In part five of our series on case studies, we’re talking about how to show the results of your case study. Case studies are great tools for small business success and the best part about them is you can be as creative as you want in your design to make it fit your business.
Step 5: Showcase your results
You have worked through the case study process and now all you have to do is put the last piece of the puzzle in place. Showcasing your results is easier than you think, but remember to stick to the same writing style you’ve used so far.
Normally case studies are not longer than two pages so, if you have to make some adjustments, that’s okay. Remember, this is your case study, and you know your audience better than anyone else. Make it your own.
Start the results section
Start the results section of your case study with a short summary of what the options or solutions came to. Be sure to specify what your product or service did in order to help the customer achieve results. It comes in handy to
Use numerical data
Data, such as percentages or financials, should be used. If your product or service made something positive happen, this is where that story belongs.
Make comparisons
Compare what was happened before you came along and after, you can use years to set a time frame of comparison. If you like graphs or pictures, you can use those as well and, of course, a good closing quote that will summarize the feeling of satisfaction from that customer so that your prospects can connect with that end result.
This is just a brief and simple description of how you can build a case study, but there are a lot of resources out there that can help you get ideas. The internet is your friend; use search engines to look for examples of case studies and see what others have done. Go to your competitors' websites and check out how they're profiling their testimonials and case studies, and consider the possibilities that are out there.
Your case study may be longer that what you want to highlight on your blog or website, but the benefit of that is that you have more to chose from once you're ready to post. This way you can keep a longer version for internal purposes. The research you do will broaden your horizons and help you find what works best for you.
By June Bulnes
