Marketing case study 101 (plus tips, examples, and templates)

Inserting image...

Summary/Overview

If you’re familiar with content lines like, “See how our fancy new app saved Sarah 10 hours a week doing payroll,” you’ve encountered a marketing case study. That’s because case studies are one of the most powerful marketing tools, showcasing real-world applications and customer success stories that help build trust with potential customers.

More than 42% of marketers use case studies in their marketing strategy. Let’s face it — we love testimonials and reviews. People love hearing customer stories and experiences firsthand. In fact, 88% of consumers view reviews before making a purchase decision. Case studies work similarly by providing prospective customers with real-life stories demonstrating the brand’s success.

Case studies provide a more in-depth view of how your product solves an existing problem — something potential buyers can relate to and learn from.

In this article, we take a closer look at what marketing case studies are, why they’re important, and how you can use them to improve your content marketing efforts. You’ll also learn the key elements of a successful case study and how to turn a good case study into a great case study.

What is a marketing case study?

A case study is a narrative that documents a real-world situation or example. A marketing case study is a detailed examination and analysis of a specific strategy, initiative, or marketing campaign that a business has implemented. It’s intended to serve as an all-inclusive narrative that documents a real-world business situation and its outcome.

Marketing case studies are tools businesses use to showcase the effectiveness of a particular tool, technique, or service by using a real-world example. Companies often use case studies as sales collateral on websites, email marketing, social media , and other marketing materials. They provide readers with a firsthand look into how your product or service has helped someone else and demonstrate the value of your offering while building trust with potential customers.

Some common key components of a marketing case study include:

  • Context: A case study begins by describing the business’s situation or problem. This often includes challenges, opportunities, or objectives.
  • Strategy: An outline of the tactics or strategy utilized to address the business’s situation. This includes details such as the target audience, messaging, channels used, and other unique aspects of the approach.
  • Implementation: Provide information about how the strategy was implemented, including timeline, resources, and budget.
  • Results: This is arguably the most crucial part of a marketing case study. Present the results through data, metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to demonstrate the impact of the strategy. The results section should highlight both qualitative and quantitative data.
  • Challenges and Solutions: A great case study not only focuses on the successes but addresses any obstacles faced during the campaign. Make sure to address any challenges and how they were overcome or mitigated.
  • Customer Feedback: Including testimonials or quotes from satisfied clients is a great way to add credibility and authenticity to a case study. Choose customer feedback that reinforces the positive outcomes of the strategy taken.
  • Visuals: Compelling case studies include visuals such as graphs, charts, images, videos, and infographics to make the information presented more engaging and easier to understand.
  • Analysis: An optional way to conclude a case study includes discussing key takeaways, insights, and lessons learned from a campaign.

Case studies can help you connect your product to the customer’s needs by providing a real world examples of success and encouraging conversions.

Benefits of marketing case studies

Some of the key benefits of using case studies in your marketing efforts include the following:

  • Building trust and credibility. You build trust and credibility with potential clients or customers by demonstrating real world success stories. In-depth looks at how your products or services have helped other businesses or people achieve success can increase customer loyalty and encourage repeat business.
  • Learn best practices. Learn from strategies employed in successful case studies and apply similar approaches to future campaigns.
  • Enhancing sales and conversions. By highlighting the real world results your products or services have delivered, case studies can be a powerful tool for boosting sales. They can help demonstrate the value of your offering and persuade your target audience to make a purchase.
  • Explain how your business generates results. Case studies are a compelling way to share key takeaways with your target audience and showcase your brand.
  • Use them as content marketing material. Use case studies as content for marketing purposes on websites, social media, and beyond.

Case studies can help your business stand out and achieve success. By highlighting the real world results you’ve delivered, you can use case studies to boost sales, build customer loyalty, and compellingly showcase your business.

Tips on how to write an effective marketing case study

Are you ready to write a compelling case study? Get started with these tips.

Develop a clear and compelling headline

You have about 10 seconds to communicate your value proposition to keep customer attention. Whether you’re designing a new landing page or making a long-term plan for your brand’s content marketing strategy , the headline is the most crucial part.

A compelling title should capture readers’ attention and make them want to read more. To craft a compelling headline:

  • Understand your audience: Before crafting a headline, ensure you know your target audience — what are their pain points, interests, and needs?
  • Highlight the most significant result: Focus on the most impactful result achieved in the case study. What was the primary outcome of the strategy implemented?
  • Keep it brief: Keep your headline concise and to the point. Try to keep your headline under 12 words.
  • Use action words: Incorporate action verbs such as “achieved,” “transformed,” or “boosted” to convey a sense of accomplishment.
  • Include data: Numbers make your headline more credible. For example, if the case study achieved a 75% increase in sales, include that in the headline.
  • Emphasize benefits: Focus on the positive changes or advantages the implemented strategy brought to the client or business. Use these as selling points in your headline.
  • Make it unique and memorable: Avoid generic phrases to make your headline stand out from the competition.
  • Use keywords wisely: Incorporate relevant keywords that align with the case study and your target audience’s search interest to improve search engine visibility through search engine optimization (SEO).
  • Consider subheadings: If you cannot fit all the necessary information in a headline, consider adding a subheading to provide additional context or details.

Here are some examples of clear and convincing case study headlines:

  • “Achieving a 150% ROI: How [XYZ] Strategy Transformed a Startup”
  • “How Optimized SEO Tactics Skyrocketed Sales by 80%”
  • “Mastering Social Media: How [ABC] Brand Increased Engagement by 50%”
  • “The Power of Personalization: How Tailored Content Quadrupled Conversions”

Write relatable content

Almost 90% of Gen Z and millennial shoppers prefer influencers who they consider relatable. Relatability is part of building trust and connection with your target audience.

When writing your case study, make content that resonates with readers and speaks to their pain points. The best marketing doesn’t just increase conversion rates — it also serves your customers’ needs. To write content that really resonates with your target audience, make sure to:

  • Understand your audience: To successfully write relatable content, you first need to understand your target audience — their interests, pain points, and challenges. The more you know about your target audience, the better you can tailor your content to their needs.
  • Identify pain points: As mentioned above, identify challenges your target audience may face. Make sure to highlight how the product or service in the case study can effectively address these pain points.
  • Tell a story: Create a narrative that follows a standard story arc. Start with a relatable struggle that the customer or business faced and describe its associated emotions.
  • Use real customer feedback: Incorporate quotes or testimonials from actual customers or clients. Including authentic voices makes the content more relatable to readers because they can see real people expressing their experiences.
  • Use relatable language: Write in a tone to which your audience can relate. Only include overly technical terms if your target audience solely consists of experts who would understand them.
  • Use social proof: Mention any recognitions, awards, or industry acknowledgments that may have been received by the customer or business in the case study.
  • Encourage engagement: Urge readers to share their own challenges or experiences related to the subject matter of the case study. This is a great way to foster a sense of community.

Outline your strategies with corresponding statistics

Whether you’re showing off the results your marketing team achieved with a new strategy or explaining how your product has helped customers, data and research make it easier to back up claims.

Include relevant statistics in your case study to provide evidence of the effectiveness of your strategies, such as:

  • Quantitative data: Use numerical data to quantify results.
  • Qualitative data: Use qualitative data, such as customer testimonials, to back up numerical results.
  • Comparisons: Compare the post-campaign results with the pre-campaign benchmarks to provide context for the data.
  • Case study metrics: Include specific metrics relevant to your industry or campaign if applicable. For example, in e-commerce, common metrics could include customer acquisition cost, average order value, or cart abandonment rate.

By incorporating relatable outcomes — such as cost savings from new automation or customer responsiveness from your new social media marketing campaign — you can provide concrete evidence of how your product or service has helped others in similar situations.

Use multiple formats of representation

People love visuals . It doesn’t matter if it’s an infographic for digital marketing or a graph chart in print materials — we love to see our data and results represented in visuals that are easy to understand. Additionally, including multiple representation formats is a great way to increase accessibility and enhance clarity.

When making a case study, consider including various forms of representation, such as:

  • Infographics: Use infographics to condense critical information into a visually appealing, easy-to-understand graphic. Infographics are highly sharable and can be used across marketing channels.
  • Charts: Use charts (bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, etc.) to illustrate statistical information such as data trends or comparisons. Make sure to include clear labels and titles for each chart.
  • Images: Include relevant photos to enhance the storytelling aspect of your case study. Consider including “before and after” pictures if relevant to your case study.
  • Videos: Short videos summarizing a case study’s main points are great for sharing across social media or embedding into your case study.
  • Tables: Use tables to help organize data and make it easier for readers to digest.
  • Data visualizations: Include data visualizations such as flowcharts or heatmaps to illustrate user journeys or specific processes.
  • Screenshots: If your case study involves digital products, include screenshots to provide a visual walkthrough of how the product or service works.
  • Diagrams: Use diagrams, such as a flowchart, to explain complex processes, decision trees, or workflows to simplify complicated information.
  • Timelines: If your case study involves a timeline of specific events, present it using a timeline graphic.

Use a consistent design style and color scheme to maintain cohesion when incorporating multiple formats. Remember that each format you use should serve a specific purpose in engaging the reader and conveying information.

Get your case study in front of your intended audience

What good is a compelling case study and a killer call to action (CTA) if no one sees it? Once you’ve completed your case study, share it across the appropriate channels and networks your target audience frequents and incorporate it into your content strategy to increase visibility and reach. To get your case study noticed:

  • Take advantage of your website. Create a dedicated section or landing page on your website for your case study. If your website has a blog section, consider including it here. Optimize the page for search engines (SEO) by including relevant keywords and optimizing the meta description and headers. Make sure to feature your case study on your homepage and relevant product or service pages.
  • Launch email marketing campaigns. Send out the case study to your email subscriber list. Be specific and target groups that would most likely be interested in the case study.
  • Launch social media campaigns. Share your case study on your social media platforms. Use eye-catching graphics and engaging captions to draw in potential readers. Consider creating teaser videos or graphics to generate interest.
  • Utilize paid promotions. Use targeted social media and search engine ads to reach specific demographics or interests. Consider retargeting ads to re-engage visitors who have previously interacted with your website.
  • Issue a press release. If your case study results in a significant industry impact, consider issuing a press release to share the exciting news with relevant media outlets or publications.
  • Utilize influencer outreach. Collaborate with influencers who can share your case study with their followers to increase credibility and expand your reach.
  • Host webinars and presentations. Discuss the case study findings and insights through webinars or presentations. Promote these events through your various marketing channels and make sure to encourage participation.
  • Utilize networking events and conferences. Present your case study at industry-related conferences, trade shows, or networking events. Consider distributing printed or digital copies of the case study to attendees.
  • Utilize online communities. Share the case study in relevant online forums and discussion groups where your target audience congregates.
  • Practice search engine optimization (SEO). Optimize the SEO elements of your case study to improve organic search ranking and visibility.

Remember, the key to successfully promoting your case study is to tailor your approach to your specific target audience and their preferences. Consistently promoting your case study across multiple channels increases your chances of it reaching your intended audience.

Marketing case study examples

Let’s look at some successful marketing case studies for inspiration.

“How Handled Scaled from Zero to 121 Locations with HubSpot”

Inserting image...

Right away, they lead with compelling metrics — the numbers don’t lie. They use two different formats: a well-made video accompanied by well-written text.

The study also addresses customer pain points, like meeting a higher demand during the pandemic.

“How AppSumo grew organic traffic 843% and revenue from organic traffic 340%”

Inserting image...

This case study from Omniscient Digital leads with motivating stats, a glowing review sharing a real user experience, and a video review from the AppSumo Head of Content.

The case study information is broken down into clearly marked sections, explaining the benefits to their target audience (startups) and providing plenty of visuals, charts, and metrics to back it up.

“How One Ecommerce Business Solved the Omnichannel Challenge with Bitly Campaigns”

Inserting image...

Download this Bitly case study from their site to see the details of how this company made an impact.

Not only is it well designed, but it also tackles customer challenges right away. The most compelling types of case studies serve their audience by showing how the product or service solves their problems.

Bitly nails it by listing obstacles and jumping right into how the brand can help.

Marketing case study template

Use this basic template to better understand the typical structure of a business case study and use it as a starting place to create your own:

Case Study Title

Date: [Date]

Client or Company Profile:

  • Client/Company Name: [Client/Company Name]
  • Industry: [Industry]
  • Location: [Location]
  • Client/Company Background: [Brief client or company background information.]

Introduction:

  • Briefly introduce the client or company and any necessary context for the campaign or initiative.
  • Problem statement: Describe the specific challenge or problem faced by the client or company before implementing the campaign or initiative.
  • Strategy: Explain the strategy that was implemented to address the challenge. Include details such as target audience, objectives, goals, and tactics.
  • Implementation: Provide a timeline of the strategy’s implementation, including key milestones and other notable considerations taken during execution.
  • Outcomes: Present the qualitative and quantitative results achieved through the implemented strategy. Include relevant metrics, statistics, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Comparative data: Compare the post-campaign results to pre-campaign benchmarks or industry standards.

Analysis and Insights:

  • Key insights: Summarize insights and lessons learned from the campaign and discuss the campaign's impact on the client or company’s goals.
  • Challenges faced: Address any obstacles encountered during the campaign and how they were mitigated or overcome.

Conclusion:

  • Conclusion: Summarize the campaign’s overall impact on the client or company. Highlight the value that was delivered by the implemented strategy and the success it achieved.
  • Next Steps: Discuss potential follow-up actions, recommendations, or future strategies.

Testimonials:

  • Include quotes or testimonials from the clients or customers who benefitted from the campaign.
  • Incorporate relevant visuals to illustrate key points, findings, and results.

The above template is a great way to get started gathering your ideas and findings for a marketing case study. Feel free to add additional sections or customize the template to match your requirements.

Craft a compelling marketing case study for your business

Are you ready to make your marketing case study shine? With Adobe Express, you can make high-quality infographics and presentations that take your case studies to the next level.

Choose from our library of designed templates, or make it yourself with powerful tools and a library of ready-to-use graphic elements.

Get started with Adobe Express today to make compelling marketing case studies that engage your audience and drive conversions.

Try Adobe Express today

Ready to create standout content?

Start for free

Explore Related Posts

https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/brand-strategy

https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/marketing-plan

https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/types-of-marketing

What Is a Case Study in Marketing and How to Build One (Examples)

' src=

A marketing case study allows you to illustrate and explain how you achieved enormous success in a specific situation.

For instance, last year, Jacob McMillen wrote about how Pronto used Crazy Egg to increase leads by 24 percent .

That’s a big number.

It’s not a full case study , but it demonstrates the goal of a marketing case study. You want to shock your audience, then explain exactly how you achieved your results — preferably with proof.

You might have read lots of case studies over the years without realizing your business could benefit from them. Lots of entrepreneurs are put off by the hard work and long hours required to build a marketing case study.

However, think about how many leads you might convert by proving your track record, establishing trust, and attracting traffic through SEO .

Let’s look at how marketing case studies can impact your business, discuss how to write one, and check out a few examples.

What Is a Case Study in Marketing?

A case study in marketing is a document or web page that includes several basic parts:

  • Description of the subject : Explain your customer’s or client’s history and pain points.
  • Subject’s goal : Identify your customer’s or client’s goal for the project so readers understand what to expect.
  • Hypothesis for strategy : Tell your audience what you expected to happen after you implemented your strategy for the customer or client.
  • Implementation of strategy : Take the reader through the step-by-step process you used to help your customer or client.
  • Results of strategy : Deliver the results in as much detail as possible, preferably with a quote from the client or customer.
  • Concluding findings : Explain what this case study has taught your specifically and how it can help other people.

You don’t have to include every category, but the more detail you add, the more effective your marketing case study becomes.

Most of the time, you’re conducting a case study for your own business. You want to show the world how your product or service has helped a customer in a huge way.

For that reason, it helps to know you’ll perform a case study from the beginning. In other words, try not to reverse-engineer a case study from a great result. Instead, track your arrangement with your customer throughout the process.

The Importance of Creating Case Studies to Convert Leads into Customers

case-study-marketing-importance-of-creation

Think of a marketing case study as a lure. It’s a way to dangle amazing results in front of your leads so they’ll decide to convert .

Imagine that you’re a customer who’s trying to decide between two businesses, each of which offers time management software. One company has a marketing case study that illustrates how it helped a customer save four hours per week. The other company has no case study.

Which company would you trust most?

You can use that consumer logic to inform your business decisions. Thinking like a customer can help you achieve new insights into marketing.

Creating a marketing case study gives you an edge that your competitors might have. It can also help your leads make more informed decisions.

Too many businesses copy their competitors or other businesses. Instead, you should spend time being more creative and innovative. Below is a video by Neil Patel that illustrates why you need to quit copying digital marketing strategies.

If you’re bold enough to be different, you can convert more leads. A marketing case study gives you that opportunity because nobody else can duplicate it.

Why is it so important to build trust?

Anybody can throw testimonials on their site by Ron R. and Jennifer K. Anyone can also make them up.

Trust is tenuous in the digital marketing world. If you can’t create it, you likely won’t convert leads into customers.

Think about all the companies that have experienced data hacks. Their stocks plummeted, consumer sentiment turned ugly, and profits dwindled. That’s because consumers lost trust.

Similarly, any company can make bold claims about its products or services. Consumers have become numb to superlative-littered copy and hyped-up videos. They want to see evidence.

If you can prove that your product or service delivers powerful results, you’ll gain your leads’ trust.

Marketing case studies show how you tackled a problem and overcame it on behalf of your customer or client. It’s that simple. The more detail you give, the more authority you create for your company — and the more your leads will trust your expertise.

4 Case Study Examples

Before we tell you how to build a case study, let’s look at a few examples to get you warmed up. Each of these marketing case studies illustrates the power behind the medium.

They’ll also show you how different case studies can look depending on design, detail, results, and goals.

case-study-marketing-hubspot

The Shopify case study by HubSpot demonstrates how a narrative can be woven from a company’s journey. When Loren Padelford became head of sales, he immediately identified weak spots in Shopify’s sales cycle, so he decided to adopt HubSpot.

This case study highlights the ways in which Shopify used HubSpot’s email plugin to save time and improve communication flow. There’s a quote from Padelford in the case study, which can add even more impact in terms of building trust among leads.

Here, we have a fairly vague result. The company — specifically Padelford — claims to have achieved great success with HubSpot’s tools, but there aren’t any concrete numbers to back that up.

There’s nothing wrong with this approach, though, as long as your customer or client can offer a raving quote.

case-study-marketing-bitly

Ecommerce marketing case studies can become extremely valuable. In this case, Bit.ly used a more traditional template for a marketing case study. The PDF document includes several sections that take you through the process of how Vissla improved its omnichannel marketing with Bit.ly.

The results were that Vissla was able to visualize and centralize data in one place. They gained greater control over their social media marketing, which resulted in faster and better improvements in the content they shared.

