Success Stories and Case Studies are terms that are often used interchangeably. However, there are small but important differences between the two types of B2B marketing content. This article identifies those differences so you can determine which type of content is right for you and your business.
What are Success Stories?
Success Stories are similar to Client Testimonials in that they showcase a client’s high opinion of your company. They identify why the client likes your company, what your company did well, and the specific reasons why the client would recommend you.
However, a Success Story is more formally presented than a Client Testimonial. It’s usually a short, high-quality video or a well-designed one-page PDF. You can think of a Success Story as a lite version of a Case Study.
Click here for an example of one of our Success Stories.
What are Case Studies?
In short, Case Studies contain everything that Success Stories do, but they offer a lot more context. They describe what the client was dealing with, what solution your company installed, and why that solution made such a difference to the client. Case Studies prove the business case for the relationship and allow readers (i.e., your prospects) to really understand how your solution works for another organization.
A Case Study is longer than a Success Story, and its word count can vary anywhere from 500 to 1,500 words. Great Case Studies leverage quotes through the text and often use visuals to illustrate points.
Click here to review our library of the Case Studies we’ve created for our clients.
Conclusion
Whether you prefer Success Stories or Case Studies, both documents are powerful pieces of marketing content that foster trust and engagement between you and your prospects. But creating either content type can be a complicated, in-depth process. If you need help creating yours, reach out to us at [email protected]—we’re happy to help!
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