to travel the world and successfully build his own online business, he writes about business and entrepreneurship at SelfMadeBusinessman, including quality case studies and comprehensive resources.
(UPDATE: Dave no longer runs these websites, but can be found at lesschurn.io and daveschneider.me)
Robinah Sarah (Uganda), founder and CEO of Set Her Free, saves girls from sexual slavery.
“This has happened so many times – our girls go back to school and we didn’t have school fees.
About Robinah Sarah: Robinah Sarah is the founder of Set Her Free, an Uganda-based nonprofit organization that saves girls from sexual slavery – the most vile form of child labor – and provides them with a home, food, medical care, counseling, formal education, technical training, mentoring and the love they’ve been denied. Click here to sponsor a girl or buy the girls’ handmade jewelry.
Farah Mohamed (Canada), founder and CEO of G(irls)20 Summit, and one of BBC’s Top 100 Women.
“Right now, there’s very big gap between girls’ skills and education, which leads to unemployment. We have said to men, women, government people, business people that girls need to be educated. And let’s make sure that the girl we send to school pursues opportunities – and that opportunities exist. We want tangible outcomes.
“The stories help us show the potential we can all reach when if we invest in girls. These stories are the lifeblood of every organization. Their words are much more powerful than mine will ever be – as it should be.”
About Farah Mohamed: Farah Mohamed is the founder and CEO of G(irls)20 Summit, which launched at the Clinton Global Initiative. G(irls)20 Summit galvanizes a new generation of female leaders while working with G20 leaders to keep their commitment to create 100 million new jobs for women by 2025. Among others, Farah was named one of BBC’s Top 100 Women, was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and reached Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit.
Dorit Abramovich (Israel), speaker, activist, online marketing manager, and manager of nationwide campaigns for social transformation.
“I was invited to speak in front of the research department at Strauss Group (Israel’s largest food manufacturer, which operates in 22 countries). Every corporation has a department like this. Whether they want to develop a new product or improve a current one, they conduct quantitative research and interview focus groups to make it the most accurate product they can.
About Dorit Abramovich: Dorit Abramovich has been helping girls and women her whole life. As a child, she protected girls from getting beat up at school. As a woman, she promotes women’s businesses and teaches gender studies in Israel and around the world. Dorit, who got her master’s degree at the United Kingdom, created the non-trivial link between surviving incest and claiming her power to run nationwide campaigns that transform the social, business and political reality of women.
Michael Crosson (USA), award winning founder of Social Mediopolis and the largest social media marketing group on LinkedIn.
“One of my biggest challenges came from working at a social media sharing company called SocialTwist. Their platform allowed easy sharing of messages across all social media venues including email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
About Michael Crosson: A winner of over 30 advertising and marketing awards, Michael Crosson is the founder of the largest Social Media Marketing Group on LinkedIn, which has over 1,400,000 members across 23 sub-groups, and Social Mediopolis, a resource for social media professionals. Michael was a key member of the executive team that took MapQuest.com public and sold it to AOL, the co-founder of the International Webcasting Association of Europe, and the founder of Crosson and Partners advertising agency.
Melissa Buch (Israel), branding expert and Tel-Aviv Branch Director at Morillas.
“When I go to present Morillas to new potential clients, I usually have 15 to 20 minutes to convince the person we’re worth a try. These people – marketing managers, brand managers, CEOs – meet several companies a week… There is a challenge to impress and stand out.
About Melissa Buch: Melissa Buch is a branding expert and the Tel-Aviv branch director of Morillas, an international branding agency with over 50 years of leadership, serving brands like Nexus, Telefonica and Coca Cola. Born in France and raised in Spain, Melissa has a French brother, Moroccan mother and an Argentine father. This diversity is an asset and driving force for her. She currently lives in Israel, expanding the Israeli market for Morillas.
Eric Hinson (USA), founder and CEO of Explainify, and story marketing expert.
“Explainify is an animated video production company, and when we started out we were mostly working with small, early-stage, tech and software startups to create explainer videos for their websites.
“We love working with startups – their energy and passion is incredible – but we always felt it was important to balance our portfolio with some recognizable big brands that would add an element of prestige and recognizability to our work. When other companies (including startups) see that you’ve worked with top global brands, they’re more likely to trust your work immediately.
The challenge was signing on that first big-name client. Brands are used to working with marketing agencies that they’ve worked with time and again – and know they can trust. To work with a company, they need to know that you can match their brand, make a video that meets their standards of quality, and work with their (often tight) deadlines.
The real breakthrough came when General Electric approached us to make a video for a big PR push they were doing to highlight a $1.7 billion dollar deal with the country of Egypt – and they needed the video in three weeks. So, naturally, we did it in two. The video was a hit all over Egypt and the U.S., our client was delighted, and we had a beautiful new video for GE that we could share with the world.
