This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.
KeyNotes - The Moving Finger Newsletter
About writing and editing for business, and words in general
April 2007
In this issue:
Case studies - Capturing the real difference you made
It doesn't get much better than when customers say nice things about you and the work you've done for them. After all, here's a third party who's tried your product or service, liked the experience and is prepared to say so on the record.
The commercial weight of that endorsement is huge particularly as a new business getter. Fresh prospects are always interested in reading how others have managed problems they may also be facing.
The power of client endorsement is best realised in a case study which you can use in your marketing materials and on your website. This is where you chart a project from day one, detailing the issue you faced, how you went about it and what the beneficial outcomes were for the customer - all illustrated and supported by your client's comments and opinions along the way.
This problem-solution-benefits formula works well - with one proviso. Don't pad out your solutions with a features-heavy, blow-by-blow account of what you actually did. That's a bit too easy and potentially a little dull.
Innovative thinking
Rather, you should grab readers' interest by highlighting the contribution that made the real difference to your client's business.
You may have to think a little more to pin this down. What was the spark that really got things going? Perhaps interviews with staff threw up new challenges that required some innovative thinking, or a walk around the shop floor suggested how your product needed to be adapted to meet a specific need. Wherever that 'eureka moment' came from, capturing it will really add value and meaning to your case study.
Think of yourself as an investigator seeking out the best solution for your customer by examining all the evidence, and not just doing what you always do. How you evaluated this evidence to produce worthwhile results should be at the heart of your case study.
Of course doing the usual may sometimes be all that's required to complete a project satisfactorily and well. But if you want case studies to play their proper part in driving new customers to your door, dig a little deeper to showcase the flexibility of your thinking, the flow of your creativity and the sharpness of your problem-solving capabilities.
Review: 'The New Rules of PR' by David Meerman Scott
This e-book has enjoyed massive online success - a staggering 150,000 downloads in just 12 months - and is scheduled to expand into hardcover in June this year.
So what's all the fuss about?
Well, its key contention is that companies should reinvent the humble press release - the traditional route to get the media to write about your business - as a direct marketing tool, capable of driving millions of internet-savvy people direct to your products and services through search engines and RSS feeds.
According to the author: 'Self-publishing Web-style has moved into the mainstream and organizations large and small are doing the publishing.via press releases.' If you're already placing yours on your website to reach interested readers then you've partially embraced this new vision already.
But there's more to it - you need to broaden the scope of what you issue press releases about, include keyword-rich copy, consider distribution through a press release wire (like Response Source) and create links in the release to more specific content on your website.
In many ways what the 'New Rules of PR' preaches is an extension to the online marketing activity that many businesses are already engaged in. But old habits sometimes die hard and it often takes the informed perspective of a David Meerman Scott to open our eyes to ways of revitalising old strategies with fresh thinking. A challenging read.
You can download 'The New Rules of PR' here.
