Ask a business owner for proof that they are good at what they do and most will point to a row of five star reviews. Reviews matter, but they rarely tell a buyer the thing they most want to know: what happened when someone like me hired you? That is the job of a case study, and it is why learning to write a case study is one of the most useful marketing skills a small business can pick up.
It doesn’t need a designer, a film crew or a big client name. To write a case study you need one real job, told clearly, with the customer’s permission.
What a case study is for
A case study is a short account of one piece of work: who the customer was, what they needed, what you did and what changed. Its purpose is to let a prospect see themselves in the story. If they recognise the problem, they will read on to see how it was solved.
That makes it different from a testimonial. A testimonial says you were good. A case study shows how.
Pick the right job
The best subject is not always your biggest or most impressive job. Choose one that:
- Looks like the work you want more of. If you want more commercial contracts, don’t lead with a domestic job.
- Had a clear problem. “They wanted a new kitchen” is thin. “They had six weeks before a baby arrived and no working kitchen” is a story.
- Has a result you can describe. A number is ideal, but a concrete change is fine.
- Has a willing customer. Someone happy to be named, quoted and ideally photographed.
Ask the customer, don’t guess
The strongest material comes from the customer’s own words. A fifteen minute phone call is enough. Ask:
- What was going on that made you look for help?
- What had you already tried?
- Why did you choose us over the alternatives?
- What were you worried about before we started?
- What is different now?
- What would you say to someone thinking of doing the same?
Take notes or record the call with their agreement. The answers to questions three and four are especially valuable, because they are the same doubts your next customer has.
How to write a case study in five parts
Keep to a simple structure and the writing gets much easier.
1. The headline
Lead with the outcome and the type of customer. “Emergency roof repair for a primary school, finished over half term” tells the reader more than “Case study: Hillside Primary”.
2. The customer and the problem
Two or three sentences on who they are and what was wrong. Be specific about what the problem was costing them in time, money or stress.
3. What you did
Explain the approach in plain English. Include one or two decisions that show your judgement, such as why you recommended one option over another. Skip the full technical specification.
4. The result
Say what changed. Use real figures if the customer is comfortable sharing them, and never estimate or round up to something that sounds better. If you can’t measure it, describe it: the phone calls that stopped, the hours saved each week, the deadline that was met.
5. The customer’s words and a next step
Finish with a short quote and a clear invitation to get in touch about similar work.
The customer is the hero of a case study. You are the guide who helped them get there.
Keep it honest and get sign off
Send the finished draft to the customer and get their written approval before you publish it, including approval of the quote, any figures and any photos. Some customers will be glad to be featured but would prefer not to share numbers, and that is their call. If a customer can’t be named at all, say so plainly and describe them by type, such as “a family run haulage firm in the North West”.
Don’t polish quotes into something the customer wouldn’t say. Real speech is more convincing than marketing copy.
Where to use it
One case study can do a lot of work once it exists:
- A page on your website, linked from the relevant service page.
- A PDF or link to send with quotes.
- Two or three social posts, each pulling out one detail.
- A paragraph in a tender or proposal.
- A section in your next email newsletter.
Aim for one new case study a quarter. In a year you will have four, which is enough to cover your main services.
If you would like a hand
If you know you should write a case study and it keeps slipping down the list, we can interview your customer and write it for you as part of our website content service, and turn it into posts and emails through campaign content.