That engagement completely re-defined what Explainify could be. By sharing the video, along with its case study, as a prospecting tool with potential new clients – we can show that we have what it takes to work with the big boys. The GE case study has been huge for us on two levels: First, potential clients can see what an incredible video we can produce for a global brand. Second, the story of how we made it happen on-budget and ahead of schedule with minimum (but critical!) input from the brand demonstrated that our process and our team could meet the needs of a multi-national corporation.
We’ve had the opportunity to move beyond the standard explainer video to produce high-end animated marketing pieces for huge brands the world over – from Johnson and Johnson, to Tyson Foods – directly as a result of sharing this case study.
About Eric Hinson: Eric Hinson is the founder and CEO of Explainify, which specializes in short, engaging explainer videos that influence buying decisions. Among others, Explainify has served General Electric and Charity: Water. Click here to get a free copy of Eric’s eBook, Cut the Crap and Close More Deals.
We Raised Funding in a Competitive Market
Evan Baehr (USA), co-founder of Able, co-author of Get Backed, former Facebook and White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives executive.
“We’ve worked with hundreds of companies, and what we argue in our new book, Get Backed, is that story is critical for pitch decks and raising capital. Most people are very straight forward, but the ones that tell compelling stories are more likely to succeed.
About Evan Baehr: Evan Baehr is the co-founded Able, an online lender to small businesses. His previous startup was funded by PayPal’s co-founder, Peter Thiel. Before that, Evan worked at Facebook under Sheryl Sandberg, worked for the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and co-founded Harvard Business School’s Ideas@Work, among others. His book, Get Backed, is an Amazon bestseller that shares pitch decks and tips from startups that raised over $150 million.
Case Studies Prove that “Our Product is Awesome” is True
Nathan Chan (Australia), founder of the Foundr magazine and podcast, and Instagram expert.
“We were getting asked so frequently how we were using Instagram to rapidly grow Foundr to get more leads, sales and profit. So we created a step by step Instagram Marketing Course, and from here we have used the success of many of our students to further on sell it.
About Nathan Chan: Founder of the digital magazine Foundr, Nathan Chan shows aspiring entrepreneurs what it takes to become successful – with articles, videos, a podcast and exclusive interviews with leading entrepreneurs like Sir Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Seth Godin and Tim Ferriss. Find out how Nathan grew Foundr quickly by getting his free guide on how to get 10,000 Instagram Followers in 12 Weeks.
Case Studies Give My Team Credibility in Sales Calls
Tina-Marie Gulley (USA), Director of Marketing at SmartFocus and an expert global marketing strategist.
“Our sales team is always looking for case studies. I can say how great my technology is, but I work in the company, so I have a vested interest. But if I have a customer who’s vouching that I’m right and shares the results, that’s going to help me seal so many deals.
“Similarly, if someone has already engaged with us, and we can’t get them to move to the next stage… lots of times we can use case studies to say we helped this company get here, and we’d like to help you achieve the same results or better.”
About Tina-Marie Gulley: Tina-Marie Gulley is the director of marketing, North America, at SmartFocus, where she drives one of the company’s largest growth areas. SmartFocus, which redefines context-driven marketing, helps over 2,500 customers – including Macy’s, Mercedes-Benz and HP – deliver 60 billion personalized interactions and 7 million email campaigns annually. An expert global marketing strategist, Tina-Marie previously led marketing strategies at Accelerite and White Pages PRO.
Case Studies Help Us Build Trust with Prospects
Michael Guberti (USA), co-founder of Teenager Entrepreneur and Smart Business People. 19 year old entrepreneur.
“As the founders of Smart Business People, a done-for-you social media and online marketing service, Marc and I have used our case studies of successful and satisfied clients to build rapport with new ones.
“In today’s world, with a multitude of online services that vary in quality, consumers have become more diligent about pre-purchase research. They want to be assured that the service they invest in will perform. The social proof and credibility that comes from client case studies breaks down that mental barrier of initial suspicion.”
About Michael Guberti: Michael Guberti is a 19 year old entrepreneur, who co-founded Teenager Entrepreneur with his younger brother, Marc, to help teenagers around the world convert their passions into products. The brothers also founded Smart Business People, a social media marketing agency. Michael is an author and speaker, who won the Best Small Business Marketing Campaign of the Year Award for selling his business workshops.
We Use Case Studies in Industry Reports to Establish Ourselves as Industry Leaders
Michael Crosson (USA), award winning founder of Social Mediopolis and the largest social media marketing group on LinkedIn.
