Case studies remain one of the most powerful content formats in B2B marketing. The voice of a satisfied customer provides social proof and evidence to support your business claims. Crucially, it gives your prospects the chance to imagine themselves in a customer’s shoes, and picture the difference you could make to their working life.
But creating a great B2B case study isn’t as easy as writing it. Your case study writer needs input from sales colleagues, a productive interview with the client, and the experience to spot a compelling story among the details. Then the writing itself needs to make everyone look good, so you can achieve signoff.
At Radix, we understand all this – and we can help. We’re veterans of literally hundreds of B2B case study projects, including ongoing programmes for some of the world’s biggest technology brands. Our professional writers have strong interviewing and storytelling skills, and our project managers oversee the whole process.
Below, we share some of what we’ve learned about writing a great B2B case study. Or, if you prefer, you can contact us to discuss your case study needs:
Email : info@radix-communications.com
Tel : +44 (0)1326 373592
B2B case study writing service: quick navigation
- How do B2B marketers use case studies?
- What makes a great case study?
- How can a professional case study writer help?
- What should I look for in a case study copywriter?
- What is your case study writing process?
- Could you show me some examples of case studies you’ve written?
How do B2B marketers use case studies?
Classically, case studies come into their own at the end of the buying journey. Even in business-to-business transactions, the moment of decision includes a great degree of gut feel – and knowing others made a choice with success gives a great sense of reassurance. It’s not surprising that surveys of B2B marketers consistently rank case studies among the most effective formats for nurturing and converting leads.
But the power of a customer’s voice – and the obvious relevance of their story – can be transformative almost anywhere, from initial awareness campaigns onwards.
More often than not, a customer’s story is the most compelling narrative a business has to tell, and the clearest demonstration of its market position. For this reason, brands often lead with a customer story on their web home page, or include them in top-of-funnel social content.
A case study demands attention because it’s immediately relevant and demonstrably true. Who wouldn’t want to know how a peer or competitor overcame the same challenge, or achieved the same goal?
What makes a great case study?
Case studies come in all formats – from short snippets to long, comprehensive guides. We can work on written text alone, or video scripts to bring the story to life. But the strongest examples have the same key elements:
- A single, compelling narrative – However complicated the challenge or solution, you should be able to summarise the story in ten seconds flat. This makes is memorable and easy to digest.
- The customer as the hero – Tempting though it is, your brand is not the hero of this story. You want the prospect reading your case study to identify with your customer, so they arrive at the same decision. So a great case study is always the tale of how your customer achieved something important, and how you helped.
- A human voice – Businesses don’t make decisions; people do. Wherever possible, your case study should show the real people involved in the process, using real, human words to express challenges your next customer will recognise.
- Value for the audience – To hold your reader’s attention, promise something of value. In case studies, the obvious route is to help them learn how to achieve the same outcome (and the answer should be more constructive than just “buy this”).
- Built-in scannability – Every B2B decision-maker is busy. Many will only glance at your case study, so key elements like title, standfirst, section headings and pull quotes all need to be carefully tuned to deliver the story in moments.
There are many other factors, of course (we’ve explored them at some length). And it’s not always an ideal world; 78% of B2B marketers have challenges around customer access.
Give us a call, and we can discuss how to get the best outcome for your needs.
How does working with a professional case study writer help?
Sharp, engaging writing
To gain a prospect’s attention, your case study copy needs to be engaging, and easy to read. In B2B sectors, that in itself is often much harder than it sounds – but writing is only a small part of what we bring to the table.
Interviewing and storytelling
Our writers are also skilled interviewers, helping us to get believable, human quotes from your customers. Often, we find a customer is more willing to talk openly to an independent writer, especially when they’re happy (somehow, they find it less awkward than giving praise directly). We can also help you find the compelling story hidden in the details, to hook the reader’s attention.
Valuable project support
Meanwhile, your Radix account manager keeps the project running smoothly. Busy sales colleagues and client contacts can be hard to pin down – and in the real world, case study interviews are often postponed. Having a project manager with direct access to your writer’s diary makes rescheduling quicker and easier, avoiding delays to your content. Similarly, we can help you though the amends and signoff process.
Ongoing programme management
You might have more than one story to tell; we can help with that too. We run rolling case study programmes for some of our larger clients, giving sales and marketing teams an easy way to ensure a steady flow of up-to-date client success stories. Having a defined, ongoing process helps account handlers to spot customer referencing opportunities, and takes the pressure off the marketing team.
What should I look for in a case study copywriter?
You need a writer with enough experience to ask the right questions, and tell the right story. You also need someone you can trust to talk to customers and sales colleagues. In our experience, the following are important:
- Significant experience of writing for your industry (or your customer’s industry), or one adjacent to it
- A strong understanding of case study structure, and how the content will fit into your sales and marketing
- Enough knowledge to ask relevant, insightful questions to colleagues and customers alike
- A succinct, engaging writing style, with an eye for a story that’s relevant to your audience
- A keen awareness of the delicate nature of customer relationships, and the importance of keeping key participants happy
We never forget that whether we’re interviewing your customer, or making contact to schedule the call, you’ve entrusted us with that relationship. We take that responsibility seriously.