There’s also a quote from Vissla’s media marketing manager, Keegan Fong: “Bitly Campaigns offers us a whole new way to look at our marketing channels. By giving us an easy-to-use dashboard that instantly displays the results of our multichannel promotions, we can see what kinds of content work on what channel, which channels we should be investing in the most, and what we need to do to optimize our content.” [ For Social: @vissla ]

3. Viperchill

case-study-marketing-viperchill

There’s a great marketing case study from Viperchill that you’ll want to check out. It’s a quick, fun read that explains how the author created a squeeze page that generated more than 700 leads and results in a conversion rate of 64 percent.

Notice that he used hard numbers. Sometimes, it’s impossible to boil results down to a figure or percentage, but if you can, do so. People comprehend real numbers faster than lengthy text explanations.

4. MarketingSherpa

case-study-marketing-marketingsherpa

This MarketingSherpa case study is super detailed and describes the process by which MarketingSherpa helped a natural foods company boost revenue by 18 percent with a site redesign. You see the entire project from start to finish.

You’ll notice that there are lots of visuals. Since this marketing case study focused on design, visuals were imperative. Let your business and its niche guide the way in which you construct your case study.

How to Create a Case Study Marketing Strategy That Converts

case-study-marketing-how-to-create

Now that you’ve looked through a few case studies, how do you create a marketing case study of your own?

It starts with a case study marketing strategy that’s designed to convert leads. You don’t want to choose just any project. It should be geared toward other businesses or customers who might benefit from your business.

Let’s take it step by step.

1. Choose a success story that is closely related to your potential customer

You might notice that many companies publish numerous marketing case studies. There’s a reason for that.

Each case study targets a different segment of the company’s target audience. Let’s say that you sell shoes, purses, and hats. A case study about shoes won’t interest someone who’s shopping for hats.

You can either choose a project that has already concluded or one that is starting or underway. It’s always best to start at the beginning, but if you’re anxious, you can take the reverse-engineering route.

Decide which segment of your target audience you want to appeal to first. Next, select a case study subject closely related to that segment. You want your marketing case study to resonate with the leads you most want to convert.

2. Identify the key points of the case study and use storytelling

Decide what parts of the case study you want to highlight. These details will likely appear in the marketing case study’s headline as well as throughout the rest of the text.

For instance, if you helped a customer boost revenue by 200 percent, that’s a highly relevant detail. You’ll want to spotlight it in the headline and several times in the content so you keep it fresh in readers’ minds.

You might have several key points. Think about the struggles your customer was facing before you stepped in, how you approached the solution, and why alternatives weren’t working. When you can provide numbers, do so.

Once you’ve identified those key points, start weaving them into a narrative. Make it exciting! Add sensory details, frustration points, and colorful anecdotes.

A marketing case study shouldn’t sound dry. It needs to engage the reader so he or she keeps going until the end.

If possible, intersperse the copy with images. Make them relevant and easy to see on the screen. Let the images help supplement the story you’ve woven.

3. Highlight the great results

As mentioned above, results are paramount. If you can express them in numeric form, so much the better.

Consider creating a custom graphic to serve as the featured image on your post. That way, people can share the image on social. Add the amazing result to the text on the image to entice people to click.

The point here is to capture attention. If people are willing to pay attention to you, then you’ve won the first part of the battle. As long as you maintain that attention, you have a good chance of converting the lead.

4. Explore different types of design

Design can prove fundamental to a marketing case study’s success. If you’re publishing it as a blog post, break it up with H2s, H3s, and H4s to guide the reader through the story. Add images and leading lines to keep the visitor engaged.

Remember that color matters. Consider using colors for text and images that correlate with your customers’ color scheme or with your own site’s palette.

5. Ask for feedback! What does your potential customer want to learn?

Don’t let the conversation stop at the end of your marketing case study. Open up the forum for more insights.

Invite readers to ask you direct questions about your business, products, services, or methods. Not only that, but respond to those comments. Take each one as a gift.

These comments might tell you what type of case study you should create next or allow you to cement a conversion by answering objections or questions.

Marketing case studies can improve your conversion rate , but you have to put in the time and effort. Yes, a polished case study requires work, but if you can secure sales from its publication, why wouldn’t you give it your full attention?

Remember that trust matters when it comes to converting leads into customers . If you don’t have trust, you’ll lose your leads to your competitors.

A great marketing case study demonstrates your track record. It builds a case for leads to use your products or services over someone else’s.

What are you waiting for? Start creating your first marketing case study now.

Make your website better. Instantly.

Keep reading about content marketing.

micro content

Want a Better Way to Engage Your Audience? Try Data-Driven Micro-Content

Content marketing is in a state of surplus: there is too much supply of branded content and diminishing returns of audience engagement.

fomo-marketing-4

10 Effective FOMO Marketing Techniques to Increase Online Results

In case you’re allergic to social media and haven’t ever before heard the term, FOMO means “the fear of missing out.” But what is FOMO…

tripwire marketing

Tripwire Marketing: Lure in More Customers With 12 Slam-Dunk Ideas

You’re unhappy with your conversion rate. People just aren’t buying what you’re selling. The solution might lie in tripwire marketing. The term tripwire marketing might…

customer-testimonials

Where to Place Customer Testimonials On a Website (+Examples)

Consumers have become increasingly blind to marketing and advertising strategies. The buyer’s journey gets longer and longer, and people are slower to trust companies. What’s…

content-marketing-strategy

A Step-by-Step Guide to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy That Converts

Your content marketing strategy influences how you reach your audience. If you don’t have a content strategy, now’s the time to create one. Many businesses…

how to solve a case study in marketing

Why Your Website Needs Infographics

The internet is suffused with data that is ever-flowing and ever-changing. Keeping your audience engaged with your content, whether it is on your website, social…

bottom-of-funnel-traffic

How To Increase Top of Funnel Traffic Through Link Retargeting

As a basic concept in marketing, the sales funnel is all about making prospects aware of your brand at first touch, right through to the…

case-study-marketing-introduction

A marketing case study allows you to illustrate and explain how you achieved enormous success in a specific situation. For instance, last year, Jacob McMillen…

target-audience-introduction

How to Identify Your Target Audience for Better Marketing

What is a target audience? And why does your specific target audience matter? That’s what we’re going to cover today. When you’re in business, you…

how to solve a case study in marketing

How to Find Your Target Market So Content Sticks (Guaranteed Success)

You hear it all the time: “learn how to find your target market and create interesting content.” But there’s a severe lack of useful material…

press page

What Makes a Great Press Webpage?

PRs and SEOs love press releases. You get an SEO boost, earning links from journalists in your space across a bunch of different sites. And…

subject matter expert

How To Be A Subject Matter Expert When You Don’t Know The Topic

Copywriters and content marketers are often required to write about industries or topics they know little about. This can make it a challenge to position…

blogging

How to Sell Without Selling In Every Blog Post

We all know blogging is an important part of online marketing. To succeed online today requires as many landing pages as possible, each ranking for…

make content actionable

7 Ways to Make Your Content More Actionable

One of the most disillusioning things about being a content marketer is putting the time and energy into creating A+ content only to have it…

how to squeeze more value from long form blog posts

10 Ways to Squeeze More Value out of Your Long-Form Blog Post

You put so much time and effort (and money, possibly) into your epic blog post. And boy did it get you results. That sucker got…

Over 300,000 websites use Crazy Egg to improve what's working, fix what isn't and test new ideas.

How to Write a Marketing Case Study (With Examples)

Learn exactly what a marketing case study is, how to write one that stands out, and review some examples of existing, successful studies.

Meghan Tocci

As any big brand like MailChimp, Spotify and IMB will tell you, case studies are a huge part of solidifying your brand as thought leaders.

A case study is a win: you share the success of a customer as a result of your company’s actions. At SimpleTexting we call them our Success Stories , but no matter the name, the structure is the same — how company A worked with B to achieve XYZ. 

In this article we’ll cover everything from the basics to real-life examples.What exactly is a marketing case study, what constitutes a good one, and most importantly, how do you build one?

Let’s get started.

What is a Marketing Case Study?

According to Curata , “a case study in the context of marketing is an analysis of a project, campaign or company that identifies a situation, recommended solutions, implementation actions, and identification of those factors that contributed to failure or success.”

Sure, it’s a bit wordy, but at its core marketing case studies share information with prospective customers or clients about how your product offered a solution.

It doesn’t need to be dry reading. It doesn’t even need to be a report (although it can be). The key with a case study is that it should read like a story—only the beginning, middle, and end are all replicable business takeaways.

Case studies are for businesses of all sizes. They can be just as effective for small and medium-sized businesses as they are for enterprise businesses. Here’s why you should be investing time in building case studies.

Why Write a Marketing Case Study?

Before we dive into the instructions, let’s take a second to explore why a business would invest the time and effort into writing a case study. After all, why share your big marketing secrets with the world, what do you get out of the deal?

Simply put, you get the chance to share your story. Case studies, after all, are just stories showcasing your products and methods. They make for pretty spectacular advertising because, to a reader, it doesn’t feel like they’re being marketed to.

92% of customers prefer that media messages sound like a story. By using case studies you’re appealing to the logical, casual consumer who wants to know the “who, what, where, when, and why” that drives them to buy without any of the extra fuss. Case studies are the perfect medium to package it all.

How to Write a Marketing Case Study

As mentioned, every good case study maintains one singular focus: how one company used another to achieve its goal(s). This means most marketing case studies tend to take on an easily understandable problem-solution structure.

Let’s take a look at what you need to create a successful case study.

Components of a Marketing Case Study

Using the ingredients above, assemble them in this order to create a basic marketing case study:

  • Write a title : Don’t worry about spoiling the ending. With case studies you want your title to let readers know right away how a campaign ended.  A case study title should include the name of the company or brand being examined, if their campaign went well or poorly for them and a solid metric that demonstrates exactly how well or how poorly they performed. For example: “ SimpleTexting Cut Down Product Onboarding Process by 30% Through Video Instruction. “
  • Introduce the subject: Every marketing case study should open with a brief historical overview of the company. What have they struggled with in the past that led to them developing this campaign? Who is their target audience, what do they sell?  Even if your subject is obscure, you want to build a sense of relatability to your readers: so be sure to structure from general to specific. After all, you want readers outside just your industry to take away value.
  • Identify your subject’s problems : Avoid leaving your readers feeling underwhelmed by presenting your subject’s problems early on in your case study. What are they trying to build, fix, or change? These problems are what will ultimately establish the subject’s goal, a one or two-sentence overview of the outcomes they’d like to see.
  • Spell out your strategies and tactics : The real meat to your case study occurs here. This portion of your study is where you describe what actions you specifically took to try and reach your goals: What did you expect to happen when you tried “X, Y, and Z”?  Your case study can write this all out in paragraph form if you want it to read with some fluidity, or you can simply bullet out your strategies below each goal. Examples of good strategies for a common marketing pain point, such as building a social media following, include: connecting with influencers, developing original creative content, and developing paid advertising parameters.
  • Share your results with visuals : At this point, you’ll want to follow up with the preview you set in your title and share with readers how things went. If you saw success, how much and where? If you didn’t were you able to pinpoint where things went wrong? Spare no detail as you write out what worked and what didn’t, and be sure to provide replicable detail (it may be what inspires your reader to become a customer!). Some common metrics commonly found in case studies include: web analytics and traffic, backlinks generated, keyword rankings, shares or other social interactions. Graphics like charts, bolded quotes, and graphs are good opportunities to visually demonstrate your data.
  • Wrap it up with a conclusion : Know the difference between reemphasizing and repeating. When writing a conclusion you shouldn’t sound like an echo, repeating exactly what you said in your introduction. Instead, you want to draw emphasis back to your key points and call your readers to action. Let them know what they can do right now to get connected and see this same success (or avoid its failure).  If you’re writing a case study for marketing purposes, this is where you sell yourself and your product.

Marketing Case Study Examples

You’ve certainly heard enough from us to this point. Now it’s time to see what all of these tips and tricks look like in action. `

A plethora of marketing case study examples are out there, each one with a different objective: educational, sales-driven, industry leadership, and more.

To give you a well-rounded picture, we’ll share some of our favorite marketing case studies with you so you can see it all in action for yourself.

1. Surf Live Saving Foundation

The Surf Life Saving Foundation rolled out an innovative new framework for their brand known as the surf lottery. Despite the size of the initiative they were able to break down their process on a share of voice campaign with a great deal of clarity. Why we like this case study : It provides actionable and replicable examples of how their objectives were received.

Marketing case study screenshot: Surf Life Saving Lotteries

2. StyleHaul & Asana

Organizational application Asana also finds itself in a competition-heavy environment. They are one of many SaaS productivity programs available. They needed to give their brand more of a voice to edge out against competitors offering near-identical products. The problem that needed solving in this success story is relatable to businesses all around the world, and ASANA’s use of it is a showcase of why they’re leaders in what they do.

Why we like this case study : It’s storytelling at its finest and perfectly demonstrates the subtle advertising concept.

Marketing case study screenshot: StyleHaul & Asana

3. Red Sox and CTP

This is a great example of a marketing agency showcasing its history of work with a high-profile client (the Boston Red Sox). It explores their entire body of work on a dynamic landing page. Why we like this case study : It demonstrates what a multi-media approach to a digital case study should strive to be.

Marketing case study screenshot: Red Sox & ATP

4. SimpleTexting & U.S. Hunger

We couldn’t talk the talk without walking the walk. We have a range of varied case studies on our Success Stories page, but one of our absolute favorites is the results from U.S. Hunger.

U.S. Hunger was looking for a way to reach those who need them most – including those without internet access.

Why we like this case study: Not only does it highlight the incredible work of U.S. Hunger, it also shows how much can be accomplished through SMS. It spins a new light on SMS marketing and shows the wider impact of accessible communication. 

how to solve a case study in marketing

Marketing Case Studies are Key to Brand Trust

As a business looking to grow, you need to prove to prospective customers and clients why they should invest in you. Whether it’s a service or a product, case studies are viable ways of showing that what you do works and discussing how you achieved it.

The most impactful case studies aren’t always the ones with big names attached to them. They’re the best stories, the best solutions, and the ones that the most people can relate to.

Try Text Marketing for Free

No credit card required

Meghan Tocci

Meghan Tocci

Meghan Tocci is a content strategist at SimpleTexting. When she’s not writing about SaaS, she’s trying to teach her puppy Lou how to code. So far, not so good.

Up next in Beyond Texting

Your quick-start email marketing strategy (with templates).

Build an effective email marketing strategy in just a few simple steps with these tips and templates.

How to Block Text Messages on iOS and Android

Tired of spam, scam, or unwanted texts? We'll show you how to block text messages on both iOS and Android, step by step.

Send Your First Message in Minutes

Start a text marketing campaign or have a 1-on-1 conversation today. It's risk free. Sign up for a free 14-day trial today to see SimpleTexting in action.

Try Us Free

Your Cookie Choices

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Cookie Statement

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

how to solve a case study in marketing

Check out our new Consent management feature here

  • Case Studies
  • Book a Demo

Lessons from the Field: Analyzing Successful Marketing Case Studies

Discover valuable insights and strategies from real-life marketing case studies in this informative article.

In the ever-evolving world of marketing, success stories serve as valuable lessons. Case studies, in particular, provide real-world examples and insights that can shape marketing strategies, campaigns, and tactics. They offer a window into the strategies employed by successful brands, allowing marketers to extract valuable insights and apply them to their own endeavors. In this article, we will delve into the importance of case studies in marketing, identify key elements of successful case studies, explore how to extract valuable insights from them, and discuss the application of those insights to improve marketing strategies.

Understanding the Importance of Case Studies in Marketing

Case studies play a vital role in the development of marketing strategy. They provide marketers with evidence of what works in real-world scenarios, allowing them to learn from others' successes and avoid their mistakes. Additionally, case studies offer an opportunity to understand the challenges faced by various organizations and how they overcame them.

The role of case studies in marketing strategy development

Case studies serve as a foundation for marketing strategy development. By analyzing successful marketing case studies, marketers can gain a deeper understanding of the tactics and approaches that have proven effective in the past. This knowledge enables them to make informed decisions and craft strategies that are more likely to succeed.

For example, let's consider a case study on a popular clothing brand that successfully launched a new product line. By examining the marketing strategies employed, such as influencer collaborations and targeted social media campaigns, marketers can draw valuable insights. They can learn about the importance of creating a buzz around the launch, leveraging the power of social media influencers, and engaging with their target audience in a meaningful way.

Furthermore, case studies provide marketers with a comprehensive view of the marketing landscape. They showcase different industries, markets, and target audiences, allowing marketers to broaden their perspective. This exposure to diverse case studies helps marketers identify innovative strategies and adapt them to their specific business needs.

How case studies provide real-world examples and insights

Case studies bring marketing theories and concepts to life by showcasing their application in real-world scenarios. They provide concrete examples of marketing strategies, tactics, and campaigns that have achieved measurable success. Whether it's a social media campaign that went viral or a targeted content marketing strategy, case studies offer a wealth of insights into what works and how it can be replicated.

Let's delve into a case study on a startup that successfully disrupted the market with a unique marketing approach. This case study highlights the importance of thinking outside the box and taking calculated risks. By analyzing the strategies employed by the startup, marketers can gain valuable insights into unconventional marketing methods that can create a buzz and differentiate their brand from competitors.

Furthermore, case studies provide an opportunity to learn from failures as well. By examining unsuccessful marketing campaigns, marketers can identify pitfalls to avoid and gain a deeper understanding of what does not work in certain contexts. This knowledge is invaluable in refining marketing strategies and avoiding costly mistakes.

Moreover, case studies offer a glimpse into the ever-evolving digital landscape. With the rapid advancement of technology, marketers need to stay updated on the latest trends and tools. By studying case studies that showcase successful digital marketing campaigns, marketers can gain insights into emerging platforms, innovative techniques, and effective ways to engage with digitally-savvy consumers.

In conclusion, case studies are an essential tool for marketers to enhance their understanding of successful marketing strategies and gain insights into real-world examples. By analyzing case studies, marketers can make informed decisions, craft effective marketing strategies, and stay ahead in the dynamic and competitive marketing landscape.

Identifying Key Elements of Successful Marketing Case Studies

To truly benefit from analyzing case studies, it is essential to identify their key elements. By understanding what makes a case study successful, marketers can find valuable lessons and apply them to their own marketing initiatives.

Case studies are a powerful tool for marketers to gain insights and learn from the successes of others. They provide a real-life example of how a marketing strategy was implemented and the results that were achieved. However, not all case studies are created equal. Some are more effective than others in conveying the key lessons and inspiring marketers to take action.

Defining the objectives and target audience of the case study

Successful case studies clearly define their objectives and target audience. These two factors shape the entire narrative of the case study, ensuring that it aligns with the intended lessons and resonates with the readers who can benefit from it.

When defining the objectives of a case study, marketers should consider what specific insights they want to gain and what actions they hope to inspire. This clarity of purpose will guide the selection of case study subjects and the analysis of their strategies.

