One of the hardest things to come by from your client is their time. This is why acquiring case studies can be a challenge.
On the surface, you're the only party to gain from them providing you with a case study. With that said, with some repositioning of your ask and also making an additional effort with the content you produce, you can change that perception (and that reality) completely.
This article covers this and other tactics to help you get more case studies because the more social proof you can acquire, the more you can utilize them across your customer journey.
Establish the Benefit for Them
Customers can also receive some notable benefits when partaking in a case study. This is especially true if you sell a product that benefits sales and marketing teams, but it applies to all.
For example:
- You can let customers use any B-roll footage for their own promotional needs.
- Offer them the opportunity to share a customer story to market their success.
- If you have your own following, promise exposure through your website, social media, and email campaigns. You can even highlight your domain authority and the value your backlinks might bring to your website.
Now, on a more personal level, you can offer even more value. This is especially true when vying for key executives to participate in your case studies who are likely trying to create their unique brand as thought leaders in the industry.
However, suppose the only content you intend to produce is a video testimonial and standard one-pager for your website and sales. In that case, you're missing out on a key opportunity to capture more case studies and produce more valuable content.
Consider creating guest blog posts.
You will most likely be able to capture valuable information during the interview that's valuable even outside the context of your product. For example, suppose you're speaking with a VP of Sales about your sales enablement solution.
In that case, they can share some essential information about how to get a sales team to adopt a new system that would be of value to a much broader audience. This is where guest blogs can be another helpful marketing asset to stack onto the collateral bundle you can obtain from customer interviews.
When executed well, this is content that you'll market on your channels, and they will likely repost themselves. Suddenly, you have an industry leader mentioning your brand on their feed.
Why would you not pursue this?
Make Your Customers the Star of Stories (Not You)
Most founders have a couple of favors they can cash in on. Chances are your first couple of case studies will be easier to come by since you'll start with customers you have incredibly strong relationships with, perhaps even connections you had before actually working together.
We recommend having the foresight to create case studies will not only benefit your marketing efforts but also alleviate any concerns for future customers who are not as inclined to participate in your case studies. Although your first couple of case studies may be happy to share all the intimate details you'd love to highlight, be wary of anything that appears hyperbolic and overly sensitive, as this may deter future case study prospects.
In addition, getting those first couple of case studies right is incredibly important. It would help if you were making their business the star of the story, not you.
Highlight how your solution enabled them to continue to be successful. Don't let pain points be mistaken for a weakness in their previous stage but rather an area of their business that didn't meet high-standing expectations that they exceed regularly across other areas of their business.
After all, you want more winners choosing your product. So highlight winners that accelerate their winning by partnering with you.
Work Case Studies Into Your Contracts
At my previous company, we only had a reliable catalog of customer case studies and available references once sales took the lead on getting them. After all, they often benefit sales the most despite being in the hands of marketing or customer success.
Something destined to occur in any sales process is an insistence on discounts, particularly in the closing stages. We're not all Salesforce, and no matter how excellent your product is, commercial discounts are a tactic that is necessary to scale early on.
Enterprise and mid-market prospects will always press for a discount in the latter stages, and chances are you've even built your pricing model to account for this. Discounts can be a great way to create urgency in the deal cycle, but ensuring they provide the company with the most long-term value is essential.
By tying them to case studies, you can set the tone that you're offering them in an exchange of value rather than submitting to a negotiation. Here's a great example of a clause you can add to your contracts to account for this:
1. The Customer is eligible for an additional 10% discount for year one (1) of the agreed subscription fees under the following conditions:
a) Execution of Contract: The Customer must execute this contract by the end of the current calendar month.
b) Customer Case Study: The Customer agrees to participate in and complete a positive customer case study within six (6) months of the contract signing date. The case study will be conducted as a live Zoom recorded call, which will be used for both a video and a written case study. Both parties shall mutually agree upon the content and format of the case study.
c) G2 Review: The Customer agrees to provide a positive review on G2 within six (6) months of the contract signing date.
I could go on about how this needs to be positioned to the business stakeholders upfront, how to respond if the deadline is missed, or if there is legal pushback on the marketing commitment. These are all things that need to be overcome, but at the end of the day, the more contracts in place with this clause laid a foundation for more case studies.
