BETTER BIZ WRITING TIPS - ISSUE 4 - AUGUST 2008 - BUILDING YOUR NAME THROUGH TESTIMONIALS AND CASE STUDIES

While brochures, press releases and websites are critical to the success of your marketing plan, nothing can do more for your business than a good testimonial or a case study about how your products and services benefited a satisfied customer. Giving your business authority, credibility and dramatically increasing your marketability, testimonials and case studies are valuable tools.

Testimonials are simply official references and endorsements of the reliability, effectiveness or quality of your products or services. A testimonial can run from one sentence to a couple of paragraphs and helps prospective clients or customers see that others are pleased with your work. Whether it's a homeowner talking about the quality work of a local siding company or a
celebrity endorsing a sporting goods product on national television, testimonials and endorsements have strong selling power. Any business can benefit with glowing words from satisfied customers and testimonials should be used in brochures, websites, newsletters and any and all marketing collateral.

Make it a habit to ask for and collect testimonials from satisfied customers and clients so that you can build a solid reference base. Gather references not just on your company as a whole but on the different products and services that you offer. Testimonials should be short, straight to the point and address why a potential client or customer should be interested in what you have to offer. Use high profile customers whenever possible and ask them to state specifics about why they recommend you.

Sort of an expanded and more detailed version of a testimonial, "case studies" typically identify a problem or challenge,
introduce a solution (your product or service) then show how your company helped resolve the issue. Case studies are often used to explain and show the benefits of more complex services or products.

While it's always good to keep content short, there are times when your company's true value can best be expressed in a case study. For most solutions, case studies should run between 500 and 1,000 words and follow the format of presenting a problem, introducing a solution then showing how that can benefit potential clients and customers. As with testimonials, the
most important element of a successful case study is a willing client. The participant should have high regards for your products or services and be willing to publicly open up and present their challenges and how they solved them. Click here for some examples of case studies.

Some companies use their public relations or marketing departments to produce their own case studies but there are some advantages to hiring an outside writer. First and foremost, an outsider can approach the case with a fresh, unbiased view. While the writer will ultimately steer the case study in your direction, they will also be able to address questions and issues that may not be apparent to company personnel. Finally, an outside writer often has a better ability to communicate problems and solutions in layman's terms that can better appeal to potential clients. 

Whether it's a single sentence testimonial or a full-blown case study, solid references from satisfied customers or clients can prove to be one of your most valuable marketing tools.

1. Target your audience. Use language that directly speaks to the audience and challenges that you are addressing.

2. Define the problem or challenge. Clearly state and explain the problem or challenge and how it was affecting the operations, profitability or success of the customer.

3. Explain your product, service or solution. Show readers how your solution or product works. Use scientific evidence or stats and figures whenever possible.

4. Show the value of your solution. Highlight exactly how your product, service or solution can benefit or tackle the challenge. Use numbers (such as percentages or dollar amounts) to illustrate improvements.

5. Make an outline. Draft a bulleted list of challenges, solutions and benefits that you would like to identify then work that up into an outline of your case study.

6. Find a willing client. A case study can't even exist without a client who is willing to comment on your solution and take part in the study. Find one that is enthusiastic about your company and willing to publicly share their story.

7. Don't overwhelm the reader with jargon. Unless you're targeting a technical audience, don't use too many complex terms and phrases that leave readers scratching their heads.

8. Don't flatter yourself (too much). While a self-produced case study is always going to lean in your direction, don't overdo it with too many branding and flattering phrases. Going overboard can actually backfire and make your case study loose credibility and look more like a scam or a print version of a ridiculous infomercial.

9. Use a strong title. Use a strong title that clearly states what your product or service did for a particular customer or client. Examples: "NOLA Communications helps John Doe Company increase website traffic with new content" or "JD Software 5.0 produces 22% revenue growth at NOLA Communications."

10. Keep it short. While some technical products and services may need longer case studies, 500-1,000 words should do in most instances.