Similarly, identifying the target audience is crucial for crafting a case study that speaks directly to the right people. Marketers should consider who will benefit the most from the lessons shared in the case study and tailor the language, examples, and recommendations accordingly.

Selecting the right case study subjects for analysis

The choice of case study subjects is crucial. Marketers should select case studies that closely align with their industry, target market, or specific marketing challenges they face. By analyzing case studies that are relevant and relatable, marketers can extract insights that are directly applicable to their own marketing strategies.

When selecting case study subjects, marketers should consider not only the industry or market segment but also the specific challenges or goals they are facing. For example, if a marketer is struggling with social media engagement, analyzing a case study of a successful social media campaign can provide valuable insights and inspiration.

Furthermore, it is important to consider the credibility and reliability of the case study subjects. Marketers should look for case studies that have been well-documented and have credible sources of information. This ensures that the insights gained from the analysis are based on accurate and trustworthy data.

Analyzing the structure and format of successful case studies

Case studies have a distinct structure and format. Successful case studies often follow a storytelling approach, clearly outlining the problem, the strategy employed, the tactics used, and the results achieved. Analyzing the structure and format of successful case studies can help marketers present their own strategies in a compelling and engaging manner.

When analyzing the structure and format of successful case studies, marketers should pay attention to the flow of the narrative. Is the story easy to follow? Does it build tension and create anticipation? Is the resolution satisfying? These elements contribute to the overall impact of the case study and can make it more memorable and persuasive.

In addition, marketers should consider the use of visuals and supporting data in successful case studies. Visuals such as charts, graphs, and images can help illustrate key points and make the case study more visually appealing. Supporting data, such as statistics and metrics, can add credibility and provide evidence of the effectiveness of the strategies employed.

By analyzing the structure and format of successful case studies, marketers can gain insights into how to present their own strategies in a way that captures the attention of their audience and effectively communicates the key lessons.

Extracting Valuable Insights from Marketing Case Studies

Once marketers have identified successful case studies, the next step is to extract valuable insights that can inform their own marketing initiatives. This involves examining the strategies employed, understanding the impact of market research and data analysis, and learning from innovative and creative marketing campaigns.

Identifying successful marketing strategies and tactics

Case studies provide an opportunity to identify successful marketing strategies and tactics that have proven effective in specific scenarios. By analyzing these strategies, marketers can gain inspiration and adapt them to their own campaigns to achieve similar results.

Understanding the impact of market research and data analysis

Market research and data analysis play a crucial role in successful marketing case studies. These studies often highlight the importance of gathering and analyzing relevant data to inform marketing decisions. By understanding how market research and data analysis contribute to successful marketing, marketers can leverage these tools to enhance their own strategies.

Learning from innovative and creative marketing campaigns

Successful case studies often showcase innovative and creative marketing campaigns that have captured audience attention. By analyzing these campaigns, marketers can learn valuable lessons about creativity, resourcefulness, and out-of-the-box thinking. These insights can then be applied to their own marketing initiatives to create impact and differentiate their brands.

Applying Lessons Learned to Improve Marketing Strategies

Deriving insights from case studies is only valuable if they can be effectively applied to improve marketing strategies. This involves implementing successful case study findings into marketing plans, adapting strategies to fit different industries and target markets, and measuring the effectiveness of marketing strategies based on case study insights.

Implementing successful case study findings into marketing plans

Successful case study findings should not remain mere insights but should be transformed into actionable plans. Marketers should incorporate these findings into their marketing strategies and campaigns, adapting them to suit their own unique circumstances. By implementing successful case study findings, marketers can increase the likelihood of achieving desirable outcomes.

Adapting strategies to fit different industries and target markets

While case studies provide valuable insights, it's crucial to adapt them to fit different industries and target markets. What works for one brand may not necessarily work for another. Marketers should carefully consider the nuances of their own industry and target market and tailor strategies accordingly. By intelligently integrating case study learnings with industry context, marketers can maximize effectiveness.

Measuring the effectiveness of marketing strategies based on case study insights

An effective marketing strategy is one that can be measured and evaluated. Once marketers have applied case study insights to their own strategies, they should establish clear metrics to assess their effectiveness. By measuring the impact of their strategies, marketers can continuously refine and optimize their marketing efforts based on the lessons learned from the case studies they have analyzed.

Storing Templates in the HIVO Platform

In addition to analyzing case studies for insights, marketers can also streamline their marketing processes by utilizing digital asset management platforms like HIVO. One valuable feature of HIVO is the ability to store templates.

Templates provide marketers with a consistent and efficient way to execute marketing campaigns. With HIVO, marketing teams can easily access and use pre-designed templates for various marketing materials, such as landing pages, social media ads, email campaigns, and more.

By storing templates in the HIVO platform, marketers can ensure brand consistency, save time on design iterations, and maintain quality control over the marketing materials. The ability to store templates simplifies the marketing workflow, enhances collaboration among team members, and allows for better scalability in marketing campaigns.

In conclusion, analyzing successful marketing case studies is a valuable practice for marketers seeking to improve their strategies. By understanding the importance of case studies, identifying key elements of successful case studies, extracting valuable insights, and applying those lessons learned, marketers can enhance their marketing outcomes and drive success in their campaigns. Additionally, leveraging digital asset management platforms like HIVO, with features such as template storage, can further streamline marketing processes and improve efficiency.

How to Write a Marketing Case Study: A Guide for Creating the Ultimate B2B Social Proof

by Greg Mischio | Case Studies

How to Write a Case Study

For a manufacturing company, case studies can be one of the most effective ways to generate leads, showcase your strengths, and vividly demonstrate how you solve clients’ challenges. But there’s a problem: Case studies aren’t necessarily easy to create.  Here’s a complete guide on how to write a marketing case study and create the ultimate form of B2B social proof.

They’re usually an afterthought that’s offloaded to someone not necessarily prepared to do them well. On top of that, case studies often get made without a strategy behind them and are used with no real goal in mind. 

And that’s a shame, considering how valuable they can be:

  • Demand Gen Report   found that 78% of companies surveyed said they used case studies to research B2B purchasing decisions, which was more than any other type of content.
  • DocSend looked at 34 million content interactions. Compared with other sales content, case studies showed an 83% completion rate, an average that left all other content in the dust.
  • eMarketer reports that a survey conducted by RSW/US, a business development firm, showed that almost 63% of agency executives cited case studies as their top way to generate leads.

To tap that potential, here’s a list of steps anyone can use to start creating exceptional case studies.

Case studies can be the top way to generate leads.

1. Strategy: Strategize before you editorialize

Before you do anything, make sure you have a solid strategy for your case study by answering these key questions:

Question: What’s your goal with the case study? 

Answer: ask your sales team (first)..

  • Is it to help sell a particular service? 
  • Do you want to emphasize a specific offering? 
  • Are you trying to grow business in a certain sector?
  • Are you trying to get more clients to try a new product?

One place you can start to get answers is with your sales team. They may be the ones who’ll be using case studies the most.  

This is typically the case with most manufacturing companies. The sales team is on the front line, dealing firsthand with the issues. This is where the story starts.

Question: What type of prospect are you targeting?  

Answer: find an industry and position match..

The story you tell in your case study should be shaped by who you’re going to be telling it to. If you’re trying to reach a certain industry or a certain job role, then you want to find an industry and position match. 

According to Joel Klettke of Case Study Buddy , “If you tell the wrong story to the wrong people, your case study will fall flat.”

Tell the right story to the right people.

Question: How will you use the case study?

Answer: don’t just relegate them to the “case studies” page..

Have a plan for how you’re going to target the audience you’ve identified and ultimately use the case study.

Here’s one way you should not use case studies: Relegate them to a seldom-visited section of your website called … “case studies.” Instead, use them throughout your website.

Also, note that how you use the case study should determine its format, and you don’t have to pick just one. Case studies and the various components that comprise them can be repurposed in dozens of ways. (More on that below.)

Question: Who owns the relationship with the client?

Answer: work through your team to get to their team..

Who should you contact at the company? What should you know about this person? Who should set up the initial contact? 

Check with the sales team or project manager – whatever is appropriate for your situation – so that you:

  • Don’t step on anyone’s toes. 
  • Don’t waste time with unnecessary steps.
  • Start the case study off right by getting helpful intel.

2. Selection: Choosing your top case study prospects

Once you have the big picture strategy aligned, now it’s time to narrow your client list even further, based on the following criteria: 

The client must be into you

The client must be into you.

You want to be certain that your client is ready, willing, and able to say positive things about you. Some milestones that could spur a case study include:

  • You’ve just received a short email of thanks from a client.  
  • You’ve just achieved some recent positive results for them.
  • Your product helped them boost their own sales or reach a goal.

Introduce the idea of case studies early on in your relationship.

The work must be recent

You’re building the case study around your client’s experiences with you. Are those experiences recent enough? People forget details over time. Key staff leave. Industry trends and concerns shift. Make sure the case study and the people you’re interviewing are still relevant. 

The client and the work must be relevant to your goal

Don’t settle for case study candidates just because they’re easy to get. Your decisions matter because they’ll attract like-minded prospects. 

3. Pitch: Making the case to clients 

Keep it simple … and all about them.

When you’re at the point of actually calling or emailing the client to make a case study request, here are five things to keep in mind:

  • Answer the “What’s in it for me?”
  • Briefly explain why you want to do this now. 
  • Keep it short.
  • Give a deadline. 
  • Thank them for their participation in advance.

Here’s a sample email with all the elements:

Sample email to clients.

PRO TIP: Package it all up for the deciding party

After your initial pitch, it’s not uncommon for your primary contact to have to convince someone else in the company to agree to the case study. Make it convenient (and compelling) by putting all of the above points in an easy-to-read PDF that:

  • Reassures them it won’t take a lot of time and that they have the final say for approving material.
  • Explains the interview process.
  • Makes it as easy as possible for them to schedule a time through something like a Calendly link. 

Then give your client a vivid sense of what the outcome will be by showing them beautifully-designed case study samples. If you don’t have any to show, go out and find some good ones on the internet. Then simply say something like, “This is what we’re thinking.” 

What if a client says “No?”

You may find that a client isn’t interested in doing a case study with you. When they give you a no, you should keep in mind that their refusal is usually one of three things:

Objection: Uncertainty. They have an uneasy feeling about what’s going to be shared and how it’s going to be used.

Give your client all the details so they don't fear the unknown.

Counter: Give them control. Emphasize that nothing will be published until they give their full and final approval.

Objection: Inconvenience. They’re busy and it sounds like it’s going to take a lot of time on their part.

Counter: Explain how quick it will be. Remedy the perceived inconvenience by explaining the details of the process, especially that the bulk of their efforts will be an interview that will take under an hour.

Objection: Selfishness. They see the case study as nothing but a favor to you – with no payoff for them. 

Counter: Show them the money (benefit). Tell them the cool ways you’re going to share the case study and how it will put a positive spotlight on them .

You can also take two approaches to compromise:

  • Create an anonymous case study
  • Gate your case study

Alternative approaches: Anonymous and gated case studies

Don’t throw your hands up if the client insists they’ll need to be anonymous. There are creative ways to still make the case study effective:

  • Include direct quotes but use gender-neutral pseudonyms when you attribute them.
  • Agree to gating the case study and only sharing it with specific parties and with their pre-approval.
  • Agree to using the case study for internal purposes only. For example, case studies can actually be great training and onboarding tools.

Anonymous case study

Anonymous case study

Gated case study

You don’t see these all that frequently, but here’s an example of how the web design company ProtoFuse gates case studies for their client. 

Gated case study

4. Create: How to write the case study

Talk to the client … and write (and record) what they say.

You cannot do a good case study if you don’t talk to the client. No one wants to hear you blather about yourself … that’s the whole point of this exercise. 

Remember, case studies are really customer success stories, so personal perspectives are important. In fact, you’ll find that the customer expresses things about you in ways you hadn’t considered.  

It also gives authenticity to your message. Check out this quote from a client about us. It’s real dialogue, not a polished piece of prose. That’s why it works.

Client quote.

No matter what format (written word, audio, video) you choose to create that case study, it’s essential you capture those golden nuggets!

Best practices for the interview 

Your client’s most valuable asset is their time. That’s why you’ll want to make the most of the interview. Follow these guidelines to help make your interview successful:

Follow a process. Have an interview process and follow it step-by-step. That’s way more important than striving for a “perfect” interview.

Provide questions before the interview (and after). Give them time to prepare. Some sample questions can include:

  • What was your life like before working with us? 
  • What was the experience of working with us like? 
  • What have your results been?

Don’t interview more than two people at a time.  One is ideal – two is the max.

Use a conference system, and record the interviews.   Zoom is our preference. If you’re lucky, you can use the video, but the audio can be converted into a video with still photos.

Focus on their experience, not opinions. Ask about the client’s experience of you, not their opinion of you. Ask them to tell their story – the opinion will reveal itself. 

Look for proof of impact.

Look for proof of impact. Seek information on the impact rather than gathering platitudes. “We tripled our output” is way better than “They were great to work with.”

Avoid the Yes/No. Rather than yes/no questions, make sure you ask carefully-crafted open-ended questions that will engender compelling insights.

Ask for graphics, videos, etc.   Anything that can help tell the story. 

Use tried-and-true copywriting tactics to create a compelling case study

Yes, use proven methods but get strategically creative. Don’t mindlessly lock yourself into set formulas. For example, the challenge-solution-results structure can work great for a case study. But you don’t have to stick to those actual words. Strengthen the effectiveness of that structure by creating inviting subheadings for each section.

A great headline is crucial. No matter the format of the case study, your headline is critical. It needs to be specific and powerful enough to motivate people to read it.

Here are four simple but effective headline formats from Joel Klettke at Case Study Buddy: 

  • How (service/company) helped (client) (result)
  • (Result) for (client)
  • (Client) gets (result) with (service)
  • How (client) (eliminated pain) with (service)

Integrate metrics into the headline. There’s no time to waste in a case study. So don’t hold out for a dramatic finish. Give the compelling reason to read it right away – along with the impressive data. And that cover page? It should stand strong alone if it had to.

Example: Thysse used the “3X” number to showcase increased productivity from a client.

Integrate metrics into the headline.

Make use of charts and graphics to tell the story. Use the type of graphics you’d see in a PowerPoint presentation to a CEO. This is a format they’re comfortable with yet conveys the metrics they need to make a decision.

Example: These two charts show increases in organic rankings and keywords, and then the headline in the footer underscores the bottom-line value.

Use charts and graphics to tell the story.

Put company details on the side. Don’t clog up the flow of a powerful story. Put details like the company’s location, size, founding date, and service lines on the side in a little fact box.

Put company details on the side.

And if you can’t get metrics? All is not lost. Again, focus on the client’s experience. By doing that, you’re also likely to get some great testimonials. In fact, powerful social proof presented in an effective visual can be just as compelling as an impressive metric. 

In lieu of metrics, you can also place heavy emphasis on the goal that was achieved with the client. People don’t always remember the metrics of how you accomplished a goal – it’s the simple fact that you crossed the finish line first that counts.

Qualitative example: This is all about a specific initiative for HarperCollins UK.

Qualitative example

Let the client’s voice come through. When it comes to the written content of your case study, let the client tell the story as much as possible through their own compelling quotes.

Example: Use a real person with their actual words. Seeing the photo adds so much authenticity.

Use a real person with their actual words.

You can also showcase your own people. Yes, this is all about your client telling the story. But it’s a partnership, right? You can interject how you felt in helping them achieve success, and showcase yourself in the process.

Showcase your own people.

Craft a story-specific call to action. Make sure to add a CTA at the end that actually relates to the story just told – rather than a generic “contact us” request. 

Create a specific CTA.

Use proven methods that work for large bodies of content. These are standards that we use for any piece of lengthy digital content. They apply to case studies as well.

Use proven methods that work.

Rein in the rambling DocSend research has found that completion rates were the highest when case studies were no more than two to five pages.

Short paragraphs Paragraphs should only be 1 – 3 lines in length. A guideline, not a rule, but try and follow it. You are writing for skimmers. Ideally, get the page width of your website (although this will vary with demand responsiveness) and pull in margins. Keep it short!

Use subheads (H2, H3, H4) Use paragraph subheads to break up the writing. Every 200-300 words, or where appropriate.  Don’t be afraid to use keywords, but don’t push the issue. Make these subheads lively.

Use visuals for every page scroll Plan for an image every page scroll. That can be a pullquote, a photograph, or a table. Screen shots are great if they include data. 

Use bullets, numbered lists Use bullets and numbered lists as often as possible. 

Use parallel form on bullet headers Your bullet points should be consistent with each other.  If one bullet point starts with a verb, they should all start with a verb.  Example:

  • Find a smarter way to use bullet points
  • Use them in small doses
  • Edit them for parallel form

If you’re going to use bullets, keep them to 1-2 sentences.

Make the writing lively If you’re bored with it, your reader will be bored.

Let the article sit When you’re done with the initial draft, let it sit overnight. Then look at it the next day and make needed changes. Guaranteed to improve your writing.

Cut your word count by 10% Guaranteed to make your writing tighter.

Don’t forget about the power of video and audio There’s just something about that play button. When tweets have video, they’re six times more likely to get retweeted. Case study videos tap into people’s hunger – and readiness – for video viewing. 

Video allows you to capture body language and tone of voice. It gives you the power to add emotional appeals with music and show the product or result in action.

GEW UV Curing has created some amazing Customer Spotlights on their YouTube channel.   The format is more of a story, but they definitely convey the success of using the products.

GEW UV Curing

You can also record interviews, and then embed the audio files into the post. We’ve uploaded short interviews either as a stand-alone file or use SoundCloud to embed them.

Upload short interviews.

4. Distribution: Getting the word out

After all that time and effort, you want to maximize the case study’s exposure. How? By leveraging the power of repurposing . Case studies can be used throughout the sales funnel.

Case studies can be used across the entire sales funnel.

Many of these came from our buddy Joel Klettke again!

Top of funnel

Use the case study itself as a lead magnet: How we solved this problem for this kind of company. 

  • Take the interview transcript, clean it up and edit, get it approved by the client, and presto, you have a great Q&A blog post.
  • Use it in your email subject-line. 
  • Print it out for trade show handouts.
  • Post it to social media feeds. 
  • Grab attention with Facebook ads using a great How to … headline.
  • Include a downloadable case study with your CTA.
  • Use testimonial quotes on your landing pages or website pages.
  • Use in email outreach and put quotes or stats in subject lines.
  • Make a SlideShare presentation out of it.

SlideShare presentation.

SlideShare presentation.

Pullquote for webpage.

Pullquote for webpage.

Tweet with tagged client.

Tweet with tagged client.

Email signature line.

Email signature line.

Middle of funnel

  • Send along with your RFPs.
  • Share in pitch meetings.
  • Equip your sales team with them.
  • Add to newsletters.
  • Drip the story with an email series.

Handout that can be included with capabilities brochure and at pitch meetings.

