One of the most promising facets of inbound marketing for Toronto companies is that it can take on a variety of forms from content, newsletters, social sharing to advertising. Case studies can also be a powerful lead generation tool just like Infographics and other types of content.
However, a case study that isn’t well planned, designed and executed isn’t going to generate the type of return that you expected.
Fortunately, maximizing the potential of your case studies just takes 5 simple steps:
Step One: Refine Your Targeting
Knowing your buyer personas, is the first step for inbound marketing programs in Toronto (or other cities). It’s true not just for the sales funnel but for developing a great case study.
It’s important to choose a case study that aims for your target market. Not many businesses have this luxury – often buyer personas simply outnumber the possible case study subject material available. Even if you can only match one case study to one buyer persona, it’s well worth it.
Step Two: Complete Your Storytelling
A case study is about telling the story. It’s essentially letting people know how something was achieved from start to finish: from explaining the problem to executing the solution to showcasing the results.
An incomplete case study will ultimately lead to negative results. So, include all the relevant details without worrying to much about the material being too long – you’re supposed to be targeting those customers that actually want to finish it. So tell the story from start to finish.
Step Three: Remember Readability
How will your case study be published? PDF? Webpage? Downloadable EPUB? You know your market the best – what would they appreciate the most?
Picking the right format is just half the battle. You also need to take the time to ensure proper formatting (bold, italics, et al), relevant links (if applicable), and suitable imagery. These add to the experience, which translates to better engagement and more chances of lead generation.
Step Four: Talk Specifics and Concrete Data
Always cite numbers, metrics, and concrete data in your case studies and don’t hold back – your target market isn’t a general audience half of which might not understand the jargon or can’t relate to the key peformance indicators you cite.
Your readers will soak in the specifics and providing it’s what they need, will take you one step closer to lead generation.
Step Five: Share and Syndicate
Don’t rely on just organic traffic and people going through your funnel to publicize your case study. In the same way that you’ve considered multiple formats, consider mutiple channels for sharing and syndicating the final product.
Don’t stop at sharing links to social profiles, expand into LinkedIn forums, slide show presentations in SlideShare. Publish infographics in Pinterest and Instagram. Share, share, share.
As an inbound marketing tool for customers not just in Toronto but throughout Canada, case studies are very powerful lead generation tools. So invest the time and energy and do them well!
Image: The Vivid Solutions
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