A Guide To Writing An Impactful Marketing Case Study

Whether you love or hate writing a marketing case study, it remains a crucial part of the marketing mix of every B2B organization. The primary purpose of a case study is to reveal the real world events to students and give them an opportunity to make judgments about such events. They are a simple and effective way of marketing products and services to potential customers. They provide a real-life example of how a particular product or service was able to meet the needs of the customers.
So, if you are required to write a marketing case study for your final college term paper or one as a fresher for the marketing department of your company then don’t be afraid, as we will let you know all the tips and tricks of writing a successful one. With an impactful case study, you will be able to highlight the strengths of the product or service you are required to write about and grab the interest of potential customers and readers.

Do case studies really create an impact?

This is a common question that arises in the minds of the writers. Yes, they actually do, and the reasons can be summarized hereunder –

• It is a way of sharing your success stories with potential customers and helps them know what you do and how you do them.
• A case study will allow you to focus on the problem areas that your previous customers have faced and help you take the necessary measures to solve them.
• It increases the market reputation and creditworthiness of your brand.
• Even a visitor or reader of your case study will be tempted to try your product or service once..

So, the point is how you will write a case study that can serve the purpose. Here are a few simple tips which can be helpful in developing an acceptable case study –

1) Prepare the case study assignment

Before you start writing there are a lot of things you need to do. The to-do list for developing a structure for the marketing
case study involves –

Conducting a real interview:
Earlier the trend was to write case studies based on testimonial quotes, videos and emails. But such a concept has become outdated as interviewing real and live customers can contribute towards writing a good case study. You might be thinking that it will almost be impossible to book an appointment with existing or previous customers. But if you can manage a minute’s talk with a few of them it will be a lot better than assembling data from different sources.
Concentrate on your analysis:
Through the process of conversing with the product or service users, you need to identify to the significant problems they might have faced while using the products or services. From such data try to determine the reasons for such existence, their impact on the organization and the persons or department who can be held responsible for such an occurrence.
Unveil feasible solutions:
A problem always has a solution. Try to uncover possible solutions to every problem that you come across in the course of such investigation. Review course readings, outside research and use your experience to overcome these problems by coming up with new and innovative solutions.
Choose the best solution:
There might be multiple solutions to a problem. Consider only those solutions which are backed by substantial supporting evidence and whether it can be practically implemented. Also, take into account the pros and cons that are associated with such a solution.

2) Draft the case study

Once you have collected all the information necessary to develop a well-written case study go ahead and try to arrange the data in a proper sequence. While it is obvious that a case study should include an introduction, background, alternatives, proposed solution and specific recommendations you should know what and how to add in your draft.
Include information about someone your reader can relate to. Such as if someone is from the automobile industry you should develop your case study based on auto parts and accessories manufacturers. This will immediately grab the attention of the reader and make him feel comfortable in their industry-specific requirements.
Narrate everything from the beginning to the end. You need to stick to the basics and ensure that your case study has a proper beginning, middle, and end with adequate supporting evidence. Alongside, you need to include interesting, unique facts and humor to your data to keep the readers engaged.
Follow easy-to-read formatting. It is almost always boring to read on pages after pages, no matter how informative and entertaining the text might be. So, make sure that you include proper headers, bullets, and images and italicized or bold text in your case study so that the reader does not get bored. Following writing style formatting like MLA, APA or Harvard style guides will not only help the readers find the most critical and interesting portions but will also add value to your case study writing.

3) Edit the case study

After completing the writing portion, comes the most critical step, i.e., editing the case study. Your work does not end with the completion of writing. You need to conduct proper editing and proofreading of your case study so that it can be presented in the best possible manner. Browse through the checklist that you have prepared before writing the case study. Make sure that all the essential points have been followed and your purpose is well served.
You may even get it proofread by other editors or proofreaders so that they can suggest for any necessary edits or corrections which has been overlooked by you. Make sure the entire content is free from any punctuation or grammatical errors before the final draft is submitted.

Final Word of Advice

As with any research paper, you should conclude in simple and lucid language. Find ways to emphasize how your case study supports prior research and how to can be helpful in taking the research further. Considering your professor’s preference and the discipline you are writing in the concluding passage should contain the evidence presented and applied to practice along with your suggestions. So not be introspective about the subject of analysis unless you are asked to do so.