Developing a Compelling Industrial Case History: Process, Writing, and Format

Research continues to confirm the importance of having a robust website with helpful product/service information and specification tools. Published research shows that technical buyers complete roughly 60% to 62% of the buying process online before contacting a vendor. Moreover, it noted that company websites are a critical resource in a buyer’s information-gathering journey

Accordingly, case studies (or case histories) can be important assets on your website. They can also drive readers to your website when used strategically on social media. They have at least two intrinsic qualities. First, they embody a story — and everyone appreciates a good one. Second, they provide demonstrative proof of a company’s problem-solving expertise in a specific market segment.

The case study development process can vary, as can content and format. Yet here are some basic thoughts on developing a compelling case study.

1.    Preparing or Re-igniting Story Resources

As a starting point, it’s a good idea to establish or (in some cases) re-invigorate the resource base for your case studies. Depending on your go-to-market strategy, some of the best sources are your field sales or distributor sales personnel. Salespeople will know how your products or services played a role in solving a customer’s challenge. They will also know which specific products were involved ... in my judgment, a critical element in the story. Additionally, salespeople have relationships with downstream resources that may serve as interviewees: end customers, contractors, engineers, installers, building operators, etc. The latter relationships become important. The most effective stories contain end-customer quotes to enhance validity. Your salespeople can solicit these quotes or remember the gist of them if they were discussed in an earlier customer/salesperson meeting. They can also facilitate the end-customer (or other interviewee) approval process.

Keeping the Story Pool Replenished

The goal is to establish an initial pool of stories to draw from. The next challenge is to keep the pool replenished. Keep in mind, salespeople are busy, and their primary job is to sell. While they see the value of case studies, contributing to their development is not a priority. The initial step should be to develop a simple, ongoing (email or intranet) campaign to solicit story ideas from the sales force, then choose which ones to develop. An incentive (Amazon gift cards) can help secure the time and cooperation from a salesperson to develop the case study, although seeing their name in print often suffices! Two of my clients use incentives. It’s a strategy that seems to work … something to keep in mind.

Additional Story Resources

Another potential resource for stories is Customer Service. It may have played a direct role in a product or service challenge and solution.

Story Selection and Timing

Just a comment about story selection … A powerful determinant in story selection is relevance and timing. For instance, two of my clients, Kohler and Daikin, had stories that were relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic response. Accordingly, they were timely at that point.

Closing the Loop

Finally, when the story is in its final format, close the loop! Send a printed copy of the story with a thank-you note to all those resources that contributed to the development of the story! It’s a good way to express your appreciation and can help you keep the case history pool replenished.

2.    Developing a Process

When I presented my case study process to Kohler Power, now Rehlko, we discovered it was virtually identical to its in-house process. Here’s a high-level overview of that process, using a fast-track timeline that assumes the distributor or customer has been prepared for an interview. We have completed the entire development of case studies (i.e., interviews, writing, layout, and approval) in as little as 10 days, while others have taken up to 30 days and sometimes longer.

Approvals and Internal Reviews

Not shown in the process graphic is the detail about approvals, which can vary widely. It is prudent to secure resource approval for accuracy and because the case will be published. It may also be necessary for the legal departments of both client and source, along with any other involved resources, to approve the case before publication. These are details to work out internally and with each source during the early stages of the process. No one likes surprises.

3.    Developing the Interview Questions

Part of the process should be to develop a set of interview questions — or an interview discussion guide. The client and agency should develop these together. Each client is different — some want more or fewer details. Regardless, agree on the question set before interviewing a source. The question set can be a living document and be amended/updated, as necessary. Incidentally, it’s okay to go off-script from the question set when conducting the interview — it can lead to interesting story details and associated drama.

Use the Five Ws

The five “Ws” (who, what, where, when, and why) are a good way to structure the question set and the interview process. Naturally, they should center around the three key elements of the case study: challenge, solution, and result.

Capture Technical Details and Results

For technical products, it’s really important to capture product and/or service details and results, especially if your solution saved the customer money. Your reading audience may be engineers, technical buyers, owners, operations management, etc. These audiences, like many others, appreciate facts, figures, and statistics. Further, they add depth to the story.

4.    Preparing the Resource for the Interview

Typically, it’s best if the corporate contact introduces the agency contact to the story source or sources in advance. This can be accomplished with a simple joint email. It can also prevent subsequent emails from being ignored, deleted, or auto-filtered into a spam folder. Once the introduction is made, the agency contact can coordinate with the resource to schedule the interview.

Send the Question Set in Advance

Sending the question set to a story source in advance offers some advantages. It can prepare the source for the information he/she will need to gather to provide a response. It may also prompt them to find charts, graphs, and images that could be useful. The associated goal is to maximize the value of the interview time by facilitating more thoughtful and complete responses.

Sending the questions in advance should be viewed as a courtesy — not as an alternative to the interview. Change your process if sending the questionnaire in advance becomes problematic.

5.    Conducting the Interview

As a corporate or agency representative, it’s important to set the interviewee at ease. Don’t jump right to business! Introduce yourself, establish your goals for the interview, and explain the overall process. Be courteous and cognizant of the resource’s time. Most importantly, invite them to talk about themselves, e.g., how they got into the business, how long they’ve been in the business, and so on. Get to know them as best you can within the confines of the interview schedule. Finally, if taking written notes is a challenge, ask the resource if you can record the conversation. A digital recorder or online meeting recording can be useful for this purpose, provided the source gives permission

Listen for Quotes

As you interview the resource, listen for potential quotes and quickly jot down the substance of each. At the end of the interview, return to the potential quote and ask for clarification and permission to use it. Sometimes (as has been my case), a direct quote can drive (or change) the entire direction of the story and often serves to make the case more interesting to read.