Handout that can be included with brochures and at meeting.

Bottom of funnel

  • Place case study stats or quotes next to friction points like pricing areas or landing pages (see below).
  • For upselling options, have a case study available that demonstrates how a client benefitted from your premium package.

Used on sidebar of landing page.

Used on sidebar of landing page.

PRO TIP: Create top-of-funnel “case studies” for other people

Create case studies for others.

One technique we’ve found to be very effective is to write top-of-funnel content about a particular problem and then showcase a partner’s solution and make them the expert source. It can function as a “pay it forward” piece of content, and they’ll likely use it on their website, giving you a nice backlink.

Get started today, but keep your editorial calendar open!

You have the tools and tactics to get started on a case study, but you need one more thing: tenacity. 

It’s not always easy to get case studies from clients. They’re busy, and even after you’ve written one, it can take weeks or even months for them to approve it on their side. Don’t schedule them on your editorial calendar until you have it approved on their end. 

But stick with it. The long-term benefits can be huge. Start creating case studies on a regular basis. It’s the most overlooked, yet most valuable piece of content you can produce!

how to solve a case study in marketing

Greg Mischio

Pin it on pinterest.

Are You Leveraging the Power of the Case Study Effectively in Your Marketing Strategy?

Case studies are an excellent medium for building a story around your product or service. In this quick guide, we discuss:

  • What is a case study in marketing?
  • A five-step case study marketing plan
  • Examples of case studies from Google to inspire you

When it comes to purchasing a product or service, your customers are always looking for past reviews and proven outcomes before making a decision. Research Opens a new window suggests that consumers read an average of ten reviews before choosing to trust a local business. And for 91% of those aged between 18 and 34 years, online review content is almost as valuable as personal recommendations.

So how do you integrate the power of reviews into your marketing strategy? Is it possible to encapsulate and demonstrate your offerings’ impact using a 360-degree content experience Opens a new window ? That’s where the case study comes in — in marketing, case studies can help drive home the benefits of your product and aid in conversions. Case studies are particularly effective for marketing to middle-of-the-funnel consumers who are interested in your product and actively engage in research.

Before we look at how to formulate a case study-driven marketing plan, let’s first understand what exactly this content format requires.

Learn More: Why Marketers Are Waking up to the Power of Social Proof Opens a new window

What Is a Case Study in Marketing?

In marketing, a case study refers to any content that describes how your product or service has helped past customers in an attempt to convert leads into customers. Case studies are relevant for marketing B2B products, as you can gather data over time and outline how your product made a difference. While there’s no hard-and-fast rule in terms of the format of case studies in marketing, it should comprise the following key elements:

  • About the client : A synopsis of who the client is and their unique requirements will help you build a relationship with new customers. For example, a B2B product sold to a manufacturing brand executive is sure to resonate with other business leaders in the manufacturing sector.  
  • Challenges/problem statement/opportunities : Here, you discuss the specific needs addressed by your product or service. It may be a problem that the client was looking to solve or an opportunity that you helped unlock.  
  • The solution : Typically, this makes up the bulk of a case study in marketing. You can go into the specifics of your offerings, aligning every detail to the customer’s challenges. This is where you can differentiate your product/service from others in the market.  
  • Outcomes : This is a highly critical element that requires special attention in your case study for marketing success. It’s ideal to mention measurable benefits such as “20% less network downtime” for a business internet package. This could be the final push users need to purchase your offering.

So how do you go about creating a case study and using it in your marketing plan? Let’s find out.

Learn More: 5 Effective Ways to Successfully Convert Prospects to Customers Opens a new window

Five Steps to Create a Case Study Marketing Plan

Remember, case studies are built on a strong foundation of data and a clear understanding of your customer’s business narrative. To get started with a case study marketing plan, begin by putting together a list of high-end customers you have catered to and by collecting customer reviews to extract data. Here’s a simple breakdown of this five-step process:

  • Work together with the sales team to solicit feedback from customers. This should ideally include quantified outcomes with details of the problem and solution your product/service provides.
  • Interview customers and follow a detailed questionnaire to understand their unique business context. This will follow a story-like narrative, covering the initial problem, its criticality to business, solution parameters they were looking for, and how your brand was able to help.
  • Conduct research to complement the data gathered. You could mention competing products to suggest how your brand offers a better value proposition.
  • Follow a template to create the document. This will include the four compulsory elements we discussed, along with visuals as well as an impactful title.
  • Get approval from the customer before publishing the case study. In marketing, your customers are your biggest brand advocates, and their buy-in is essential for a successful case study marketing plan.  

There’s no fixed length of a case study in digital marketing; this will entirely depend on your channel for dissemination. For example, a case study in marketing can be featured on your website where it appears as a short snippet of 100 words or less. You could also create detailed documents to convert into a video script.

Learn More: Five Strategies for Onboarding an Effective Content Marketing Team Opens a new window

Types and Examples of Case Studies in Marketing

As a marketer, you can create two types of case studies: internal and external. An internal case study in marketing will share the details and outcomes of a marketing campaign that you’ve undertaken in the past, highlighting the solutions you used to reach your targets. These digital marketing case studies are useful when creating budgets and obtaining funds from senior leadership.

The next is an external case study in marketing that discusses how your product/service was used by your customers. These are meant for driving conversions at the middle-of-the-funnel.

Let’s look at two examples of case studies by Google, one that discusses marketing outcomes and the other that externally positions Google’s offerings.

  • Example of a case study in marketing #1 Opens a new window : Johnson & Johnson used Google marketing tools to cut the costs required to gain a new user by 21%. Such case studies in digital marketing are particularly relevant for marketing consultants and agencies that need to drive home the impact of their strategies.
  • Example of a case study in marketing #2: Area 1 Security leveraged the Google Cloud platform to build its security service. This allowed users to analyze over 3 billion events every day and get answers to queries in 30-60 seconds. Such metrics-driven case studies are more effective in digital marketing when combined with graphics.  

Learn More: 4 Storytelling Ideas for Social Media Opens a new window

Why You Need a Case Study Marketing Plan Today

The benefits of using case studies in digital marketing are crystal clear. Not only do they demonstrate the real-world applications of your offerings, but they also encourage customers to reach out via embedded call to actions (CTAs). In digital marketing, case studies can be converted into a host of different formats like pop-up ads, emailers, and videos for maximum reach.

And, a case study marketing plan is relatively low cost — all you need to do is collaborate with the sales team, talk to your customers, and create a story that truly resonates with your prospects. This is why case studies have continued to be a marketing favorite, with multiple possibilities on both online and offline platforms.

How do you plan to get started with case studies in digital marketing? Tell us on LinkedIn Opens a new window , Facebook Opens a new window , or Twitter Opens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!

Share This Article:

Contributor, Ziff Davis B2B

Take me to Community

Recommended Reads

Digital Watermarks & GenAI: 5 Things About Content Protection Solution

Digital Watermarks & GenAI: 5 Things About Content Protection Solution

Google’s February 2024 Gmail Updates: What You Need to Know

Google’s February 2024 Gmail Updates: What You Need to Know

Doing More With Less: Recycling Brand Content  

Doing More With Less: Recycling Brand Content  

How Multimodal Capabilities Can Revolutionize AI Models

How Multimodal Capabilities Can Revolutionize AI Models

Visual User-Generated Content: A Powerful Solution for Ecommerce Brands’ Visual Content Woes

Visual User-Generated Content: A Powerful Solution for Ecommerce Brands’ Visual Content Woes

Build vs. Buy: Crafting Scalable Enterprise Content Ecosystem

Build vs. Buy: Crafting Scalable Enterprise Content Ecosystem

Unlocking the Power of Case Studies in Your Marketing Strategy

  • Written By Nicki Escudero
  • Updated: October 30, 2023

Case studies are a vital part of many marketing campaigns. They can substantially impact your success by providing concrete examples of how your business helps users. 

When carefully crafted, a case study creates leads, closes deals, and drives conversions. However, many case studies lack structure, data, and clarity — leading to a time-intensive piece of content that ultimately yields little value. 

In this guide, we will break down the use of case studies in content marketing and discuss how to craft ones that maximize impact on your company’s goals and objectives. 

A case study tells the story of how real customers use your service or product.

Understanding Case Studies in Marketing

A case study tells the story of how real customers use your service or product. These customer stories can be delivered as an easily accessible on-page copy (think blogs), downloadable  PDFs behind a gate , or single sales sheets distributed by your internal team.

At their core, case studies include:

  • A Challenge : the problem your customer had
  • A Solution : how your service took that pain point away
  • The Results:  some measure of success to prove your solution made a difference

This narrative framing can help prospects envision how your service will transform their business. It also provides concrete signs of success — not just cheerleading from your internal marketing department.

Who needs case studies?

The better question may be, who doesn’t need a case study? There are countless  situations when a case study comes in handy , like meeting an early-stage prospect or closing a deal. 

Traditionally, case studies are used by  business-to-business (B2B) companies  that need major stakeholder buy-in to close deals. Consumer-focused brands like  Walmart and Coca-Cola  have used case studies to showcase their success and drive their growth. If you have a compelling narrative of real-world users benefiting from your product or service, crafting a case study story is worth it to increase brand awareness and boost sales efforts.

Business-to-consumer (B2C) brands can also use case studies. However, they’ll typically focus on a brand’s impact on larger consumer groups.

Why use testimonials in marketing?

Who reads case studies?

Case studies are at the bottom of the funnel. They’re likely read by a whole host of buyer personas.

A non-decision maker will likely read case studies before sending your outreach email up the ladder. A decision-maker will need that case study before converting. If you must select only one buyer persona to write your case study for, aim for your decision maker. A quality case study could be the only thing between you and executive approval.

Influencing purchasing decisions with social proof

A  recent study  found that social proof provides a “nudge” in a particular direction when people have no prior preference. Case studies are that nudge. 

And you may have to “nudge” multiple times. It generally takes  eight touchpoints  with a customer to close a sale. That’s especially true in the B2B space, where price tags may be higher, and the product/service can impact hundreds or thousands of people.

The power of storytelling

What makes a case study truly compelling? Relatability. 

The human element is at the core of every effective case study. And the natural case study structure of “Challenge, Solution, Results” is a perfect template to craft a story around. 

The best case studies take an audience on a journey. They highlight initial challenges that resonate and then guide readers through the triumph of overcoming them. Emphasizing the human storytelling element of your case studies helps your audience see themselves reflected in the narrative you’ve created. And that makes them more likely to engage and empathize with your brand.

Crafting a Compelling Case Study

Ask yourself these questions to find one that will provide the most effective case study, you must first understand your audience.

Identifying Success Stories that Resonate

Not all success stories are created equal. To find one that will provide the most effective case study, you must first understand your audience. Ask yourself: 

  • What are their pain points?
  • What goals are they trying to achieve? 
  • What does success mean to them?

Use these questions to pinpoint one or two specific case studies that mirror your audience’s experiences. That will help you resonate with them on a personal level and increase your chances of creating an emotional connection. 

Metrics that matter

Choosing the right metrics is essential to your case study success. Metrics provide tangible proof that your content marketing impacts are having a valuable effect. But how do you choose the right metrics? Here are some key performance indicators to look at highlighting: 

  • Conversion rate
  • Organic traffic
  • Customer retention rate
  • SEO rankings
  • Click-through rate

Once you’ve chosen your metrics and gathered the data, it’s time to build the framework. 

Case study framework

Let’s reflect on our basic case study components  —  a problem, a solution, and a result. But that’s only the backbone! Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of a successful case study structure. 

Introduction

Like any piece of content, you can’t just start in the middle. A good case study introduction briefly overviews who your client is before you start airing their dirty pain points to the world. Remember, this is a customer story, so use the top portion of your case study to talk about the user, not yourself.

The Challenge

Just like in a narrative framework, there needs to be some conflict for a business transaction. After you’ve introduced your customer, it’s time to talk about their pain points.

Use specific examples of how their system was not working and how that affected their desired outcome. Were they struggling with SEO? Do they have good initial engagement but lack conversions? Explain their problem by combining data with digestible language. 

The Solution

Here, you get to brag a little. Looking back at the challenge, clearly explain how your business helps. While your business can likely solve many issues, make sure to make this core component of your case study specific to the company.

Let’s say your company sells llama-grooming software that helps schedule llamas for grooms and maps out ideal haircuts. If your customer really was struggling with scheduling, don’t waste time explaining your complex shearing maps!

The Results

One of the most common pitfalls in creating case studies is the lack of data. The whole point of a customer story is to provide concrete evidence of your awesome business! 

Find every statistic you can that demonstrates your brand’s impact and value. Then, see how it fits in. Increased revenue? Shout it from the rooftops (in real numbers). Decrease in costs? Show me the money. Case studies are your closer in the buyer’s journey. Anticipate and answer every imaginable question you can think of.

How to Distribute Case Study Content

Since a case study is so low in the funnel and so specific to your product, it’s hard to release a customer story and hope it gains millions of organic sessions. Promoting and distributing a case study is just as important as creating one. Some ways to distribute your case study include:

  • Put it on your website : Your case studies should be accessible without speaking to a salesperson. Make sure your case study is on your website, either freely available or behind a lead form.
  • Add it to emails :  A case study can pump up your conversions with little to no added effort if you have lead nurture workflows. Include case studies in your emails as a way for subscribers to test the waters before giving you a call.
  • Arm your sales team : Your sales team should be handing out case studies like candy. Making sure your sales leaders always have access to case studies can mean they have enticing lead magnets readily available at any stage in the sales process.
  • Pump up your blog : Case studies can be repurposed into mid-funnel blog content. Use compelling results, quotes from customers, or just use-case examples from case studies to amp up new content.

Cabela’s asked ClearVoice to help them improve their organic search and drive revenue. 

ClearVoice Case Study: Cabela’s

Cabela’s  had a strong-performing site, but traffic and revenue from organic search were trending down. So, they asked ClearVoice to help them improve their organic search and drive revenue. 

We developed a comprehensive SEO content creation strategy that did just that. 

How? Well, we:

  • Optimized internal linking and focused on pages fit for ranking
  • Performed a competitive content analysis and uncovered content opportunities
  • Worked with expert outdoor freelancers for hire to create engaging content
  • Launched Camp Cabela’s, a resource page with premium content
  • Created infographics designed to improve engagement and shares
  • Worked with UX to get user-friendly, SEO-optimized copy

And guess what? Cabela’s organic search increased by 20 percent in one year. Over 11,000 of Cabela’s tracked keywords ranking increased by 20.3 percent, and several of Cabela’s most important pages shot up to #1 in Google. 

Not too bad. 

ClearVoice has a proven, dedicated team of experienced case study writers who can highlight your business through expert, data-driven storytelling.

Ready to Create Your Next Great Case Study?

How are you feeling about case studies? We hope this guide empowers you to create case studies that captivate your audience and drive success. 

Remember, showcasing the real-world success of your product or service is one of the best ways to help close the deal. And if you’re still feeling out of your depth when crafting high-level case study narratives, have no fear. ClearVoice has a proven, dedicated team of experienced  case study writers  who can highlight your business through expert, data-driven storytelling. 

Discover our solutions  or  talk to a strategist today  to unlock your case study content potential. 

how to solve a case study in marketing

The Future of Content Outsourcing: Integrating AI and Automation

Content Operations vs. Content Strategy

Content Operations vs. Content Strategy: Everything You Need to Know

Analytics in Content Operations

The Critical Role of Analytics in Content Operations

  • Content Production
  • Build Your SEO
  • Amplify Your Content
  • For Agencies

Why ClearVoice

  • Talent Network
  • How It Works
  • Freelance For Us
  • Statement on AI
  • Talk to a Specialist

Get Insights In Your Inbox

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Intellectual Property Claims
  • Data Collection Preferences

GatherContent is becoming Content Workflow by Bynder. Read More

12 great case study examples (plus case study writing tips)

how to solve a case study in marketing

GatherContent Contributor, Writer

5 minute read.

Interviewed by:

Table of contents

Book Cover

Lead with Content

How to put content at the centre of digital transformation.

Profile Image

Padma Gillen

Digital Content Consultant

This long-form content style is also becoming more common as more marketers discover its value. According to Hubspot’s 2021 State of Marketing report , more than 30% of marketers use case studies as a primary marketing media—up from 13% in 2020.

If you’re new to the world of case studies, we’ll be diving into what case studies are, why they’re important, and how to create your own. We’ll also highlight some compelling case study examples that you can learn from.

What is a case study?

A good case study highlights customer stories showing the following:

  • The problems the business faced before using a product or service
  • How the product or service proposed to solve the problems
  • The before and after of using a product or service
  • The measurable positive impact of the product or service on metrics such as click-through rate, website traffic, or sales

While case studies are most often product or service-focused, sometimes businesses use them to share their brand or founder story.

These types of case studies typically focus on organizational progress, such as how they grew their revenue or website traffic. One example is this Outfunnel case study on how the team saved over 80% of its time with user onboarding.

Why are case studies important?

They may not suit every business. But case studies are beneficial, for example, for helping SaaS brands reach future customers.

If they make sense for your industry, case studies should be an important part of your content marketing strategy for many reasons.

Three reasons you should incorporate them as soon as possible are:

  • To provide value to your audience: At its core, the best marketing doesn’t just drive sales; it serves its audience. Case studies are a brilliant way to teach your audience tips they can incorporate into their businesses. It can also serve as research for industry experts to quote.
  • To show off your expertise: A great case study is a perfect blend of data and storytelling. It showcases your expertise to your target audience, most likely dealing with similar issues. By telling a good story in your case studies, you’re essentially saying, “Look how we made everything better for X client—we can do that for you, too.”
  • As social proof: Because case studies are available to the public, they’re undeniable social proof—better than hard-to-believe testimonials with client initials. This makes them extra valuable as MOFU and BOFU content ; they can drive sales at the click of a button.

Good to Know: Not sure how to use case studies? They work well as lead magnets, landing pages, repurposed blog posts, and, if you have the capacity, even video content!

12 real-life case study examples to bookmark

Reading about the mechanics of case studies is more straightforward than writing case studies from scratch.

That’s why we’ve gathered 12 real-life marketing case study examples you can review before you embark on creating yours.

1. GatherContent | University of Edinburgh

GatherContent case study example

What works: In this great case study, GatherContent includes quotes from the client (the University of Edinburgh) about how their software has improved their content workflow. This adds a human element and will help readers with the same issues identify with the client.

View more GatherContent case studies .

2. Omniscient Digital | AppSumo

Omniscient Digital case study example

What works: Omniscient Digital includes client feedback in video format and shares the results they achieved in a digestible bullet point format.

3. Bit.ly | Vissla

Bit.ly case study example

What works: Besides hosting this case study on their website, Bit.ly provides a PDF link that can both be viewed online or downloaded. Plus, the PDF is visually appealing and easy to read.

4. Asana | Autodesk

Asana case study example

What works: Asana leads with their impact and includes basic information about their client to the right of the page so the reader immediately gets bite-sized background information.

