Case studies are something most if not all marketers will have a hand it at some point in time. They’re known to be good uses for bringing in new customers through existing customer stories.
But despite so many of us needing to do them, they’re very easy to get wrong. Putting up a case study in one form, in one place, and calling that a job well done just isn’t going to cut it anymore.
If you want to avoid the problem of your case studies dying a slow, boring death in a dusty PDF folder, never to be seen again, then we’ve got some tips for you.
In this article, we’re going through five ways to present and utilize your case studies to make the most of their content.
1. Bite-sized success stat visuals: The social media snack pack
Capture your most impressive case study metric and transform it into a graphic that instantly captivates your audience.
Highlight the stat that elevates your customers from ordinary to extraordinary—the one that makes viewers stop, stare, and crave more details. Create a visual that turns data into a compelling narrative of success.
Imagine a sleek, bold graphic that screams: "Company X increased revenue by 247% in 6 months" with a design so clean it could pass for modern art. LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter - they'll all be your playground.
Pro tip: Think Apple commercial meets business success story. If you saw Apple’s shot on an iPhone campaign a few years ago, this is exactly what we mean.
A quick snippet of success and an easy-to-use hashtag can go a long way.
2. Behind-the-scenes story reels
Time to pull back the curtain and show some real human drama. Authenticity is the name of the game when it comes to sharing customer voices. Making a post that works to humanize the people behind the story is an invaluable way to make that leftover footage work to your advantage.
Why not go the extra mile and theme your case studies? Do they have a horror element? Are they shot like a late night show interview? How about a chicken shop date?
Take this example from The Alliance, which shows a part of the human behind the job title. 👇
Frank Sayles
Do the same for your case study participants to ensure people don’t have a reason to begin speculating that you’re just using actors or AI.
Those case study numbers aren’t just digits - they're stories of triumph, struggle, and transformation. So use that to your advantage! Create short video reels that break down the customer's journey like a documentary:
- 60 seconds.
- One customer.
- Pure storytelling gold.
Show the challenge, the strategy, and the jaw-dropping results. Make your audience feel like they're watching a winning episode of "The Apprentice" - minus the corporate drama, plus actual business insights.
3. Interactive crowdsourced problem-solving challenge
Buckle up for the most interactive case study experience since... well, ever.
When you have a case study that showcases perfectly one of the easy (or not so easy) fixes your product solves, use that to your advantage and have customers work together to think about how you solve your customer's pain points that led them to become advocates for your brand.
Transform your success story into a collaborative problem-solving challenge that turns your audience from passive readers to active participants. Perhaps you could post the original business challenge and invite your network to propose solutions.
Offer prizes, recognition, and watch as your engagement skyrockets. The original customer or your team can provide feedback, turning this into a masterclass of collective intelligence.
4. Drama reimaginings: Serial meets sales strategy
Who says case studies have to be boring? Channel your inner podcast producer and transform that customer success story into an audio narrative that would make the "Serial" podcast team proud.
Complete with narrative arcs and interview snippets, make a lifeless case study into an experience.
Or perhaps you want to have a go at working on a choose-your-own-adventure style interactive experience that lets followers explore the case study's problem-solving journey.
Create a web-based or social media-embedded interactive story where users make decisions mirroring the original customer's challenges.
At each decision point, reveal how the actual customer solved the problem and what the outcomes were. This gamification approach turns the case study into an engaging, educational experience that followers can play through, sharing their results and insights.
5. Don’t knock the tried and true
With all of these unique and inventive ways of showcasing a case study, don’t forget that sometimes simple is best. What you want with case studies is reach. How can you get the story out to the most amount of people possible?
So you’ll want to present this case study in as many digestible ways as possible too. So for every interactive post and behind the scenes video, don’t neglect a simple article post of LinkedIn carousel too!
The bottom line
Case studies are no longer static documents gathering digital dust. They're living, breathing content waiting to be unleashed across platforms, formats, and audience imaginations.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Take these ideas, experiment boldly, and watch as your case studies transform from corporate paperweights to content that captures, engages, and inspires.
Want to chat to your peers about their case study ideas and initiatives? Customer Marketing Alliance's Slack is just the place for you. 👇
