A successful B2B Case Study establishes the worth of your solution by providing credible evidence. In the B2B world, higher levels of commitment are required during the purchasing process. The sales cycle is longer, and more significant dollar amounts are at stake.

Considering this higher level of investment, buyers want to be entirely sure that their choice to partner with your company is the right one. That’s why Case Studies are so important: They assist your prospects in visualizing the effect that your company will have on their bottom line and, ultimately, win you more business.

In this article, we identify the five attributes of a successful B2B Case Study, but first, we need to stress the importance of why your Case Studies need to be as powerful, polished, and professional as possible.

Help Your Sales Reps Help Prospects Decide

Thanks to Gartner’s research, we know that there has been a steady shift in customer preferences from in-person sales interactions to digital channels. B2B buyers spend just seventeen percent of their purchase journey with sales reps. Because of the nature of the sales process, a sales rep might get roughly five percent of a customer’s total purchase time. That’s a tiny bit of time to influence a purchasing decision.

And then, there are the Millennials. A full forty-four percent of them prefer no sales rep interaction at all in a B2B setting.

This doesn’t mean that sales reps are a thing of the past. What it does mean is that sales reps must make changes in how they approach prospects and the materials they come with. Sales reps simply must deliver significant value in a manner that steers self-learning customers toward more confident decisions.

Successful B2B Case Studies are Essential Selling Tools

Demand Gen issued a B2B Buyer Behavior Study that reported three noteworthy realities:

• The top reason for choosing the winning vendor is that the vendor demonstrated a strong knowledge of the solution and business landscape
• Ninety-eight percent of B2B buyers feel it’s important to see Case Studies on vendor websites
• Fifty-eight percent of B2B buyers engage with Case Studies during their buying process

With Case Studies taking on a more influential role, sales reps are still an essential part of the sales process. Of those in the study that agreed the vendor was educated and offered valuable information, eighty-one percent said their experience with their sales rep positively influenced their decision to select that vendor.

Five Attributes of a Successful B2B Case Study

With so much on the line, it is crucial that companies produce Case Studies that do the job they are expected to do. Here are just a few attributes of a successful B2B Case Study:

Focus on the Customer

Case Studies are all about the customer. The moment you spend precious space on the page with marketing language that you pulled from your website or a brochure, you lose the reader. This isn’t the place for that. Here, you want to show the situation your client was in and how you helped that client solve a problem.

Captivating Story

A Case Study is the story of one of your client’s experiences with using your product or service. It shouldn’t be a dry recount of the facts. Instead, the language you use should weave a tale that flows from the original situation through to the results your product or service caused or contributed to. And because it’s a story, it must be interesting enough to pull readers in to the point where they’re able to see themselves in the narrative.

Informative Visuals

When considering which images or graphics to include in a Case Study, it’s good to remember that you’re telling a story. While your words tell a story, your images and graphics should support that story. Visuals without purpose cause clutter and waste space.

If you’re using icons or other graphics, they should clearly communicate the elements of the story they’re supporting. To move the story forward, include images of the featured client using your product or show your team performing a service for that client.

Essentially, you want to place prospects in the shoes of the featured client. If prospects can see themselves using your product or receiving your service, you’ll have made a significant impression on them.

Clear Business Impact of Your Solution

Showing the results your featured client experienced as a result of using your product or service is the core of every Case Study. That’s why it shouldn’t be hard to believe that many Case Study readers jump directly to the Results section to learn exactly what your company can do for them.

Because the Results section is so important, it helps to get concrete. Communicating statements that establish causality between what you offer and impressive business outcomes is what you want to do. Likewise, an impressive percentage or numerical change is also influential.

Quotes

A quote from your featured client is a powerful form of social proof. Quotes can be even more influential than headlines because quotes sum up the speaker’s experience working with your company and your solution. If prospects read nothing else but the quote, it should be strong enough to encourage them to read the Case Study closer.

Don’t Leave the Effectiveness of Your Case Studies to Chance

Case Studies are too important to leave to chance. Every effort must be made to create successful B2B Case Studies that are impactful and moves prospects through ever-lengthening sales cycles.

If your organization doesn’t have the capacity to create compelling Case Studies, then it’s essential to partner with a vendor that knows the ins and outs of Case Study creation and B2B marketing.

Need help creating a successful B2B case study? Let us help! Book a meeting with us today.