There are also some important practical aspects that are often overlooked:
- Regular office hours, so you and your customers can always reach us when needed
- A defined point of contact, to handle scheduling, quoting, delivery and signoff
- Clear, upfront pricing, to avoid any surprises and keep your budget under control
Needless to say, you’ll find the qualities you’re looking for among the Radix team.
What is your case study writing process?
Every case study project is different, depending on your objectives, the format you need and – most commonly – access to customers and sales colleagues. However, it usually follows the following steps:
- We receive your initial brief, whether by phone or email. We’ll clarify anything that’s ambiguous, and provide you with a fixed quote for approval. We can also provide an outline timeline (dependent on interviews).
- We’ll arrange a call with your sales colleague, responsible for handling the account. This gives us the context for the call, helps us to find out any unspoken nuances to the relationship. It also means we can get the key facts in advance, so the customer call can focus entirely on their side of the story.
- We’ll arrange a call with your customer, if this is part of your brief. It’s our preferred option, but we’re flexible: some of our clients conduct the interview themselves, and send a recording and/or transcript, and others are unable to speak to the customer at all. We’ll work through your individual situation to provide the best outcome.
- We’ll send you an updated delivery timeline as soon as we know when the calls will be. Our writing time is scheduled in advance so you know we’ll deliver on time.
- We’ll write the first draft, based on your brief and information gleaned from the calls, plus any necessary desk research into the customer’s business. If the calls surface a different angle or approach, we’ll contact you to discuss it before we write.
- We’ll implement consolidated feedback from your team, until we arrive at a version you’re happy with. This can then go to the customer for approval and any final amends. Our quotes include up to two rounds of amends, because it’s important everyone’s happy with the final story.
- If you like, we can contact the customer for signoff. Some marketers like to handle this stage in person; others like it when we save them time. The choice is yours.
In practice, each client has their own preferred way of working. We’re very happy to tailor our process to suit your needs.
Could you show me some examples of case studies you’ve written?
We’d love to. Some of the programmes we’re involved with are confidential, but there are still plenty of examples we can share. Here are some we’re especially fond of (if you’d like to see something more relevant to your interests, just ask).
Sopra Steria Upskills Critical Talent 50% Faster with Online Learning Through Udemy Business
Client: Udemy Business
This case study explains how Udemy Business – and its features such as Learning Paths and International Collections – helped Sopra Steria increase the scale, scope, agility, and speed of its learning and development programme.
Senior Copywriter Craig wrote the article following an interview with Sopra Steria’s Training and Development Consultant, Sergio Monroy Gómez.
The City of Shawnee Brightens the Future of Legacy Apps—and the Community—With OutSystems
Client: OutSystems
We’re delighted to have delivered an ongoing case study programme with the leading low-code platform for digital transformation, OutSystems. Together, we’ve told dozens of customer success stories; sometimes we work from an interview transcript; other examples, like this one, are based on a live customer interview.
The City of Shawnee’s story is a particular highlight for us because it shows the impact of low-code apps in a real-world community. The scannable format makes it easy to grasp the story quickly, and we worked hard to deliver key messages while still keeping the customer’s authentic voice.
Vallei en Veluwe: Can treated wastewater provide new freshwater sources?
Client: Royal HaskoningDHV
As climate change makes water scarcity more widespread, re-using local wastewater seems an obvious solution. But it’s by no means as simple as that.
This case study article, by our Senior Copywriter Craig, gives one example about how new water technology can solve the problem. To write it, he interviewed Sjoerd Kerstens, Leading Professional for Wastewater Technology and Resource Recovery.
How Trowers & Hamlins saved 25% on management costs with converged infrastructure
Client: Tectrade
This example, for cyber recovery experts Tectrade, starts with the classic “How…” format – foregrounding the value to the reader from the title onwards.
In his notes on the project, copywriter Kieran reveals how the customer interview led to an engaging, human voice, which carries through to the final document. Tectrade’s UK business has since been acquired, but the story remains a good example of how to make tech case studies meaningful.
Want to see more examples? Email us here.
Whether you need one case study or a whole programme, let’s talk
Case study projects are among our favourites. Bringing all the element together takes a little extra work, but it’s a special privilege to talk to our clients’ customers, and find out what really makes them tick.
But for a lot of B2B marketers, case studies are a chore – either a backlog of requests from sales, or a battle to get customer input. Sometimes both.
If that sounds at all familiar, give us a call. We’ll make your life easier, and we’ll write success stories that’ll delight your customers and your colleagues alike.
Contact us about your case study project:
Email : info@radix-communications.com
Tel : +44 (0)1326 373592