đ§ Big idea: the core thread that hangs everything together. This could your clientâs purpose, one of your capabilities, a company valueâŠ
For example: âagileâ.
đ§ Payoff: pick the top 3 outcomes the client experienced. These will become the key sections within your case study.
For example: âsimplicityâ, âfaster time to marketâ, âgreater collaborationâ.
đ§ Key metrics: what are the specific results the client experienced. These will become the highlights in your case study.
For example: âempowered people to make their own decisions to eliminate 5 levels of approvalâ, âwhen the market average is 9 months to get a product to market, the client now achieves it in 9 weeksâ, âappointed customer champions in every departmentâ.
đ§ Tell multiple stories: donât wait for the end to share the big payoff, tell a mini story within each section.
đ§ Opening section: summarise the case study in 1-2 sentences, or use 3x bullet points to highlight the key outcomes.
đ§ Section structure:
- Whatâs the big problem? What impact did it have on the business?
- How did the product/service overcome the problem? Include concrete examples.
- What was the result? And what does that now mean for the business?
đ§ Quotes: donât waste client quotes on saying something rubbish, like, âIâd really recommend Company ABC.â Instead, tell the story through the clientâs words.
đ§ BONUS! Extract these quotes as soundbites to use in other marketing materials.
đ§ Final section: provide a future view. Whatâs next for the client? And how does the product/service help them achieve that?
đ§ Wordcount: 1,200 â 1,500 words.
đ§ Keep questioning:
- So what? Why is this important? Why does it matter?
- What is the impact?
- How does this relate to the key theme?