Why one or two client case studies won't be enough to win new business

Running a Content Planning Workshop recently with a client of mine, we quickly identified three or four mutually exclusive audiences who buy their services. The fourth came about because male customers did highlight different issues before starting the process... even if the service provided to solve the problem looked very similar!

Create cornerstone content

The session was highly productive - in less than ninety minutes, we built simple 5 step communications plans for each audience - which could be delivered via email, private messaging, video or blog content. But it highlighted two problems which every business needs to tackle in their content marketing:

• they have no evidence (yet) to prove their expertise, they've only just begun working with me to gather their case studies. There will be potential customers out there, who will read the blogs or listen to the podcasts, but hesitate to take the last steps of making contact or buying.
• they don't talk to the audience directly enough, they've described the benefits of their services but it's all too generic to stand out in the competitive crowd they're in. When prospects hear about them and want to know more, the information they find isn't relevant to their burning problem.

When you publish one case study, it won't be enough to win new business. Why? Because the rest of your marketing has to support these success stories - your blogs, podcasts and videos become cornerstone content linking out more information on how your service met a specific customer need.

Go one step further, make sure your LinkedIn network sees your case studies. But beware - it's too easy to post a generic, "hey, look at our amazing case studies" and no-one will read them because they've not got time to figure out which one was relevant for them. Much better to post them individually, with a 'reason to read it' which resonates with one person!

Apply a matrix approach to your content schedule

For true credibility, you need to demonstrate a portfolio of successes, because there are at least three other audiences (like there was for my client) who don't quite fit that mould. What are the chances a single case study will resonate with all of them? You'll need to cover the industry sectors you work with, or look at the backstory for a range of your clients - what challenges do they have in common before you start working with them? Then use your case studies to explain more than just the process - let them experience how it will feel to work with you - and have your support to solve the problem.

You can link it all together by creating a matrix of customer needs and types, then write your content to serve and help them. Ask questions like, do they have experience of these services?

• If no, they need to hear and learn the basics on what you will do for them and what happens next.
• Or yes, they've used another provider and switched - so they need to know why you're different and what you care about.

When you're ready to put customers at the heart of your marketing content, you're welcome to book in for a coffee - I'm happy to swap notes and get you on the right track based on what I've seen and written in industries like tech, software, telecoms and business services.