5. Shopify | Bombas

Shopify case study example

What works: Shopify includes a video in their case study, as well as multiple eye-catching images of Bombas products. This ensures that the case study serves both companies, possibly generating customer interest in Bombas socks.

6. Outfunnel | Alight Analytics

how to solve a case study in marketing

What works: Outfunnel has repurposed its case study into a blog post, which increases its visibility. The study is also full of client quotes, which adds valuable social proof.

7. Sapling | Zapier

Sapling case study example

What works: Sapling also shares quick preliminary information about Zapier on the left panel and includes several screenshots to show the impact of their product on the company’s processes.

8. BigCommerce | Skullcandy

how to solve a case study in marketing

What works: The quick metrics in bold hit readers quickly and highlight BigCommerce expertise to potential customers even before they read the entire case study.

9. Google Ads | L’Oreal

Google ads case study for L'Oreal

What works: Video format. Few things beat hearing the client praise the service and explain the process and results of the campaign in their own words.

10. ActiveCampaign | Your Therapy Source

ActiveCampaign case study example

What works: ActiveCampaign efficiently showcases the problems and solutions before delving into how they helped the client achieve desired results.

11. Intuit | Xenex Healthcare

Intuit case study example

What works: The main benefit is highlighted on the first page of the PDF and the rest of the study delves into the process and the nitty-gritty of the product’s impact.

12. Grayscale | Upwork

Grayscale case study

What works: This page features minimal text. It focuses on quotes from decision-makers at Upwork and ends with a call-to-action that will likely drive conversions.

How to write your own case study

How can you write engaging, effective case studies like the examples above? Here are six steps.

1. Identify a worthy case

Think of projects—either for yourself or for clients—that got outstanding results. Then, whittle it down to the cases that your target audience is most likely to relate to , perhaps because they experience the same problem or have the same goal as in the case.

2. Reflect on your chosen case

Once you’ve decided on the case you’ll start with, do some deeper reflection on the details. What was the project goal? What challenges did you encounter along the way? How did you overcome them to reach your goal?

3. Think about differentiation

Take the last step even further and think of anything you did differently than others might. Did you an experimental tactic or strategy or create a custom solution? If so, use those details to subtly show potential customers why they should be interested in what you have to offer.

4. Gather quotes

Next, get hard-hitting quotes from project stakeholders or clients. Having their thoughts on goals, project obstacles, the solutions provided, and the outcomes will make your description of the case more credible.

5. Draft your case study

Time to turn the details you’ve compiled into a case study draft. How? We’ll talk about the best format for case studies shortly.

6. Add visuals

Next, create visuals that will reinforce the main points of your case study. These could include:

  • Charts or screenshots to show the change in metrics before and after the project
  • An infographic to give a brief visual overview of the case
  • Pictures of deliverables (e.g. a web design agency might show a picture of the new site it designed for a client)
  • Product images such as screenshots from within your software that was used on the project

After any designated reviewers and approvers give their stamp of approval on the case study, it’s ready to be published and promoted!

What’s the best case study format?

We’ve seen A+ examples of case studies and gotten some more context on how to create them for your brand or organization. Now, it's time to get to work. As you do, remember to include the following vital sections in your case study format:

  • Client name and profile
  • The problem
  • Your solution (and screenshots!)
  • Before and after ( real results with data)
  • Appealing visuals, photos, illustrations, infographics, charts, and graphs
  • A memorable CTA

Ready to get started? Thankfully, you don’t have to go it alone.

GatherContent—a powerful tool for case study creation

GatherContent makes it possible to keep track of all your case study research —even while working with your marketing team. You don’t have to guess what stage the piece is at or consult another tool to know when your part is due or who to pass the torch to.

GatherContent is a content hub that helps you keep all your content creation in one place , whether you’re writing blog posts, email newsletters, social media posts, or case studies. With content modeling features like Components , you can effortlessly maintain brand identity throughout all your case studies.

Read more customer success stories here to learn more!

Techniques for collaboratively prioritising content

Learn six collaborative methods for prioritising content so your team can be aligned and have confidence in the content being published..

Download Image

About the author

Related posts you might like, platform features.

  • Content Hub
  • Content Project Management
  • Content Planning
  • Content Templates
  • Content Style Guides
  • Content Management
  • Content Workflow
  • Content Calendar
  • Content Creation & Collaboration
  • Beta Features
  • What's New
  • Productivity
  • Integrations
  • What is ContentOps?
  • Resources and Events
  • Our Partners
  • Customer Advisory Board
  • Join our team
  • Security & Backups
  • Terms of Service Data Processing Agreement
  • Terms of Website Use
  • Global Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Help Centre
  • API Documentation

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Marketing Results

22 Marketing Case Study Examples (With Template)

February 17, 2016 by Will Swayne

how to solve a case study in marketing

Prospects who aren’t ready to buy – or who are “sitting on the fence” – tend to be resistant to even well-crafted marketing messages.  But a bunch of well aimed marketing case studies can often tip the scales in your favour.

“Sell benefits, not features” is good advice, but benefit-rich copy can actually deter prospects who haven’t reached the decision stage yet.

And too many benefits in the absence of marketing proof elements  can ring hollow in today’s increasingly sceptical marketplace.

We published our first marketing case study back in 2005 and I quickly realised the power of case studies as a versatile and effective marketing tactic.

Why are marketing case studies so effective?

Here are three reasons:

  • Case studies show, they don’t tell. Telling you I can get you more qualified leads is one thing. Showing you how a similar company to yours got 145% more leads with 24% lower marketing costs is another.
  • Prospects are typically curious to understand how others have achieved the results they desire. They will eagerly devour a well-constructed case study.
  • Case studies are also a great tool for closing fence-sitting prospects. For many years I’ve asked prospects why they chose to work with us, and the most common response seems to be, “I was impressed by your case studies” , or “I saw you helped someone in my industry so I figure you can help us too” .

Now let’s look at how to structure and effectively promote a case study, and then some marketing case study examples for you to replicate.

Our Recommended Case Study Template

Here’s the case study structure we’ve adopted which has proven effective:

  • Start with a major headline that summarises the key result achieved: e.g. “Investment Property Strategist Triples Leads In 6 Months” . This gets the prospect excited about reading on.
  • Then introduce the background . In other words, the “Before” scenario.Don’t bore the reader with too many details about the history of the client. But DO provide an insight into the “trigger” that led to them seeking your assistance. e.g. “The client noticed smaller competitors starting to appear ahead of them on Google”. And,   DO talk about the negative effects of the “Before” state. E.g. “New customer acquisition that had previously been growing by 10% every quarter had flatlined for the last 12 months.”
  • Now talk about the solution . Here’s where you explain what you did to achieve the outcomes. I like to list different services or solutions in the form of bullet points. Also, include significant details and facts and figures to add “richness” to the story. Where possible, demonstrate with images, screenshots or other proof elements. Emphasise anything you did differently to the standard approach, or anything that highlights your point-of-difference benefits.
  • Now talk about your results . Results are the crux of any good case study.I like to go with a number of punchy bullet points, populated with specific numbers. E.g . “Lead volume up 75%… New customer volume from online sources up 145%… 1,540 more organic search engine visitors per month.”
  • Include a testimonial from the client. What was their reaction to your work? The “Before-During-After” approach is a good structure for testimonials. A strong testimonial adds texture and credibility to the data in your core case study.
  • End with a call-to-action . This can be relatively low-key. For example, “Contact us to explore how you can enjoy similar breakthrough results.”

You can see more examples of different implementations of this concept on our online marketing case studies page.

How To Promote Your Case Study

A case study that never gets read won’t help you.

Here are some of our favourite promotional methods:

  • Optimise each case study for search engines . A good start is using a <title> tag on your case study pages in the format: “<INDUSTRY> <SERVICE> case study”. For example, “Accountant online marketing case study” or “Car sales lead generation case study” .   This will tend to rank you well for anyone searching for case studies about your industry.
  • Send case studies to your email subscribers . These emails achieve high engagement both as broadcasts, and as “drip emails” within an automation sequence .
  • Create a print booklet of case studies to send to prospects and clients via snail mail or distribute at trade shows.
  • Case studies make great social media updates and can be recycled every few months using different headlines.

22 Marketing Case Study Examples

1. fuji xerox australia business equipment, tripled leads for 60% less marketing spend.

In 90 days, we doubled web lead flow with lower marketing costs.

Read the full case study here.

Paul Strahl , National e-Business Manager

National e-Business Manager

2. Surf Live Saving Foundation

Surf lottery grows online revenue 47%.

Marketing Results delivered tangible business improvements, including 47% higher revenue from digital, year-on-year.

Yin Tang , Surf Live Saving Foundation

Surf Live Saving Foundation

3. ABC Reading Eggs

Integrated search and conversion management for abc reading eggs.

Marketing Results have been instrumental in profitably expanding our ad spend, while removing waste.

Matthew Sandblom , Managing Director ABC Reading Eggs

ABC Reading Eggs

4. MAP Home Loans

From 70 hour weeks to 40 hour weeks with 100% annual growth.

I now make twice as much money, have less stress and fewer hours.

Craig Vaunghan , Principal MAP Home Loans

MAP Home Loans

5. Inkjet Wholesale

Online advertising roi doubles – in just three months.

We couldn’t be happier – conversion rates are up, costs are down, ROI has doubled.

Glenn Taylor , National Marketing Manager Inkjet Wholesale

Inkjet Wholesale

6. Breaking Into Wall Street

Info-marketing business achieves 300% revenue growth with 7-figure profits.

Marketing Results provided the marketing support to grow my annual revenue 300%+. They don’t just advise – they implement.

Brian DeChesare , Founder Breaking Into Wall Street

Breaking Into Wall Street

7. LatestBuy

Brw fast 100 online retailer latestbuy.com.au boosts sales by 45.3%.

Revenue had flatlined… Now it is up by 45%, with over 80% of that due to conversion rate optimisation.

Shaun Campbell , Co-Owner LatestBuy.com.au

LatestBuy.com.au

8. directSMS

More traffic, less cost, lead volume doubles.

More than doubled the number of qualified enquiries via our website for the same ad spend.

Ramez Zaki , Co-Founder directSMS

directSMS

9. Business Coach and Author, Pure Bookkeeping

Successful marketing automation and 100.95% year on year growth.

50%+ of business comes directly through online channels and none of this would have happened without Marketing Results.

Peter Cook , Business Coach & Author Pure Bookkeeping

Pure Bookkeeping

10. Positive Training Solutions

Higher rankings plus more, higher-quality leads.

Marketing Results excels in strategic and online marketing.

James Grima , Managing Director Positive Training Solutions

Positive Training Solutions

11. Geelong’s Gym

From 5-6 leads a month to 60-70. 10x increase.

We’ve gone from 5 – 6 leads per month to 60 – 70!

Gerard Spriet , Owner Geelong’s Gym

Geelong's Gym

12. Super Finance – SMSF Property

A new pipeline delivering a steady flow of web leads.

Outstanding quality of web generated leads!

Yannick Ieko , Director Super Finance

Super Finance

13. College For Adult Learning – Training Organisation

300%+ more sales with 60% lower cost per sale.

I expect at least another 60% more leads and 80-90% more revenue by continuing to work with Marketing Results.

Rob Golding , Director College For Adult Learning

College For Adult Learning

14. The Gourmet Guardian – Food Safety Programs

4 times more leads and a 269% revenue increase.

Your AdWords strategies have quadrupled leads, almost tripled revenue and reduced my dependence on contract work to zero.

Gavin Buckett , Managing Director The Gourmet Guardian

The Gourmet Guardian

15. Quick Coach – Life Coaching Courses

More qualified sales plus a facebook roi of 1285%.

The results have been fantastic… I have had over 500 potential students opt in via Google wanting to change their lives and those of their clients.

Glen Murdoch , Founder & CEO Quick Coach

Quick Coach

16. Investment House – Property Development

Clients lined up for everything we can find.

We have clients lined up for everything we can find.

Colin Ferguson , Managing Director Investment House

Investment House

17. Cosmetic Surgery Lead Generation

257% increase in qualified lead volume.

In less than a year, our enquiry volume increased by over 257% while increasing the quality and conversion rate of those leads.

Dee Tozer , Managing Director Medici Clinics

Medici Clinics

18. All Suburbs Catering

61% roi gain in less than 5 months….

20% more enquiries for 34% less cost – a compounded gain of 61% in only 5 months.

Jeff Veale , Managing Director All Suburbs Catering

All Suburbs Catering

19. Trilogy Funding

549 qualified sales leads in 3 months.

549 qualified sales leads in 3 months.

Ed Nixon , Principal Trilogy Funding

Trilogy Funding

20. Customized Stickers

Online revenue rockets by 800%.

With Marketing Result on our side, our website revenue has increased by over 800% in only 18 months.

Anthony Khoury , Managing Director Customized Stickers

Customized Stickers

21. Technoledge

Engaging ceos of ideal target companies.

We’re routinely seeing CEOs of Australian hi techs with turnover of $5 million to $50 million (our target audience) opting in and proceeding to self-qualify before they contact us for a meeting. This is what digital marketing is supposed to do.

Tracey James , Director Technoledge

Technoledge

22. First Aid Training

Specialist first aid training company doubles revenue in 6 months.

We’ve streamlined customer acquisition, increased customer lifetime value, and doubled our revenue in 6 months!

Dave Hundt , Director Kids First Aid

Kids First Aid

I encourage you to put these tips into action and see how they work for you.

What other ways have you used case studies effectively in your business?

MR-Inline-Optins_06

Almost there: please complete this form to get instant access to the video series…

video-thumb

“Double Your Leads In 30 Days”

Your privacy is 100% guaranteed.

Almost there: please tell us where to send your free report, plus valuable lead generation tips and case studies…

video-thumb

“FREE DOWNLOAD: The Financial Services Lead Generation Guide”

Oops! We could not locate your form.

We guarantee 100% privacy. You can unsubscribe with one click, any time you like.

video-thumb

“FREE DOWNLOAD: The Property Services Lead Generation Guide”

video-thumb

“FREE DOWNLOAD: The Education & Training Lead Generation Guide”

video-thumb

“How To Craft A Killer Unique Value Proposition That Attracts More Ideal Clients”

“name of the free upgrade goes here”.

Please tell us where to send your bonus content:

  • Recruiting Solutions
  • Job Descriptions
  • Career knowledge
  • Find Marketing Agencies
  • Submit a Marketing Agency
  • Marketing Knowledge
  • Latest Articles

What Is A Marketing Case Study? See Examples And Write Yours

  • by Ranu Kumari

Case study written in a red background representing marketing case studies

There are several instances in life when a person can learn from observing the world around him, which also applies to organizations. When a firm wants to understand a product’s or strategy’s success or failure, they turn to case studies. There are several types of case studies out there. Some of them are – a marketing case study, a finance case study, or a case study in innovation.

What Is a Case Study?

Marketing case study format

A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject. This could be a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are prevalent in social, educational, clinical, and business research.

Also, they are helpful in a variety of fields. These include psychology, medicine, education, anthropology, political science, and social work. However, we will look at the different elements of a marketing case study in this article.

Case studies are based on evidence; they begin with a question or problem that requires an answer through research. The researcher then collects information using interviews or observations.

The researcher might even conduct an experiment to test an idea related to the case study. After this data is collected and analyzed, the researcher writes up their findings in an article called a case report or case study report.

Also, a case study focuses on a detailed description of an individual or group experience from beginning to end. A case study does not provide generalizations about the larger population but rather focuses on how an individual or group responded to an event.

Case studies may also involve multiple individuals or groups with similar experiences. Case studies are used for:

  • Testing Hypotheses
  • Exploring an Issue
  • Developing new ideas, theories, Models, or, Concepts
  • Helping you understand specific individuals or groups in detail

What Is a Marketing Case Study

The marketing case study is a persuasive document that uses real-world examples to demonstrate the value of your product or service. It’s a powerful tool for marketing, sales, and customer support teams as it enables them to share the results of their work and how it helped solve a customer’s problem.

A marketing case study is basically a good story. Like all good stories, it needs to have the following elements:

The Incredibles movie.

  • A Hero – This is the main character who is the good guy.
  • The Problem – A situation that puts our hero in a difficult situation.
  • The Solution – The product or service that saves the day. Also, it makes the hero happy.

Approaching a case study like a story is something that will be exciting for marketers. This is because marketers are fond of creating memorable stories for their brands.

However, it is essential to remember that the readers of the case study must be able to connect with it. This also means that they should be able to visualize themselves in the main character’s shoes.

Why Should Companies Write a Case Study?

Marketing case study advantages

Writing a marketing case study is hard work. It is not as simple as writing a blog post. This is because a case study has a large number of data points. All of them have to be accurate. Also, when a firm intends to mention a client by name, they need the necessary approvals. This can be a time-consuming process.

However, there are many compelling reasons to create a marketing case study. Here, we look at those reasons in some detail.

Demonstrate the power of your product.

Case studies can be effective marketing tools because they show your audience what your product or service can do for them and are much harder to ignore than an ad or blog post.

Build customer loyalty.

Keeping in touch with happy customers will allow them to voice their opinion about your business. However, it will also allow them to reaffirm why they chose your business in the first place.

Enhance Sales.

When a salesperson has case studies to share, it’s an opportunity for them to talk about the benefits their product or service can have for the customer. Also, they can speak about the resounding reception of the product . This, in turn, leads to an increased volume of sales.

Multi-Format and multi-purpose content.

Testimonial quotes and data snippets from your customers make great calls to action on various pages of your website. These could be your homepage, product and service pages, landing pages, etc. You can also repurpose these into PDFs, ebooks, videos, and infographics.

An opportunity to tell your story.

Case studies allow you to share your story, showing readers that your products and methods are effective. This makes for a fantastic form of advertising because it’s not pushy or over-the-top.

Earn Trust.

Case studies help convert positive customer opinions into tangible data that prove your value. In fact, a vast majority of marketers trust this type of content.

How to Write a Marketing Case Study

This section will look at how to write a high-impact and persuasive marketing case study.

Clear Headline.

The headline should share the most critical information about the case study. It should be able to capture its essence in a single sentence.

Write about someone your customer can relate to.

One should know their target audience before working on a marketing case study. They must know the industry the readers are a part of.

Ultimately, the audience must understand that the author is knowledgeable about the industry. Also, they must understand that he knows the customer’s pain points and can provide a solution for them.

Provide a summary.

A marketing case study should start with a crisp summary. The history of the firm, the industry it is a part of, and its leading products or services must also be covered in the summary. Also, the summary should introduce the client.

Narrate the complete story.

You must have got the gist by now. A marketing case study is a fantastic opportunity to tell your story. Furthermore, it is essential to tell it well. As always, one can rely on the STAR framework to make a good business story.

STAR framework in marketing case study

S – Situation: What was the situation that your brand was facing? How did it affect the customer? And, how did it affect you?

T- Task: What did you have to do to fix the situation?