Listen for Future Use

Also, note whether the source makes a comment about future use of the solution in other projects or applications. A comment about future use and solution adoption is a true endorsement of the solution and the brand.

6.    Writing the Case

Remember for whom you are writing. As you write, ask yourself, “Why should the reader care?” Make sure what you write is usable and beneficial to the reader. Adding a little “interest” to the story is fine — after all, it’s a story, and it doesn’t have to be dry and boring. Strike the right balance. Everything should flow from challenge or problem to solution to result.

Make the Story Easy to Scan

Make sure your case study can be “scanned” for key points, and ensure the synopsis is concise but thorough, using a couple of sentences for each item.

Consider SEO Without Forcing It

Once the story is at the first-draft stage, think about it from an SEO perspective.  Look for opportunities to intersperse key search terms throughout. Yet, do not sacrifice the flow, clarity, or interest of the story to insert a word that seems out of place or makes the structure awkward. Your client may already have a key term list you can leverage. If not, that could be another opportunity to help them!

7.    Developing an Appealing, Quick-Read Format

A prevailing thought in some marketing circles is that people do not like, or do not have time, to read. If so, a case study format with ample white space, subheads, and pictures can make the story more inviting and easier to read.

Key Format Elements

Logo

A prominent client logo is typically featured on the front and back of the case study.

Synopsis

The next important element in the case study format is a front-page synopsis. The synopsis captures key points in the case, such as customer, location, challenge or problem, solution, result, and brand choice factors. Two of my clients use an “At A Glance” sidebar. Another client places the synopsis in a horizontal bar at the bottom of the first page.

The point is that if a reader can capture the main ideas quickly, he or she may wish to read further. The synopsis allows the reader to quickly decide.

Remember, the synopsis tries to capture a main point in only one or two sentences. Often, the body copy captures more interesting details and lends itself to product or service solution details.

Main Headline

People read headlines. It’s often how they decide whether or not to read a story. Of the various headline types, I prefer to use a direct-benefit headline. Direct-benefit headlines get to the point quickly because they answer, “What’s in it for me?” Make sure the headline is relevant to the target audience and resonates with them. It is typically written around a “hot button.” The goal is to draw the reader into the story.

Breaking Up Long Copy with Subheads

Elements that can break up heavy copy within the story itself are subheads. The obvious ones are background, challenge, implementation (special details), solution and results.

Above is an example of a case study I wrote and designed showing the dispersal of subheads.

Beauty and Installation Shots

Movies often start with an establishing shot for context. The same concept is true of case history layouts. It’s a good idea to use a photo on the front cover of the case study that shows the completed installation because it provides “proof of the pudding” and context. Alternatively, the visual could show the application, project site, building exterior, or equipment involved.

Pictures on the back of the case study can also add drama or context. One client likes to use the reverse side (if it’s a two-panel case) to showcase related product beauty shots. Some of the more dramatic shots used on the reverse side are “installation-in-progress” shots which can also add interest, e.g., large HVAC units or emergency generators being lifted onto the roof of a hospital or commercial building.

Quotes

Perhaps the best testament to the efficacy of a solution or related savings is a quote from the end customer. Placing a quote on the front cover, in a different font or color, can be effective. One client prefers to reverse the quote out of the cover shot. Either way, making a quote prominent helps validate the case.

Quotes can also be used throughout copy to break up prose or add reinforcement to certain details. Placing the end-customer quote in or near the results section makes sense because it supports the results and serves as a capstone to the story.

Other Elements

Finding the right balance between copy, pictures, overall length, and white space can be difficult. For example, some experts believe including bios of the key personnel involved in the case is important, but it requires more space. Bios can be useful in terms of adding validity to the case. They can also serve as potential resources for prospects.

Including detailed contact information and a call to action are other options. Finding the right format may involve some trial and error. Some of the ideas in this article may help.

8.    Social Media

A library of case studies, demonstrating expertise in various market segments, is a great first step in building your reputation for solutions and thought leadership. Yet, they can also be leveraged by your salesforce in presentations, mailings or as leave-behinds.

More important, they can also be used in social media channels to which many corporations subscribe. LinkedIn and Facebook are common outlets. Here’s an example of how a client used a case study on LinkedIn to promote its expertise to its followers.

9.    Summary

There is much more to writing dynamic case studies than can be captured here. A strong case history should align with the company’s brand voice, brand promise, and related brand attributes. It should also balance accuracy, readability, proof, and sales value.

For technical B2B companies, the best case histories do more than describe what happened. They show why the project mattered, how the solution was applied, and what value was created.

That alignment between technical accuracy, storytelling, and brand relevance is central to the Content Squared approach.

Daniel C. Sholl is Founder and Principal of Content Squared, a strategic communications firm serving industrial and technical B2B companies. Content Squared specializes in positioning, product launches, technical writing, and the development of communications that make complex products and systems more clear, credible, and compelling.

To learn more about case history writing and related industrial communications services, visit Content Squared’s Case History Writing page.