“I started the Social Media Marketing group on LinkedIn.com in March of 2008 as a way of communicating with marketers. I was fortunate enough to be the first to do so, and our membership grew exponentially as a result. We now have a total of over 1,400,000 members across a total of 23 groups on LinkedIn, as well as our primary site, SocialMediopolis.com.
“We started selling sponsored emails to SocialMediopolis.com as a way of monetizing our audience, and every step of the way, we collected ROI data from our sponsors and used that to prospect other marketers. We publish our results annually, and use the survey and case studies to continue our new business development efforts.
“Nothing creates more credibility than providing proven results. Case studies are probably the most fundamental way of demonstrating that.”
About Michael Crosson: A winner of over 30 advertising and marketing awards, Michael Crosson is the founder of the largest Social Media Marketing Group on LinkedIn, which has over 1,400,000 members across 23 sub-groups, and Social Mediopolis, a resource for social media professionals. Michael was a key member of the executive team that took MapQuest.com public and sold it to AOL, the co-founder of the International Webcasting Association of Europe, and the founder of Crosson and Partners advertising agency.
We Have Over 50 Employees. Case Studies Put a Human Face on Our Business.
Pamela Wilson (USA), Executive Vice President of Content at Rainmaker Digital (formerly Copyblogger Media), and founder of Big Brand System.
“Last July, we began a new monthly series of case studies on Copyblogger called The Hero’s Journey.
“Each month, we highlight one customer’s professional story. These posts serve as inspiration for our audience because every person highlighted has had to overcome obstacles along the way.
About Pamela Wilson: Pamela Wilson is the executive vice president of education content at Rainmaker Digital. As the woman in charge of Copyblogger, one of the industry’s most respected blogs, Pamela teaches people how to build their authority with powerfully effective content marketing. She’s also the owner of Big Brand System, which helps business owners boost their marketing skills.
Case Studies Teach Us How to Serve Our Customers Better
Dave Charest (USA), senior manager of content and social media marketing at Constant Contact, and host of the Small Biz Stories podcast.
“It’s always a challenge to create content that truly resonates with your audience(s).
“With so much content out there vying for their attention, you need something that’s going to stand out from the noise and make them take notice.
“Customer stories or case studies are a great way to bring your content to life.
“In my view, they help in the following ways:
- You get to know your audience like no one else
- You and those in your company can share these stories to attract more of the people you’re trying to reach to your business
- The stories allow you to create relatable, follow-on content framed with real-life challenges and examples
“As a result of focusing on customer stories, we’re able to create engaging content in many forms that is re-packaged and re-purposed for various business needs: sales, onboarding, field education, and prospect and customer content.
“As we continually try to make marketing simple for small business owners, their stories allow us to better understand their marketing challenges, what’s working for them, and identify areas where they can make adjustments to make their marketing better.
“Overall, customer stories allow us to make better decisions about the content we create and increase the value provided by the content.”
About Dave Charest: Dave Charest is the senior manager of content and social media marketing at Constant Contact. Dave and his team make stuff to help SMBs do better marketing. He’s also a producer and host of the Small Biz Stories podcast, and he writes about how to create great content on his website.
Case Studies Educate Our Prospects and Customers on How to Use Our Product
Amanda Morgan (USA), experienced content and event marketing associate at GoAnimate.
“A challenge for many SaaS companies is proving value. Why should a prospect subscribe to your product? How will it make their jobs easier or help them achieve their revenue goals?
About Amanda Morgan: Amanda Morgan is a content and event marketing associate at GoAnimate, a cloud software that helps anyone to easily create custom animated videos from scratch using drag and drop tools. She’s an experienced marketer, with previous positions in marketing, video production and HR agencies.
Fearful Client was Able to Take Steps Forward After Listening to Another Client’s Success Story
Osnat Broshi-Chen (Israel), MA. CEO of Concept, a branding and business strategist, and a tourism crisis management expert.
“I had a client who’s an architect. It was very hard for her to get the business going, with a husband and two young kids at home. She was very stuck on what she couldn’t do. I experience these difficulties myself – I’m getting my PhD, I run a business, I’m a mom, and I live in the geographic periphery. But I know that once you make up your mind and get professional help – it’s possible.
About Osnat Broshi-Chen: Osnat Broshi-Chen, MA, is a branding and business strategist, and a tourism crisis management expert. A PhD student at the University of Haifa, she combines academic knowledge of creativity and innovation and years-long practical experience in the business world. As the founder and CEO of Concept, she helps business owners market with their hearts without selling their souls. If you can read Hebrew, get branding tips from Osnat on Concept’s Facebook page.
We Proved the Value of Our Work to Shareholders
Tina-Marie Gulley (USA), Director of Marketing at SmartFocus and an expert global marketing strategist.