A- Analysis: What approach did you use to analyze the problem? Also, what are the steps to solve it?

R – Result: What were the results of your efforts? To what extent did you solve the problem?

One can also report aspects such as improvement in customer satisfaction. Also, regular follow-ups with a select group of customers can get their feedback on after-sales service. It helps to focus on the long-term and emotional benefits as well.

The case study should be easy to read.

A marketing case study cannot be in the form of continuous text. Otherwise, people will doze off while reading it.

Rather, it should contain a small paragraph, and one must make sure that the case study includes headers, tables, images, and text. This will help improve SEO. It will also make the case study easy to read.

One can include short videos, infographics, and other multimedia to make the case study even more compelling.

Use actual facts and figures.

When writing case studies, it is always better to use actual data . This lends credibility to a person’s work instead of vague terms like ‘increased sales’ or ‘tripled footfall.’

One must mention whether the footfall has grown from 100 to 300 or from 2000 to 6000. Also, one must use charts and graphs to convey the meaning and scale of the data. Finally, any number is meaningless without context. Always remember to present the data points with some reference to the context.

Outline clear strategies

When an organization sets a challenging goal and achieves the target, it calls for a celebration and a marketing case study.

One should always substantiate strategies when discussing the reasons behind the firm’s success. For instance, targeting only the middle of the funnel, customers saw conversions increase from 50 to 75 per month.

Experiment with different formats

Case studies need to be put into text formats all the time. One can play around with different formats to see what works best. It could be a video interview where the customer talks about his challenges.

However, the end objective of the case study remains the same irrespective of the format.

The problems of the customer and how your product solved them for him.

Case studies can also be in the form of brochures, webinars, or podcasts. Another advantage of different formats is that the content will appeal to a wider audience.

Case studies must be easy to find

The case studies must be presented in a prominent section on your website. Further, they have to be optimized for search. Also, all case studies must be promoted on social media and by email.

Marketing Case Study Examples

In this section, we will look at some case studies examples. These case studies demonstrate how to present a sticky situation and its solution in a wonderful manner.

Porch case study

Fractl marketing case study

This case study details a year of content marketing that resulted in 931 unique domain links, 23,000 monthly organic visits, and more. The content marketing agency Fractal worked with Porch to achieve these results.

This is a great way to demonstrate your ability to deliver the desired results without disclosing confidential information. Also, these case studies give confidence to other companies in the same industry. You can read the case study here.

IDEO case study

IDEO marketing case study

This case study shows that IDEO aims to transform the airport experience by putting passengers first. They have presented the facts exceptionally well. The case study explains how the firm helped Pearson International Airport respond to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The entire case study is divided into three parts: the challenge, the impact, and the outcome.

Another good thing is that there are visuals and images to break the flow of text. You can find the case study here.

Chevrolet DTU case study

Chevrolet DTU

This case is an excellent example of how a well-known brand fuels the reader’s curiosity. Here, the initials DTU are used. Everybody was interested to know what the abbreviation stands for. Well, DTU is ‘Discover The Unexpected.’

A mix of images, videos, and bullet points sustains the reader’s interest. One of the best things about this case study is that only the name of the brand is used to catch the audience’s attention. You can read this case study here.

Omnichannel Challenge – Bitly Case Study

Bitly

Bitly uses a PDF format for all its text-heavy case studies. The case study in question is one of an e-commerce company, Vissal. The entire case study consists of different sections, such as ‘The Goal’, and ‘Top Omnichannel Obstacles.’

Also, it includes images in ‘The Set Up’ and ‘The Launch.’ The PDF is available for download and opens up in a separate window.

The colors and text used follow Bitly’s brand guidelines. It shows that a PDF is an excellent format for a case study. However, it is essential to keep the case study short. This case study is available here .

Some disadvantages of case studies

People write case studies so that learning from one situation can be applied to other similar situations. However, that does not always happen. This is because each situation has its unique nature.

Also, case studies can become theoretical in nature. This is even though they are based on real situations.

Marketing Case Study Examples: Best 15 to Learn From

Do you want to showcase your products and services to prospects? A pleasant and appealing website and engaging videos are a good start, but is it enough? To find out, consider examining some marketing case study examples and determining if there are additional strategies you could use to showcase your offerings to potential customers better.

A great website, social media presence, and targeted messaging are all essential to growing your business. But gradually building authority in your niche by boosting your credibility is an altogether different affair. You need to spice things up to make a super impression on your future customers.

And that you can do with a convincing case study!

But simply finding a basic template online and duplicating it for your case study can never be enough. This article will give you the top 20 marketing case study examples that masterfully communicate with your audience, driving your message home.

What is a Marketing Case Study?

A marketing case study contains various information, quotes, statistics, etc. It is like telling a story of how your agency helped a brand solve a problem or excel in the market. In fact, a good case study must be filled up to the brim with quality research. Every result or quote must have a fact or statistics backing it up.

Furthermore, a marketing case study must not be unnecessarily elaborate. In other words, every sentence you put in it must be relevant to the target audience. If it is on point and precise, it is sure to rope in new customers for you.

Marketing case studies can be displayed on your company’s website. It works as proof of what you’ve done, how you’ve done it, and so on. Some companies also choose to make their marketing case studies a part of their sales presentation while pitching to new customers.

Either way, you choose to use it, a case study is an essential customer acquisition tool you must operate properly.

Why Are They Important?

  • It provides formidable social proof to your company.
  • It gives your target customer the complete picture of what to expect from your brand.
  • A case study is a perfect tool for your company to build trust, as statistics and quotes from previous customers support it.
  • There’s a range of different ways you can prepare a case study, from text-heavy and video-based to infographics.

At a time when 9 out of 10 consumers look for customer testimonials or other kinds of social proof before making a purchase, case studies are immensely vital.

Want to know how to create a great one? Here are some examples of a marketing case study done right!

Top 15 Examples of Marketing Case Study

1. the whole package by ideo.

The Whole Package case study

IDEO is a design company that partnered up with H&M to help the latter remove plastic from their packaging. Their case study , ‘The Whole Package,’ is quite simple and direct. But when it comes to driving the point home, you can say it ticks all the boxes.

Furthermore, this IDEO case study has been neatly categorized into sections. Coupled with the masterful use of visuals with crisp and convincing copy, this marketing case study is an excellent example of a comprehensive one.

2. Chevrolet DTU by Carol H Williams

Chevrolet DTU. Caril H Williams case study.

When your client is a world-renowned name, why hide it? That’s what this case study teaches us. In fact, what better social proof than showing the world look “the brand that billions of consumers trust chose us, why can’t you?”

Engaging subheadings throughout this Carol H Williams case study further make it a convenient read.

Remember, no matter how convincing your statistics or facts are, try not to intimidate the reader. Feel free to have many sections; prefer crisp pointers over fluffy paragraphs.

3. In-Depth Performance Marketing Case Study by Switch

Performance Marketing case study.

When it comes to performance marketing, many abbreviations and jargon are involved. Some readers might find it a major turn-off. This marketing case study by Switch masterfully shows how you can avoid sounding scary in this way.

This one dedicates a page to each of the results they got for their client. For instance, the Facebook Ads results have their own page, and it has been so simplified that even a non-marketer would understand. That’s what makes this case study stand out.

4. Gila Rivers by OH Partners

A great marketing case study example by OH Partners.

A picture speaks a thousand words. And this case study shows just how you can use pictures to prepare the perfect case study. Using pictures, OH Partners have communicated what they’ve done for their clients and what their future customers can expect regarding results.

The marketing case study is visually appealing, thanks to elegant pictures that make it easy on the eyes. Even if you have no prior knowledge of marketing or OH Partners, the case study’s style is backed up by convincing statistics, which helps to make it one of the top examples in the field.

5. Capital One on AWS by Amazon

This case study is for companies working for clients for a long time. This Amazon case study features several articles detailing how Capital One benefitted from AWS over the years.

Starting from 2016, these articles elaborate on every aspect of Capital One being on AWS. So, is there a client you have been serving for years? Have they benefitted from your services or product in various ways? If yes, this is an approach you can take.

6. Acoustic by Genuine

A simple but effective marketing case study.

Simplicity, as they say, is often all you need to make a lasting impression. And this case study by Genuine is truly a masterpiece in simplicity. First, it goes directly to the point and uses minimal text to drive the message home.

With neatly divided sections, this marketing case study is as simple in the text as in the visuals. Neither the colors nor the visuals are shouting at the reader from the screen. What it teaches us? Well, you don’t need to write a lot or use loud visuals to communicate effectively with the target audience.

7. Customer Success Case Study by Convoso

This one might not be as simple in name or feel as the previous one, but it is as effective. How? Because as soon as you lay your eyes on this Convoso case study , you notice the 300% boost. And if you’re a potential customer looking for a similar, you can hardly ignore it.

Another striking characteristic of this one is its vivid use of colors. Even though this 11-page PDF might seem a bit lengthy to some, the easy-on-the-eye color palette makes it quite readable. So, don’t ignore the visual aspect is what this marketing case study example teaches us.

8. The Hunt Club Case Study by Happeo

The Hunt Club Case Study by Happeo

This is a case study written entirely from the perspective of the customers. Yes! Every paragraph in this Happeo case study contains quotes from Hunt Club, the company that chose Happeo’s solution.

An elaborate embedded video further does the trick for this one. But if we were to glean one thing from this case study, it has to be the fact that Happeo has told its own success story in the words of the customer.

Can a case study be any more of a social proof? We think not!

9. NetApp Case Study by Evisort

The unique thing about this one is that it starts with an overview of the client. Evisort sets the groundwork for its message right at the beginning. Once they’ve informed us about their client’s nature, they gradually move on to the problem solved.

For one, this follows the marketing case study thumb rule of always focusing more on the client. Secondly, it prepares a solid base for the reader, helping her clearly understand what has been discussed in the coming segments.

But there’s another important thing about this Evisort case study . It tells the story of the solution focusing on a particular era, the pandemic in this case. You can also employ this strategy and give more context to the solution you provided to your client.

10. The Met by Fantasy

A complete redesign of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

How to showcase a nice and responsive website you created for a client? The simplest way is to put snaps of the website in your case study. And that’s what this Fantasy case study has done so masterfully.

What this case study teaches us is that you don’t have to write a bunch of stuff or put in statistics everywhere. If the result you provided to your client can be showcased visually, why not use the case study to do just that?

In Conclusion

Marketing case studies are one of the best ways to build credibility and trust with potential customers. They also help you generate leads by showcasing your expertise and proving that you can deliver results. Most importantly, they can help you win over new clients by showing them what to expect from working with you — and how much better things will be when they do.

So, these were a range of marketing case study examples and what we can learn from each. Which one was your favorite? Is there a pattern you identified? To be clear, each of these examples was unique and innovative in its own way. You can go ahead and pick a style and focus for your case study.

In a nutshell, relevancy matters the most if you want your case study to expand your business. So, instead of blindly following any of the examples we have listed, make your own mark with a compelling marketing case study.

We wish you all the best in your customer acquisition and expansion efforts. And we hope this article was of great help to you.

Related posts:

how to solve a case study in marketing

Ranu Kumari is a Professional Writer and a Marketing enthusiast who currently runs her own Marketing Consultancy, LatitudeBOX. She has written promotional articles for multiple brands and has published her work in Scopus indexed journals. She is passionate about expressing her thoughts and ideas to connect with her readers in a voice that they understand.

Join the conversation Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

how to solve a case study in marketing

  • Testimonial
  • Web Stories

Hitbullseye Logo

Learning Home

how to solve a case study in marketing

Not Now! Will rate later

how to solve a case study in marketing

MBA Case Studies - Solved Examples

how to solve a case study in marketing

Need of MBA Case Studies

Case i: chemco case.

  • ChemCo is a quality leader in the U.K. car batteries market.
  • Customer battery purchases in the automobile market are highly seasonal.
  • The fork-lift business was added to utilize idle capacity during periods of inactivity.
  • This is a low-growth industry (1% annual growth over the last two years)
  • Large customers are sophisticated and buy based on price and quality. Smaller customers buy solely on price.
  • There is a Spanish competitor in the market who offers low priced batteries of inferior quality.

Group Discussion Tips and Tricks

Essential MBA GD Guide: Key Topics with Strategies Free

  • Importance of Group Discussions
  • Tips and Strategies to handle a GD
  • Top 25 GD topics
  • Free Download
  • Established player in car batteries
  • Losing heavily in fork-lift truck batteries
  • Old fashioned owner resistance to change
  • Low priced competitors
  • Foreign competitors gaining market share
  • Decisive Interview, GD & Essay prep
  • GD: Topics 2021
  • GD: Approach
  • GD: Do's and Don'ts
  • GD: Communications
  • Solved GDs Topics

GD Introduction

  • Types of GD topics: Techniques
  • GD: Ettiquette
  • GD: Content
  • Solved Case Studies
  • High quality product, but low end customers care more about price than quality
  • Mismanaged product diversification in a price sensitive market
  • Alternative 1: Establish an Off-Brand for the fork-lift business
  • Alternative 2: Educate the customer market about product quality
  • Alternative 3: Exit the fork-lift battery business
  • Establishing the firm's quality image
  • Increase in market share
  • Increase in sales
  • Cost of the product
  • Protect firm's quality image in the automobile industry
  • Redesigned product to reduce the cost of manufacture
  • Low price to enable it to compete with Spanish producer
  • Make use of the quality leadership in car batteries market
  • Offer reliability testing, extended warranties etc. to promote quality image
  • Set higher prices to extract surplus from these advantages
  • A passive strategy, not proactive
  • Recommendations: Alternative 1 is recommended in this case. Since the firm operates in an industry which has low growth, hence it can expand market share and sales only by taking the customers from other players. Hence, it needs to tackle the Spanish competitor head-on by aggressively pricing its product. At the same time, launching a low-priced product under the same brand name erodes the high quality image in the car batteries market. Hence, the best option is to go for an off-brand to target the fork-lift customers who are increasingly becoming price sensitive. This will enable the company to ward off the threat in short-term and build its position strongly in the long-term.

how to solve a case study in marketing

Case II: NAKAMURA LACQUER COMPANY

  • The Nakamura Lacquer Company: The Nakamura Lacquer Company based in Kyoto, Japan was one of the many small handicraft shops making lacquerware for the daily table use of the Japanese people.
  • Mr. Nakamura- the personality: In 1948, a young Mr. Nakamura took over his family business. He saw an opportunity to cater to a new market of America, i.e. GI's of the Occupation Army who had begun to buy lacquer ware as souvenirs. However, he realized that the traditional handicraft methods were inadequate. He was an innovator and introduced simple methods of processing and inspection using machines. Four years later, when the Occupation Army left in 1952, Nakamura employed several thousand men, and produced 500,000 pieces of lacquers tableware each year for the Japanese mass consumer market. The profit from operations was $250,000.
  • The Brand: Nakamura named his brand “Chrysanthemum” after the national flower of Japan, which showed his patriotic fervor. The brand became Japan's best known and best selling brand, being synonymous with good quality, middle class and dependability.
  • The Market: The market for lacquerware in Japan seems to have matured, with the production steady at 500,000 pieces a year. Nakamura did practically no business outside of Japan. However, early in 1960, when the American interest in Japanese products began to grow, Nakamura received two offers
  • The Rose and Crown offer: The first offer was from Mr. Phil Rose, V.P Marketing at the National China Company. They were the largest manufacturer of good quality dinnerware in the U.S., with their “Rose and Crown” brand accounting for almost 30% of total sales. They were willing to give a firm order for three eyes for annual purchases of 400,000 sets of lacquer dinnerware, delivered in Japan and at 5% more than what the Japanese jobbers paid. However, Nakamura would have to forego the Chrysanthemum trademark to “Rose and Crown” and also undertaken to sell lacquer ware to anyone else the U.S. The offer promised returns of $720,000 over three years (with net returns of $83,000), but with little potential for the U.S. market on the Chrysanthemum brand beyond that period.
  • The Semmelback offer: The second offer was from Mr. Walter Sammelback of Sammelback, Sammelback and Whittacker, Chicago, the largest supplier of hotel and restaurant supplies in the U.S. They perceived a U.S. market of 600,000 sets a year, expecting it to go up to 2 million in around 5 years. Since the Japanese government did not allow overseas investment, Sammelback was willing to budget $1.5 million. Although the offer implied negative returns of $467,000 over the first five years, the offer had the potential to give a $1 million profit if sales picked up as anticipated.
  • Meeting the order: To meet the numbers requirement of the orders, Nakamura would either have to expand capacity or cut down on the domestic market. If he chose to expand capacity, the danger was of idle capacity in case the U.S. market did not respond. If he cut down on the domestic market, the danger was of losing out on a well-established market. Nakamura could also source part of the supply from other vendors. However, this option would not find favor with either of the American buyers since they had approached only Nakamura, realizing that he was the best person to meet the order.
  • Decision problem: Whether to accept any of the two offers and if yes, which one of the two and under what terms of conditions?
  • To expand into the U.S. market.
  • To maintain and build upon their reputation of the “Chrysanthemum” brand
  • To increase profit volumes by tapping the U.S. market and as a result, increasing scale of operations.
  • To increase its share in the U.S. lacquerware market.
  • Profit Maximization criterion: The most important criterion in the long run is profit maximization.
  • Risk criterion: Since the demand in the U.S. market is not as much as in Japan.
  • Brand identity criterion: Nakamura has painstakingly built up a brand name in Japan. It is desirable for him to compete in the U.S. market under the same brand name
  • Flexibility criterion: The chosen option should offer Nakamura flexibility in maneuvering the terms and conditions to his advantage. Additionally, Nakamura should have bargaining power at the time of renewal of the contract.
  • Short term returns: Nakamura should receive some returns on the investment he makes on the new offers. However, this criterion may be compromised in favor of profit maximization in the long run.?
  • Reject both: React both the offers and concentrate on the domestic market
  • Accept RC offer: Accept the Rose and Crown offer and supply the offer by cutting down on supplies to the domestic market or through capacity expansion or both
  • Accept SSW: offer; accept the SSW offer and meet it through cutting down on supply to the domestic market or through capacity expansion or both. Negotiate term of supply.
  • Reject both: This option would not meet the primary criterion of profit maximization. Further, the objective of growth would also not be met. Hence, this option is rejected.
  • Accept RC offer: The RC offer would assure net returns of $283,000 over the next three yeas. It also assures regular returns of $240,000 per year. However, Nakamura would have no presence in the U.S. with its Chrysanthemum brand name The RC offer would entail capacity expansion, as it would not be possible to siphon of 275,000 pieces from the domestic market over three years without adversely affecting operations there. At the end of three years, Nakamura would have little bargaining power with RC as it would have an excess capacity of 275,000 pieces and excess labor which it would want to utilize. In this sense the offer is risky. Further, the offer is not flexible. Long-term profit maximization is uncertain in this case a condition that can be controlled in the SSW offer. Hence, this offer is rejected.
  • Accept SSW offer: The SSW offer does not assure a firm order or any returns for the period of contract. Although, in its present form the offer is risky if the market in the U.S. does not pick up as expected, the offer is flexible. If Nakamura were to exhibit caution initially by supplying only 300,000 instead of the anticipated 600,000 pieces, it could siphon off the 175,000 required from the domestic market. If demand exists in the U.S., the capacity can be expanded. With this offer, risk is minimized. Further, it would be competing on its own brand name. Distribution would be taken care of and long-term profit maximization criterion would be satisfied as this option has the potential of $1 million in profits per year. At the time of renewal of the contract, Nakamura would have immense bargaining power.
  • Negotiate terms of offer with SSW: The terms would be that NLC would supply 300,000 pieces in the first year. If market demand exists, NLC should expand capacity to provide the expected demand.
  • Action Plan: In the first phase, NLC would supply SSW with 300,000 pieces. 125,000 of these would be obtained by utilizing excess capacity, while the remaining would be obtained from the domestic market. If the expected demand for lacquer ware exists in the U.S., NLC would expand capacity to meet the expected demand. The debt incurred would be paid off by the fifth year.
  • Contingency Plan:  In case the demand is not as expected in the first year, NLC should not service the U.S. market and instead concentrate on increasing penetration in the domestic market.

