When disaster strikes, heroes come to the forefront. If your company hasn’t told the story of how you adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic – or helped others do so – now is the time for a case study.
Case studies are some of the most persuasive forms of marketing. This is especially true at the top and middle of the marketing funnel, when prospects are just discovering what solutions are out there and are narrowing down the options.
Like testimonials, case studies make your company and customers more relatable to the prospective customer. They also help prospects see more concretely how your solutions can be applied to meet their needs and challenges.
Industries That Will Benefit the Most From Case Studies
While the pandemic has taken a huge toll on many industries, other industries are now relied on more than ever. Customers of these industries need to know how your solutions can keep their businesses afloat, help employees and customers work and shop while social distancing, and directly or indirectly save lives.
Here are a few industries that could use case studies to harness a sudden spike in demand:
- E-learning solutions
- Online training and education
- Team collaboration tools
- Videoconferencing, file sharing, etc.
- VOIP/hosted phone systems
- Telemedicine/telehealth
- Online or mobile ordering
- Internet services
Even if you’re not in one of these industries, case studies could be of great benefit. For example, how many generic emails have you received from businesses the past few weeks along the lines of “This is how we’re responding to the current situation…”? If you’re like me, then so many that I can’t even open them all.
While informative, the content of these messages would be more impactful in the form of a story. Specifically showing how your measures impacted one customer and made their life will resonate and impress more than general notifications.
Angles to Take With Case Studies
There are many ways to be a hero during the pandemic and the resultant shutdowns and shortages. Did your company provide solutions that helped yourselves, another company, or customers:
- Stay in business?
- Improve their bottom line, or at least minimize losses?
- Retain employees, even if at reduced hours or productivity?
- Shift to remote operations?
- Shift to online service or sales?
- Provide vital communications either to customers or internally?
- Enter a new market?
- Provide solutions or assistance to those in need?
- Provide essential goods and services?
- Care for underemployed individuals?
- Minimize exposure to or transmission of coronavirus?
These are just a few prompts to get you started. How did your company help someone through the challenges of the past few weeks?
Ways to Use Case Studies
Case studies are amazingly versatile assets and can be used in every area of your business communications with minimal adjustment.
With a little shortening or expansion, or taking a different spin on the same story, you can adapt your case study to fit multiple channels and media.
Use them in advertising and marketing communications, sales rep training, press releases, industry rewards submissions, fundraising appeals and grant proposals, annual reports, and more.
As an example of a success story during these times of coronavirus, check out my own most recent case study about how I helped one small business rapidly shift to online sales and marketing.
Go get your story out there! Let others know how you can help them. There was never a more urgent time in recent years to get the word out.