Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The Do's and Don'ts of Case Studies (According to MarketingProfs.com)

We use case studies for a variety of reasons. Vendors might use them to show how specifics services and products have helped clients. Certification organizations might use a case study as a testimonial from a certificant outlining why they sought certification and how it’s helped them professionally (and personally, in some cases).

I came across an article on MarketingProfs.com on why too many case studies don’t work. The 10 tips they listed were all helpful, but this one stuck out at us—don’t use sweeping generalizations. In other words, show us, don’t tell us.

Telling readers why you’re so great isn’t nearly as effective as showing them how you’re so great. Let’s say you have a certificant with a great story of how achieving certification helped their career. Don’t just say, “Achieving the XYZ credential helped Joe Smith professionally.” Tell the reader how. Did they get a raise or promotion? Did they receive more responsibility in the workplace? Did they get a new job that otherwise would’ve been out of reach?

It seems like a pretty basic tactic, but one that is overlooked too much. Show us…don’t tell us. Let that be our new mantra.

Unfortunately, to read the article you need a login to marketingprofs.com. Click here for more info.

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