FAQs about MBA Case Studies

  • Group Discussions
  • Personality
  • Past Experiences

Most Popular Articles - PS

how to solve a case study in marketing

100 Group Discussion (GD) Topics for MBA 2024

Solved GDs Topic

Solved GDs Topic

Industry GD Topics

Top 50 Other (Science, Economy, Environment) topics for GD

5 tips for starting a GD

5 tips for starting a GD

how to solve a case study in marketing

GD FAQs: Communication

how to solve a case study in marketing

GD FAQs: Content

Assess your GD skills: Three key stages of GD preparation

Stages of GD preparation

Group Discussion Etiquettes

Group Discussion Etiquettes

how to solve a case study in marketing

Case Study: Tips and Strategy

how to solve a case study in marketing

Practice Case Studies: Long

how to solve a case study in marketing

Practice Case Studies: Short

5 tips for handling Abstract GD topics

5 tips for handling Abstract GD topics

5 tips for handling a fish market situation in a GD

5 tips for handling a fish market situation in GD

5 things to follow: if you don’t know much about the GD topic

5 things to follow: if you don’t know much about the GD topic

how to solve a case study in marketing

Do’s and Don’ts in a Group Discussion

5 tips for handling Factual GD topics

5 tips for handling Factual GD topics

how to solve a case study in marketing

How to prepare for Group Discussion

Download our app.

  • Learn on-the-go
  • Unlimited Prep Resources
  • Better Learning Experience
  • Personalized Guidance

Get More Out of Your Exam Preparation - Try Our App!

Download the Unstop app now!

Check out the latest opportunities just for you!

How To Solve Case Study? (A Strategy By IIM L Student That Works Every Time!)

Muskan Atar - IIM Lucknow

Table of content: 

  • Step 1: Identify the problem statement

Step 2: Propose solutions with a pinch of creativity

Step 3: establish the scale and impact of the solution.

“Case study competitions” - Something that is arguably one of the most valuable parts of your MBA life. But this may be daunting for many. Maybe you’re not sure which case competitions to participate in, so you pile too much on your plate. Maybe you’re not sure about the right way to solve a case study. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about acing a case study competition, from scratch! 

A case study competition can be an academic or corporate competition in which participants come together to solve either a real-world case or a framed case that is presented. We present to you Muskan Atar, who will walk you through her tested strategy to solve case study competitions and win them in style!

Hero Campus Challenge S8 Winners Take Us Through Their Road To Victory

Framework to solve case studies

After participating in 7-8 case competitions, I realized I had been unconsciously solving it using the same framework. It is very similar to the framework used for product management cases. Hence, it didn't disappoint me. 

Step 1: Identify the problem statement 

Case competitions like Accenture Strategy Case Connect and Colgate Transcend provide an exact problem statement with the expected outcome. But, in most cases, we must dive deep to break down the problem statement and identify the potential causes. 

Like, for Colgate Transcend, the problem statement was (summary) -

Should Colgate diversify into Electric Tooth Brush (ETB) Segment? If yes, then how?

Here, we identified the problems through secondary research (reports from consultancy firms) and primary research (customer surveys). The problem statement identified were:

  • Low awareness of ETB 
  • Low willingness to pay
  • High competition from existing players

How to solve case study

After identifying the problems, we need to establish whether solving them is actually worth it or not. We did this by:

  • Expected Sales, Market Size, and Expected Growth Rate of identified customer segment
  • Increasing willingness to upgrade life (Market Trend)
  • High adaptability to technological changes (Market Trend)

How to solve case studies

Other methods of identifying problem statements are Focus Groups, Customer Interviews, Journey Analyzers, BCG matrix, Value Chain Analysis, PESTEL, SWOT(W part), Porter's Five Forces, Annual Reports, etc.

How to solve a case study

Given the short time for case competitions, I think the most efficient method is first-hand experience. Rather than starting from scratch, it is better to identify the problems as a customer and collect more data on the same.

Further, this data can be represented in the form of - Customer Personas, Key Insights, Trends, Customer Decision Making Journey, etc. 

If you have identified the right problems, your half work is done!

Before even thinking of solutions, set the KPIs based on the problem statement.

Like, in Accenture Strategy Case Connect, the problem statement was (summary) -

Should a large-scale oil refinery firm diversify into EV charging stations? If yes, suggest an execution strategy 

After establishing that the firm needs to diversify, we set the KPI for the solution as - Increment in business generated due to portfolio diversification.

Accenture Strategy Case Connect Case Study

Then, we did a VRIO analysis to identify the competitive advantage (CA), available resources, and capabilities of the firm. SWOT analysis can also be done to get a bird's eye view. 

MBA Case Study

Key insights were:

  • The firm has an established infrastructure across the nation (CA)
  • The firm is cash-positive (resource)
  • Lack of EV charger manufacturing capabilities

Based on the above insights, we decided mode of entry as a strategic alliance with EV charger manufacturers to minimize the entry risk and cost of development. 

MBA case study

We represented the solution in the form of a business plan that covered the roles of stakeholders, partners, customer value proposition, and a phase-wise rollout plan for the future.

MBA Case study solutions

After setting the KPIs and VRIO analysis, in case you struggle to create solutions, you can do:

  • Competitor benchmarking to get a reference
  • Research strategies implemented by outside-India players
  • Study recent technological trends and their application
  • Understand the current focus of the firm through annual reports, recent acquisitions, and news headlines

How to solve the case study

Other ways of representing the strategies are Ansoff Matrix, Portfolio Strategy, Market Mapping, 4Ps, Marketing Funnel, GTM, Mock-ups, etc.

How to solve the case study

Above all, you should always suggest solutions that reduce customer efforts. If you try changing consumer behavior by increasing efforts, they will exCHANGE you with your competitors.

Competitions like the HCCB Case Challenge provide an exact budget. For others, you must look at financial reports and funding rounds to estimate the budget. Then, you can utilize the data to calculate ROI using guesstimates as accurately as possible (use published data).

You can also do a cost-benefit, NPV- IRR, break-even point, cash-flow analysis, etc. I prefer showing profitable unit economics to envision scale and impact.

In PM/Marketing cases, you can also show whether customers accept the solution or not. If 90% of customers are facing a problem, doesn't mean that 90% will accept your solution.

Like in Myntra Stylbiz, we had to suggest solutions for the 18-25 customer segment such that Myntra becomes the most engaging and preferred destination. We showed results of UAT (using Figma) that indicated the likelihood of customers using the solution. This data also helped to estimate the increase in sales, purchase frequency, and new customers. 

Myntra Stylbiz case study

I have also seen participants running marketing campaigns on social media on a small scale. 

Myntra stylbiz MBA Case study

More than thinking big, focus on thinking real. 

For more, check out her post. 

If you'd like to submit your story, click here .

Whatever your concern, we have broken down everything you need to know about case study competitions , from scratch:

  • Challenge Yourself With These B-school Competitions
  • Case Study Competitions- Details, Winning Strategies, And More!
  • Cheat Sheet To Crack Hiring Challenges And Case Competitions
  • How To Win Business Case Competitions: The Secret Revealed
  • Why MBA case competitions are worth the hype!

Muskan Atar - IIM Lucknow

In pursuit of being a good product manager, she started participating in Case Competitions during her MBA. It gave her a mention in Forbes D2C Top 100 Competitive Leaders, but more than that it helped her build problem-solving and team-building skills. It also helped her become insensitive to results, and make a rational sense of them. Apart from PMing, she likes to write, watch movies, crack lame jokes and eat really good food.

Interview Success 101!

to our newsletter

Blogs you need to hog!

L'Oréal Sustainability Challenge 2023 Winners Of Planet Track From BITSoM Dig Out Their Winning Mantra

L'Oréal Sustainability Challenge 2023 Winners Of Planet Track From BITSoM Dig Out Their Winning Mantra

how to solve a case study in marketing

Hero Campus Challenge S8 Winners Take Us Through Their Road To Victory

how to solve a case study in marketing

TISS HRM & LR Summer Placements 2023: 100% Placement, Record Numbers!

how to solve a case study in marketing

TVS Credit E.P.I.C 5.0 Champions Share Learnings From Their Remarkable Journey!

how to solve a case study in marketing

TheCaseSolutions.com

  • Order Status
  • Testimonials
  • What Makes Us Different

Top 10 Tips For Solving A Marketing Case Study Harvard Case Solution & Analysis

Home >> Blog >> Top 10 Tips For Solving A Marketing Case Study

Introduction

Case study analysis has been one of the most tricky but interesting areas in marketing. Although case analysis sometimes can be too demanding because the reader has to first of all thoroughly read the case and then based on the material provided has to develop the future directions. In spite of this fact, it gives the person analyzing the case to actually decide upon his discretion as to how he might look to solve the dilemma presented in the case. Following are the tips that shall be useful in solving a marketing case (for example: Altius Golf)

Tip no. 1: Read the case thoroughly

The most important aspect while solving a marketing case study is to read the case. Although it has been observed that while solving a case study the major focus for the case study solution is generally upon the questions that needs to be answered. However, it reading the case study without skimming or overlooking any of the content has to be one of the best or the most feasible methods of analyzing the case study.

Since case study solution is all about solving the case within the information provided, therefore, it the case study is read thoroughly before analyzing it, solving it, it is necessary and rather obligatory to read it with clear mind and complete concentration. The information in the case is the ultimate source of coming to a conclusion; therefore, it is advisable to read the case with complete concentration.

This generally leads to better understanding of the dilemma presented in the case, the central figures are easier to identify and the analysis section along with the situation discussion becomes easier.

The solution to the case also becomes rather easy because once the case study is read thoroughly it tends to help the solver to come over to a conclusion based on the information within the case study rather than finding solutions through the external research.

Therefore, the most important tip while solving any case study and specifically marketing case study shall be to read the case thoroughly. This not helps understand the situation rather more accurately but it also helps in solving the case within the time frame provided.

Tip no. 2: Read the Questions that needs to be answered

Once the reader has gone through reading the case, the next step for solving the case study shall be to read the questions that need to answer within the case study. This is also one major tip that sometimes marketing case solver tend to miss out on.

The reason is simple, generally most of the cases in the marketing field are quite similar and they require more or less the same marketing techniques, tools and models to interpret the information provided in the case. However, it is very necessary for the case to make the reader accustomed to the questions that needs to be taken care off.

In most of the cases, the questions if read with complete concentration makes it lot easier for the person to solve the case because if the case is to be solved according to the requirements than it is rather obligatory and mandatory for the solver to go through the questions before solving the case study.

Once the questions are kept in mind before solving the case it becomes rather easier for the case to be solved accordingly. Most of the times one marketing case can be solved in more than one way, therefore, it is necessary to understand the questions more radically before making the next move.

Therefore, the second step or the tip to solve a marketing case shall be to read the questions more than once to better understand what needs to be solving in the case.

  Tip no. 3: Identify the major problem in the case

The third tip to solving a marketing case or any other case for that matter is to identify the major problem within the case. The reason is simple, every case has one significant problem that needs to be addressed and solved.

In most of the case studies, there is more than one problem. To identify the major or the significant problem is the most important task. If the problem is not identified as per the requirements, than it generally leads to poor decision making, therefore, it is mandatory on part of the case study that it needs to be solved as per the problem.

Since all marketing cases present more than one problem, therefore, to identify the most obvious one becomes rather tricky and sometimes even difficult. It is necessary to ensure and even highlight the major problem within the case, because it eventually makes easier to come to a solution to the problem.

Most of the times, the main issue or the major problem that needs t solved within the case is written on the very first page and in the last paragraph of the case study. So we can sometimes use the trick to identifying the major problem within the case.

Therefore, one major tip in solving a marketing case study shall be to identify the major problem within the case. If the problem is well understood, the solution, analysis, applying marketing tools and models, developing alternatives, evaluating alternatives, recommendations and conclusion becomes rather easy.

Hence, it can be said that the third tip to solve a marketing case will be to understand and pen-down the problem statement and solve the case based on the problem identified. This more often than not leads to better understanding of the case and eventually leads to improved results also.

Tip no. 4: Describe how the business responds to these issues or problems

The fourth tip to solving a marketing case shall be to describe how the business shall be responding to the problems identified in the case. Most of the times, the company within the case study has tried solving the problem by introducing new methods and ways which leads to the solution of the problem.

However, since the company does not find the right solution to the problem therefore, it leads to the issues becoming more intense and leads to decrease is sales, employee demotivation, limited employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, profitability, etc.

Therefore, it can be said that the reader before actually providing the alternatives or finding the solution to the problem within the case or in the company he needs to first of all study the solution company has tried using within the case.  This helps the reader become aware of the situation and it helps in finding the right mix of solution to the specific problem.

Moreover, the solution of the case study needs to be gathering all the information and then look to trace a chronological progression of the different steps that shall be taken in the future which has been missed by the company. Over here, citation of the data included in the case study is very important where the solution of the case should be based upon the different exhibits that have been explained and shown in the case.

Finally it can be said that, before coming to the solutions for a specific marketing case it is necessary to understand the solutions that have been presented within the case, the steps taken by the company to solve the problems has to be considered as vital and necessary.

Tip no. 5: Situation Analysis

Tip number five in order to solve a marketing case is to conduct a situation analysis. It is an integral part of the case study analysis. Over here, the introduction to the company, its financial performance, its marketing strategies, human resource strategies, communication strategies, customer service strategies have to be considered.

Situation analysis is basically the summary the crust of the case. Over here, the overall analysis of the case study the future direction, the marketing tools that shall be applied can actually be drawn in mind based on the situation analysis. Most of the times, situation analysis can be a paraphrasing of the content and data provided in the case.

Therefore, it is one most important aspect of the case study solution which needs to be dealt with complete control and authority. If the situation analysis is overlooked and not conducted the decision to land up at a specific decision or the recommendation shall become quite difficult. Therefore, situation analysis is again a necessity while solving a marketing case study because it helps in studying the customers, the organization norms and cultures the direction of the company etc.

Porter's Five Forces

Porter’s Five Forces

  Tip no. 6: Application of marketing tools

The fifth tip in order to solve a marketing case shall be to apply appropriate and accurate marketing models, methods, techniques in order to solve the problem presented in the case. This is the most integral part in solving a case after the problem diagnosis. The reason is simple, if the problem is identified correctly and if the marketing models and strategies are not well understood, the whole essence of the case study disappears. Therefore, it is most important for the solution of the case study that the marketing model used within the case has to be perfect and also well aligned with the situation presented in the case.

Since marketing a broad term and it has various branches to it therefore, while solving each case different marketing strategies can be implemented. Over reliance on specific marketing techniques might do the job and the problem might be solved, but in the long run it become difficult for the company to sustain? In order to stay ahead of the competition and in order to stay competitive it is mandatory for the case to be solved as per the requirements rather than being too generic.

Along with this, it can be said that the application of right marketing techniques and marketing strategies plays a pivotal role in the solution of any marketing case study. A well directed case study analysis can only become possible if the case study is thoroughly read and the questions presented in the case are well understood.

If the direction of the case study is confused and unclear it leads to poor decision making which leads to a weak analysis of the overall case study. Therefore, the fifth most integral part of solving a case study is to apply appropriate and accurate marketing tools, models and strategies to solve the problem.

Some of the most widely used marketing models and techniques by marketers while solving a marketing case include the SWOT analysis, Marketing Mix, Product Life Cycle, 7C’s of marketing, Pricing Strategy, Ansoff Matrix, Porter Five Forces Model, PESTEL Analysis, Corporate Strategy, etc. The above mentioned tools and marketing models are more frequently used in the analysis section of the case study.

Tip no. 7: Develop Alternatives

The seventh step in the completion of a case study has to be the developing of the alternatives. While the introduction to the case, problem diagnosis are a necessity in the case study, the step of developing the alternatives is also a major task for the person analyzing the case study. The development of the alternatives sometimes is taken quite casually because eventually under this heading the case study takes a direction which is entirely based upon the thinking and decision making of the person.

It is basically developed with the personal discretion therefore, sometimes the development of alternatives becomes unclear and it tends to loosen the grip over the case study. In order to sustain the credibility and the completeness of the case study it is obligatory on part of the personal to develop such alternatives that are aligned with the case study itself.

Under this section, the reader has to be presented with the pros and cons of each and every alternative. Sometimes since the section holds personal bias of the personal solving the case and he tends to overlook quite a few major aspects because he wants to come to a point where he develops the recommendations in the mind. However, this is not the right way of solving a case. To make the best use of all the possible resources it is necessary to develop alternatives perfectly and in accordance with the case study.

The reader has to be set up in a way where he cannot actually come up with the best possible alternative. If the analysis of the case study is accurate and if the alternatives are also developed perfectly, it makes difficult to pick the right and the most appropriate and the most feasible solution for the case.

Tip no. 8: Evaluation of alternatives

Once the alternatives are developed, the next step is the evaluation of the alternatives. Over here, the most important tip for the marketing case study shall be to evaluate alternatives on certain criteria. These criteria help the reader understand the direction of the company, the goals to be achieved and the decision that needs to be taken in the future. Some of the basic methods for evaluating the alternatives include the element of customer satisfaction, sales of the company, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, sales and revenue, investment in R&D, etc. These are some of the basic themes and ideas that are used in order to evaluate the alternatives.

Along with this, another major decision for the solution of the case study has to be the selection of the alternative that shall help the firm overcome its existing issue. Most of the times, the person solving the case makes the alternatives what he feels can be the right move for the company without realizing the importance of having alternatives that can rather be appropriate for the company.

In such a situation the evaluation of alternatives based on the set criteria that is necessary for the problem solving of marketing case is most important aspect. If the reader wants to gauge in the attention of the reader and if he actually wants to stay real and aligned with the case study content and data it is necessary to evaluate the alternatives according the requirements of the case study.

