Ten Ways to Recycle Your Case Studies for Maximum Response and ROI If you are marketing eco-friendly products, don’t overlook the humble case study as a powerful marketing device. Case studies – also known as project profiles or success stories – can often break through a prospective customer’s resistance to being “sold” by capturing his interest with a highly relevant story. They reinforce the logic of your message both socially and emotionally. While reading, hearing or viewing your case study, your prospect will begin to imagine himself in place of the person experiencing the product. This testimonial aspect of a success story can enhance any marketing message, but is especially valuable in selling technologies that are new, outside the mainstream, or present many layers of benefits – as so many green products do. Case studies can also help you maintain transparency. They are a straightforward and very specific type of documentation which is almost impossible to misinterpret. This makes them a perfect choice for compliance with green marketing guidelines such as the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides. One of the greatest things about case studies is how versatile they are. Any one case study can often be repurposed in multiple ways, saving you time and slimming your budget. Don’t be surprised if they raise your response rate, too. Here are a few case study recycling ideas you might want to try for yourself:
1. Use your next case study as a press release. All it takes is some quick abridging and reformatting. Be sure to note in the release that a more detailed, expanded case study version is available. Editors might pick it up. 2. Mail or email it to prospects and customers. This is a terrific way to keep in touch, raise awareness about a new product or service, and even convert prospects into customers. 3. Give it to your sales team. Salespeople love case studies. They use them in
presentations, to illustrate key points and as testimonials. A case study is often more convincing than a brochure. 4. Post it on your web site or blog. Want to improve traffic to your site? Adding new, valuable content is a proven strategy. A case study certainly qualifies. 5. Use it as a story in your newsletter or ezine. Success stories based on realworld applications frequently get the highest readership in company publications. 6. Submit it as an article to a trade journal. Why restrict your success story to just your own contacts? If your case study involves an innovative solution to a common problem in your industry, it may qualify for publication in a trade magazine in your field. This is a great source of free publicity and lends you a ton of authority to boot! 7. Use it as a speaking topic. When an executive needs to give a talk at a meeting or conference, a case study makes an excellent presentation. The content can easily be converted into PowerPoint slides. The printed case study itself makes an excellent handout. 8. Use it in lead-generation programs. Case studies can even be used as a terrific “free giveaway” or Information Premium in an ad, email, direct mailer, or on a website. Choose ones that illustrate problem-solving ways to use your product. 9. Mine it for testimonials. Testimonials help make benefits believable. As you interview happy customers for the case study, they’re sure to provide you with some terrific quotes – probably more than you even need for the project. Jot them all down. You can use (or re-use) them in ads, brochures, websites and more. Just be sure to get the customers’ permission. 10. Bring it to your next trade show. Case studies are a great way to break through the clutter of pitch-heavy trade show flyers and brochures. Use them as handouts that people will actually read. Or try this: have a case study enlarged and printed on your next trade show exhibit wall, and watch the traffic stop at your booth! As you can see, case studies are valuable assets to any marketing toolkit. If you haven’t been using them to promote your business, give it a try – and see if it doesn’t give your sales a boost!
About Anne Michelsen Anne Michelsen founded Green Ink Copywriting in 2008 to help companies promote their sustainable products and services. Her content and sales writing has been proven to increase customer engagement and ROI. Anne is also one of the few copywriters in the country who regularly uses the Federal Trade Commission Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (“Green Guides”) to ensure FTC compliance in her work. Email anne@greeninkcopywriting.com, or visit GreenInkCopywriting.com to request your complimentary copy of Anne’s white paper, The FTC Green Guides Made Simple: A Companion Guide for Achieving Green Marketing Compliance (available November 2012.)
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