Case Study or Testimonial: Which one is better for conversion?

Case studies and project summaries may seem interchangeable.   Both types of content serve as a way to show potential clients the types of services you offer, the companies that you have worked with, the scope of the projects, and the satisfaction of your customers. According to DemandGen, 78 percent of buyers consume case studies before making their purchase.

However, case studies have several distinct characteristics that make them an excellent marketing tool for converting more customers.

Why is Case Study Content Important?

It Goes Beyond Testimonials

Potential clients can take or leave testimonials that you have on your site. After all, you’re not going to publish negative feedback on your own website. While case studies still have a positive tone, they go into a lot of detail about the project.

Readers view case studies as more trustworthy, as it’s easy to fabricate a one-line testimonial, but a lot harder to do the same with the length of the case study.

Tells a Story

 

A case study has a well-defined beginning, middle, and end.

You start with who the client is and the challenges that they’re facing. The next section explains the proposed solution that you offer through your services. The last section talks about the real-world results that the client has achieved with your company’s assistance.

Shows Potential Clients the Value of Your Services

In many cases, you have hard data to back up the information in the case studies. The client gives metrics from before and after the project. You can point out how things changed for the better and tie that to measurable numbers.

A potential client reading the case study will take away an understanding of exactly what you can do for them. During the vendor evaluation process, they can point out this data and use it as one of the reasons to work with your company.

A Conversion Targeted Marketing Tool

You can put together case studies from previous clients that are the most relatable to your ideal buyer. For example, you can highlight the industries and markets that you have the most experience in. Show off each type of service that you have available, especially if they’re highly specialized.

When you respond to leads, you can send them case studies that most closely match their company’s size, industry, and the results that they’re looking for from your services.

Gives You a Content Repurposing Opportunity

Case studies offer a lot of useful information that can form the foundation of other types of content for your content marketing strategy. You can include them in an eBooks to give real-world examples, share them on social media, websites and relevant communities, create a blog post series for each section of the case study, and develop a drip email series based on the provided data. You can get a lot of mileage out of a long-form piece of content like a case study.

Testimonials have their place on your website, but case studies stand out as a stellar marketing tool. Whether you want to tell a potential client a relatable story or provide proof of the value that you bring, you will benefit from publishing case studies.

This article is part of The Valens Point Guide to Content Marketing Success