Not to mention, if legal takes issue with it, you can account for that later on rather than being rejected by legal after investing too much effort. It's worth adding that it's not about how enforceable this clause is.
We didn't provide additional language for a clawback of the discount if they didn't comply, and we often even hinted to the business that we knew the language implied some good faith. But good faith still benefited by being in writing.
Even if you have the most excellent customer success motion in SaaS, it takes a lot for customers to donate their time to your cause. Think about it: How many restaurants do you enjoy but have never left a review?
Frame the ask as a Strategic Partnership
This tactic is beneficial, particularly if you offer a product.
Customer input regarding the product roadmap was paramount at my first startup. I noticed that our Head of Product never had any issues getting key power users and high-level executives to attend her product feedback meetings.
After some thought, it made a lot of sense. There's incredible value in being able to voice your feedback and petition for changes to make their way into the core product.
Also, quite simply, customers enjoy sharing product feedback. Perhaps many professionals dream of building a software solution like your business, and there is creativity that ignites when speaking to a product manager about it.
Either way, we saw favorable outcomes by combining the two asks into an email and sometimes even conducting both interviews in one meeting (30 minutes for the case study and 30 minutes for the product feedback). This showed the customer that we truly valued their perspective on two fronts: their customer experience and where they want to see the product go.
It signaled to them they weren't just a traditional customer/vendor relationship. Similar to the discounts we offered prospects in exchange for case studies, we were probably going to reach out to our most successful clients anyway for product involvement.
However, positioning it in this way made them feel like they were being rewarded for being a helpful partner to us.
Reduce any Friction
I assume you aren't expecting the customer to write out the case study, approve every edit, conduct multiple interviews, and so on. Now, typically, all a customer has to commit to is a 30-45-minute Zoom call, and you can create a bundle of valuable social proof for your business.
But that doesn't mean that they know that. If you contact them simply asking for a case study, they may perceive the effort required to do that as being longer than it actually is.
Instead, you need to be very clear about what the task is and everything you will be taking care of on your end. Often, there is a benefit in working with an outside agency to interview because a) they often have SOPs to conduct customer interviews, and b) it shows the customer that you're invested in getting the most out of the interview they provide.
It's essential to "tee" the client up not just to get the answers you're hoping for but also to save them time preparing for your interview. Consider having a list of questions with some notable items you captured during the initial sales cycle (discovery notes) and recent QBRs as potential talking points that they can consider bringing.
However, before you even get to this stage, make sure you are crystal clear with the customer about what will be involved in the process and how you will assist them in making it as effortless as possible.
Show Your Prospect You're Serious by Outsourcing Testimonials
When you invest in a professional testimonial service, you show your customers that you truly value their feedback and are committed to maximizing it. Not to mention, when they see the investment you're making to get the most out of the interview, out of respect, there will be a higher level of commitment from them as well, increasing the likelihood that they will come prepared with valuable insight and, ideally, tangible results.
Here's an example of an email you can send.
Hey Steve, How is everything over there on the east coast? Sounds like summer came early this year! Anyway, I have a favor to ask. Would you be willing to do a recorded customer case study for us? I just checked, and it's been three fantastic years as partners. It would be of immense value towards our growth to showcase the benefits you've received from our solution. The process is straightforward. We actually work with an outside agency to conduct the interviews for us to ensure we can make the most of your time (and make sure you look good, too). I just want to make sure you can attend, as we need to formally engage them to initiate the process. I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks, Andy
This email does a couple of things.
- It shows the commitment you're making to the process because you value their testimonial greatly
- It increases the formality of the process so that the customer stakeholder only commits if they feel they can provide a quality testimonial and truly attend the interview.
We talk about this and many other benefits of outsourcing customer testimonials here.
In Conclusion
Securing customer case studies can be challenging, but with the right approach, it becomes much more attainable. You can encourage participation and build strong, compelling social proof by clearly demonstrating the value to your clients, highlighting their success, and making the process as easy as possible.
Whether it's offering them opportunities for their own marketing, integrating case study participation into contracts, or positioning the ask as part of a larger partnership, each tactic helps create a mutually beneficial relationship. When you focus on making your customers the hero and simplifying their involvement, case studies become a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal that can be utilized across every stage of the customer journey.