“Case studies is something that the whole entire business can gain value from. As a technology company, you’re investing so much money into the solution, and you want your customers to see the value, and the case studies are your win – you show that you bring value.
About Tina-Marie Gulley: Tina-Marie Gulley is the director of marketing, North America, at SmartFocus, where she drives one of the company’s largest growth areas. SmartFocus, which redefines context-driven marketing, helps over 2,500 customers – including Macy’s, Mercedes-Benz and HP – deliver 60 billion personalized interactions and 7 million email campaigns annually. An expert global marketing strategist, Tina-Marie previously led marketing strategies at Accelerite and White Pages PRO.
Farah Mohamed (Canada), founder and CEO of G(irls)20 Summit, and one of BBC’s Top 100 Women.
“We are based in Canda, and we work globally. We’ve built a network of 140+ girls that are connected internationally, and they can see the impact on each other. We promote them, we highlight the work they do, we ask their advice before we go to the government.
“We work around the clock, very hard and, all of a sudden, find ourselves in another country.
“You see the delegates you met grow before your eyes, and it gives you that sense of validity.
“Even for me, if I wonder whether to keep going… success stories make you very proud of all the work you’ve done, and shows you that you make a difference. They help me keep doing what I do.”
About Farah Mohamed: Farah Mohamed is the founder and CEO of G(irls)20 Summit, which was launched at the Clinton Global Initiative. The organization galvanizes a new generation of female leaders while working with G20 leaders to keep their commitment to create 100 million new jobs for women by 2025. Among others, Farah was named one of BBC’s Top 100 Women, was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and reached Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit.
Ayelet – this is fantastic! Thanks so much for including me in your roundup. I’m definitely bookmarking this to reread later – there’s just so much information here. 🙂
Thanks so much for participating, Jessie. Loved your success story!
Incredibly detailed. What a post! Thank you for including me in it. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your great General Electric story, Eric!
Wow Ayelet – I had no idea you were working on such an epic post. I’m still reading it because I’m not able to take notes currently.
I was just thinking about the ROI of doing a case study (because I also want to write them for other businesses.)
Forgive me if this is covered later on in the post but I don’t have metrics. I have testimonials I could share, but nothing to say “You saved me $$$.” Most of my regular clients haven’t even sent me a testimonial at all even though I’ve requested one.
How would you go about doing this if you’re a writer? Obviously from this point forward I’ll think of a system to measure this and get more client input up front.
Thanks for commenting, Willi!
I know we usually don’t get access to data as writers, but try asking clients how life is better now. Did they try a bunch of writers that didn’t take time to learn about this company or its audience, and now they get more accurate content because you took that time? Were they writing everything themselves, so their blog was never updated or their other responsibilities suffered, and now they finally got a campaign going and their CEO is happy?
Be specific. If it’s a testimonial, tell them 2-3 items you’d love for them to refer to in the testimonial. It’ll take the pressure off, because writing testimonials isn’t easy. Or you could ask them over the phone/Skype, so they won’t need to “deal” with writing.
Hope this helps! I’m here if you have other questions. You can read more in my guest post for Unbounce. It’s a 34 point checklist for creating case studies that convert, and it covers getting clients to participate in case studies:
http://unbounce.com/content-marketing/create-a-case-study-that-converts/
Wow! What a compelling post! Thanks for making the equal opportunity value of case studies so clear. While I’ve written case studies for clients, I’d never considered doing one for my own business. Great content and great inspiration to take those first steps–AND see them through. 🙂
Thanks for your comment, Dara!
It’s probably obvious by now, but I highly recommend using case studies in your biz. See my response to Willi. I posted a link there to my Unbounce post, where I cover how to get started with this. I’m here for any question. You can do this! 🙂
Hi Ayelet – thanks so much for featuring me here!
Big thanks for sharing your success story, Dave! That’s a really nice increase in conversions 🙂
This is fantastic, informative, and so inspiring, Ayelet! Well done! 🙂
Thanks so much, Krista! These folks are awesome for sharing their experiences, that’s for sure 🙂
Ayelet, thanks for including me on this extremely informative article!
Adam, thanks so much for taking the time to share Kidpreneurs’ story. Here’s to helping as many kids as possible shine 🙂
Dear Ayelet, Thanks for including me in this mega-valuable content. You have made an outstanding job with so much value that is really impressive. It is an honor to be a part of this
Really appreciate the kind words and the time you took to share your experience, Osnat. Love all the ways you use case studies to grow your business and help your clients move forward.
[…] impact is widespread. In fact, when conducted interviews with 21 marketers from 5 countries (including a former White House executive and one of BBC’s Top 100 Women of 2014), I found that […]