Tip no. 9: Recommendations

Once the alternatives are developed and are evaluated also, the next step that is elementary in the solution of a case study is the recommendations. This again along with the problem statement and analysis is an important part of the case study solution.

The reason is simple, if the problem within the case is well versed and identified correctly and if the analysis part is also done with the right direction and within the case. The step of forming the recommendation for the case study becomes a lot easier. However, sometimes recommendations are not considered as the most necessary times, the case study tends to sometimes lose its focus during the ending section. However, while solving a case study it is very important to find the right recommendations to actually compliment the analysis section of the case study.

One important aspect of recommendation section is that it needs to align with the analysis section with great effect. If the recommendations are not as per the analysis the case study tends to loosen its grip over the reader and the end result or the solution that comes across is not the one that shall help the company overcome its existing and current issues.

Along with this, another important tip in solving a case study is to understand that the recommendations have to be realistic and as per the needs and wants of the case study. If a case that has been well directed until the analysis section and somehow loses its grip in the final section, the overall impact of the case study diminishes away. It is therefore, obligatory on part of solving the case that the recommendations should be realistic and aligned with the material provided in the case.

Therefore, it can be said that the recommendations lead to better execution of the case and it actually helps the case study become more accurate if the recommendations are realistic and as per the requirements of the case study. For instance if the case is about the marketing course, than the solution or the recommendation should also revolve around the marketing subjects.

Tip no. 10: Action Plan

Action plan is the final step or the final stage in every case study. This section is the last step because over here whatever the recommendations are made by the firm they actually have to be executed. Action plan has to be again realistic and aligned with the vision and mission of the company. If the action plan is unrealistic it leads to poor implementation of the execution of the idea presented in the case, therefore, it is necessary on part of the person solving the case study that it is according to the recommendations.

For instance an action where a company that is on the verge of bankruptcy is given the action plan to  invest X million in the research and development shall become unrealistic and might end up making the case become vague. Therefore, it is again one basic idea to make the action plan realistic and aligned with the case study.

Action plan makes it easier for the reader to understand how the recommendations can become practical, therefore, it is necessary for the person solving the case study that the action is well directed and well versed.

Based on the above ten steps that have been discussed for solving a marketing case, it is necessary to abide all of the above mentioned steps to make the analysis of the case study more in-depth and aligned with the provided material in the case. If the case study is solved while keeping the above mentioned 10 steps it is more likely that it shall gauge in more readers and the organization looking for the solution to the problem end up implementing the ideas printed in the case study solution. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze all the marketing case studies based on the tips that have been presented in the paper.

Straits, Bruce C. and Singleton, Royce A. (2004)  Approaches to Social Research , 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press

George, Alexander L. and Bennett, Andrew. (2005) Case studies and theory development in the social sciences. London: MIT Press.

Gerring, John. (2005) Case Study Research. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Hancké, Bob. (2009) Intelligent Research Design. A guide for beginning researchers in the social sciences. Oxford University Press.

Kay, L.; Youtie, J.; Shapira, P. (2014). “Signs of things to come? What patent submissions by small and medium-sized enterprises say about corporate strategies in emerging technologies”. Technological Forecasting & Social Change: 17.

Mills, Albert J.; Gabrielle Durepos; Elden Wiebe. (Eds.). (2010). Encyclopedia of Case Study Research. Sage Publications. California. p. xxxi.

Rodger Kessler & Dale Stafford. Editors. Collaborative Medicine Case Studies: Evidence in Practice. Springer. New York. 2008

How We Work? Just email us your case materials and instructions to [email protected] and confirm your order by making the payment here

Related Case Solutions & Analyses:

how to solve a case study in marketing

Hire us for Originally Written Case Solution/ Analysis

Like us and get updates:.

Harvard Case Solutions

Search Case Solutions

  • Accounting Case Solutions
  • Auditing Case Studies
  • Business Case Studies
  • Economics Case Solutions
  • Finance Case Studies Analysis
  • Harvard Case Study Analysis Solutions
  • Human Resource Cases
  • Ivey Case Solutions
  • Management Case Studies
  • Marketing HBS Case Solutions
  • Operations Management Case Studies
  • Supply Chain Management Cases
  • Taxation Case Studies

More From Blog

  • NPV Calculation in Excel: Why the Numbers do not Match!
  • Augus Cartwright Case
  • Arise: A Destination for a Day SPA
  • Putnam Investments: Rebuilding the Culture
  • Problem In Assignment
  • NORTHWEST SECURITY SERVICES CASE

Contact us:

how to solve a case study in marketing

Check Order Status

Service Guarantee

How Does it Work?

Why TheCaseSolutions.com?

how to solve a case study in marketing

Marketing Mix (Lesson Plan, Case Study, Questions & Answers)

Subject: Business and finance

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

High School With Hannah

Last updated

13 February 2024

  • Share through email
  • Share through twitter
  • Share through linkedin
  • Share through facebook
  • Share through pinterest

how to solve a case study in marketing

Exploring the Marketing Mix - The 4 P’s

Students will understand the concept of the marketing mix and how the 4 P’s (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) are used to create effective marketing strategies. They will analyze case studies and engage in interactive activities to demonstrate their comprehension of each element of the marketing mix.

Materials Needed:

● Whiteboard and markers ● Chart paper and markers ● Access to device with the internet ● Link to case study form lesson plan and main activity

Creative Commons "Sharealike"

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

This resource hasn't been reviewed yet

To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have downloaded this resource can review it

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource:

Diving Deep Into Marketing in Financial Services (My Takeaways)

Precious Oboidhe

Published: February 05, 2024

🔥 FLAMING HOT TAKE ALERT: Marketing can drive business goals, but it can’t save a bad product.

a person with card from financial services as marketing

One financial company that understands this well is Wise , an international money transfer service I use.

According to Nilan Peiris , Chief Product Officer at Wise, the company aimed to build a product that “blows user’s socks off.”

That intended feat has come to fruition because a whopping 70% of Wise’s user growth comes through word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM). Even I discovered Wise through word of mouth.

Download Now: Free Marketing Plan Template [Get Your Copy]

In this article, I will share five inspirational examples of effective marketing for financial services. I also share four marketing ideas you can deploy to market your brilliant product.

Before delving into the strategies and examples, let’s discuss tips for solving your most fundamental marketing challenge — building a product customers love.

Table of Contents

A Case Study of Wise: How to Solve Your #1 Marketing Challenge as a Financial Services Provider

Financial services marketing strategies, financial services marketing ideas.

  • What I Learned

how to solve a case study in marketing

Free Marketing Plan Template

Outline your company's marketing strategy in one simple, coherent plan.

  • Pre-Sectioned Template
  • Completely Customizable
  • Example Prompts
  • Professionally Designed

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Businesses in financial services deal with a slew of challenges, including regulatory marketing restrictions, lack of consumer trust , and commoditization .

These challenges are mitigated if you build a great product and provide a great user experience. That’s what Wise did.

Wise aimed to give customers “an experience they didn't know was previously possible,” says Nilan. As they succeeded, their customers became their brand evangelists.

Below are three steps Wise took to build a product that won users.

Listening to Customers

They conducted customer satisfaction surveys to uncover the needs of their users. Over time, Wise narrowed customers' most important demands into three features: Price, speed, and ease of use.

Delivering on Users’ Demands

Making cross-border money transfers fast and inexpensive was difficult. It took years to solve these problems. But solving them gave Wise a huge competitive advantage and a more defensible position in the market.

Understanding Customer Sentiment

They regularly use Net Promoter Score (NPS) to assess customer sentiment. NPS is a metric that measures customer satisfaction and loyalty based on how likely customers would recommend a company's products or services.

The score can range from -100% to +100%. In the early days, Wise’s NPS was in the positive 20s and 30s. As they improved the product and user experience, their NPS score rose to 70%.

Many teams stop iterating once their product works and shift their focus to other marketing activities. This is a mistake.

According to Nilan, the ROI for NPS increase is much larger and more enduring than the ROI increase you’d get from improving your conversion rate.

The bottom line? Just because people are buying your product doesn’t get your job done. Collect customer feedback to uncover your customers' needs.

With this data, you can iterate on your product and experience until you have something customers love, not just like. When customers love your product, marketing becomes much easier.

Marketing for financial services doesn’t have to be boring.

Despite the regulatory burdens, you can create compelling marketing messages and campaigns and deliver them with style.

Below are five FSPs that have broken out of the regulatory box and found creative and effective ways to market their brand.

Curve is a payment card that lets you link multiple debit/credit cards to a single card. That way, you can carry one card and still access all your cards.

A few years ago, Curve partnered with wearable smart technology brands like Twinn , Tap 2, and Tapster. This collaboration empowered users to make payments using their smart rings, wrist bracelets, and key rings.

Recently, Curve launched another wearables campaign.

How? They leveraged a viral moment where a BBC reporter gave the middle finger at the start of a program.

Though she was joking with her colleagues, the BBC caught the moment live. After the story went viral, Curve made the reporter a “hand model.” They placed a payment ring on the reporter’s middle finger and shared it across social media.

how to solve a case study in marketing

The product, aptly called Pay it Forward , lets magazine vendors earn more money by selling one magazine issue multiple times.

They printed QR codes on the magazines. So, after reading it, you can pass it along to a friend who can scan the code to pay the original vendor again.

Since you never know how far each magazine will go, this significantly increases potential earnings for each vendor. A vendor reported people had paid for one of his magazines over 20 times.

The audience loved this campaign, and it led to huge brand awareness for Monzo. Even celebrity British influencers love the campaign.

Below is a picture of Football Legend Gary Linker (middle) and Music Star Roger Daltrey (far right) posing with a copy of The Big Issue.

how to solve a case study in marketing

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

How Luxury Brands Market and What You Can Learn

How Luxury Brands Market and What You Can Learn

Diving Deep Into Marketing for Dentists (My Takeaways)

Diving Deep Into Marketing for Dentists (My Takeaways)

Diving Deep Into Marketing for Restaurants (My Takeaways)

Diving Deep Into Marketing for Restaurants (My Takeaways)

Q1 Marketing Plays That'll Start Your Year Strong, According to State of Marketing Data

Q1 Marketing Plays That'll Start Your Year Strong, According to State of Marketing Data

Relationship Marketing: The Ultimate Guide

Relationship Marketing: The Ultimate Guide

The 2024 State of Marketing & Trends Report: Data from 1400+ Global Marketers

The 2024 State of Marketing & Trends Report: Data from 1400+ Global Marketers

Top Marketing Channels for 2024 [+Data]

Top Marketing Channels for 2024 [+Data]

I Took a Deep Dive Into ASO Marketing. Here’s What I Learned.

I Took a Deep Dive Into ASO Marketing. Here’s What I Learned.

I Took a Deep Dive Into the Marketing Funnel, Here’s What I Learned

I Took a Deep Dive Into the Marketing Funnel, Here’s What I Learned

5 Steps to Create an Outstanding Marketing Plan [Free Templates]

5 Steps to Create an Outstanding Marketing Plan [Free Templates]

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

College of Nursing

Driving change: a case study of a dnp leader in residence program in a gerontological center of excellence.

View as pdf A later version of this article appeared in Nurse Leader , Volume 21, Issue 6 , December 2023 . 

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) published the Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Practice Nursing in 2004 identifying the essential curriculum needed for preparing advanced practice nurse leaders to effectively assess organizations, identify systemic issues, and facilitate organizational changes. 1 In 2021, AACN updated the curriculum by issuing The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education to guide the development of competency-based education for nursing students. 1 In addition to AACN’s competency-based approach to curriculum, in 2015 the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL) released Nurse Leader Core Competencies (updated in 2023) to help provide a competency based model to follow in developing nurse leaders. 2

Despite AACN and AONL competency-based curriculum and model, it is still common for nurse leaders to be promoted to management positions based solely on their work experience or exceptional clinical skills, rather than demonstration of management and leadership competencies. 3 The importance of identifying, training, and assessing executive leaders through formal leadership development programs, within supportive organizational cultures has been discussed by national leaders. As well as the need for nurturing emerging leaders through fostering interprofessional collaboration, mentorship, and continuous development of leadership skills has been identified. 4 As Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) nurse leaders assume executive roles within healthcare organizations, they play a vital role within complex systems. Demonstration of leadership competence and participation in formal leadership development programs has become imperative for their success. However, models of competency-based executive leadership development programs can be hard to find, particularly programs outside of health care systems.

The implementation of a DNP Leader in Residence program, such as the one designed for The Barbara and Richard Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence, addresses many of the challenges facing new DNP leaders and ensures mastery of executive leadership competencies and readiness to practice through exposure to varied experiences and close mentoring. The Csomay Center , based at The University of Iowa, was established in 2000 as one of the five original Hartford Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence in the country. Later funding by the Csomay family established an endowment that supports the Center's ongoing work. The current Csomay Center strategic plan and mission aims to develop future healthcare leaders while promoting optimal aging and quality of life for older adults. The Csomay Center Director created the innovative DNP Leader in Residence program to foster the growth of future nurse leaders in non-healthcare systems. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of the development and implementation of the Leader in Residence program, followed by suggested evaluation strategies, and discussion of future innovation of leadership opportunities in non-traditional health care settings.

Development of the DNP Leader in Residence Program

The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle has garnered substantial recognition as a valuable tool for fostering development and driving improvement initiatives. 5 The PDSA cycle can function as an independent methodology and as an integral component of broader quality enhancement approaches with notable efficacy in its ability to facilitate the rapid creation, testing, and evaluation of transformative interventions within healthcare. 6 Consequently, the PDSA cycle model was deemed fitting to guide the development and implementation of the DNP Leader in Residence Program at the Csomay Center.

PDSA Cycle: Plan

Existing resources. The DNP Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership Program offered by the University of Iowa is comprised of comprehensive nursing administration and leadership curriculum, led by distinguished faculty composed of national leaders in the realms of innovation, health policy, leadership, clinical education, and evidence-based practice. The curriculum is designed to cultivate the next generation of nursing executive leaders, with emphasis on personalized career planning and tailored practicum placements. The DNP Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership curriculum includes a range of courses focused on leadership and management with diverse topics such as policy an law, infrastructure and informatics, finance and economics, marketing and communication, quality and safety, evidence-based practice, and social determinants of health. The curriculum is complemented by an extensive practicum component and culminates in a DNP project with additional hours of practicum.

New program. The DNP Leader in Residence program at the Csomay Center is designed to encompass communication and relationship building, systems thinking, change management, transformation and innovation, knowledge of clinical principles in the community, professionalism, and business skills including financial, strategic, and human resource management. The program fully immerses students in the objectives of the DNP Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership curriculum and enables them to progressively demonstrate competencies outlined by AONL. The Leader in Residence program also includes career development coaching, reflective practice, and personal and professional accountability. The program is integrated throughout the entire duration of the Leader in Residence’s coursework, fulfilling the required practicum hours for both the DNP coursework and DNP project.

The DNP Leader in Residence program begins with the first semester of practicum being focused on completing an onboarding process to the Center including understanding the center's strategic plan, mission, vision, and history. Onboarding for the Leader in Residence provides access to all relevant Center information and resources and integration into the leadership team, community partnerships, and other University of Iowa College of Nursing Centers associated with the Csomay Center. During this first semester, observation and identification of the Csomay Center Director's various roles including being a leader, manager, innovator, socializer, and mentor is facilitated. In collaboration with the Center Director (a faculty position) and Center Coordinator (a staff position), specific competencies to be measured and mastered along with learning opportunities desired throughout the program are established to ensure a well-planned and thorough immersion experience.

Following the initial semester of practicum, the Leader in Residence has weekly check-ins with the Center Director and Center Coordinator to continue to identify learning opportunities and progression through executive leadership competencies to enrich the experience. The Leader in Residence also undertakes an administrative project for the Center this semester, while concurrently continuing observations of the Center Director's activities in local, regional, and national executive leadership settings. The student has ongoing participation and advancement in executive leadership roles and activities throughout the practicum, creating a well-prepared future nurse executive leader.

After completing practicum hours related to the Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership coursework, the Leader in Residence engages in dedicated residency hours to continue to experience domains within nursing leadership competencies like communication, professionalism, and relationship building. During residency hours, time is spent with the completion of a small quality improvement project for the Csomay Center, along with any other administrative projects identified by the Center Director and Center Coordinator. The Leader in Residence is fully integrated into the Csomay Center's Leadership Team during this phase, assisting the Center Coordinator in creating agendas and leading meetings. Additional participation includes active involvement in community engagement activities and presenting at or attending a national conference as a representative of the Csomay Center. The Leader in Residence must mentor a master’s in nursing student during the final year of the DNP Residency.

Implementation of the DNP Leader in Residence Program

PDSA Cycle: Do

Immersive experience. In this case study, the DNP Leader in Residence was fully immersed in a wide range of center activities, providing valuable opportunities to engage in administrative projects and observe executive leadership roles and skills during practicum hours spent at the Csomay Center. Throughout the program, the Leader in Residence observed and learned from multidisciplinary leaders at the national, regional, and university levels who engaged with the Center. By shadowing the Csomay Center Director, the Leader in Residence had the opportunity to observe executive leadership objectives such as fostering innovation, facilitating multidisciplinary collaboration, and nurturing meaningful relationships. The immersive experience within the center’s activities also allowed the Leader in Residence to gain a deep understanding of crucial facets such as philanthropy and community engagement. Active involvement in administrative processes such as strategic planning, budgeting, human resources management, and the development of standard operating procedures provided valuable exposure to strategies that are needed to be an effective nurse leader in the future.

Active participation. The DNP Leader in Residence also played a key role in advancing specific actions outlined in the center's strategic plan during the program including: 1) the creation of a membership structure for the Csomay Center and 2) successfully completing a state Board of Regents application for official recognition as a distinguished center. The Csomay Center sponsored membership for the Leader in Residence in the Midwest Nurse Research Society (MNRS), which opened doors to attend the annual MNRS conference and engage with regional nursing leadership, while fostering socialization, promotion of the Csomay Center and Leader in Residence program, and observation of current nursing research. Furthermore, the Leader in Residence participated in the strategic planning committee and engagement subcommittee for MNRS, collaborating directly with the MNRS president. Additional active participation by the Leader in Residence included attendance in planning sessions and completion of the annual report for GeriatricPain.org , an initiative falling under the umbrella of the Csomay Center. Finally, the Leader in Residence was involved in archiving research and curriculum for distinguished nursing leader and researcher, Dr. Kitty Buckwalter, for the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, the University of Pennsylvania Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, and the University of Iowa library archives.

Suggested Evaluation Strategies of the DNP Leader in Residence Program

PDSA Cycle: Study

Assessment and benchmarking. To effectively assess the outcomes and success of the DNP Leader in Residence Program, a comprehensive evaluation framework should be used throughout the program. Key measures should include the collection and review of executive leadership opportunities experienced, leadership roles observed, and competencies mastered. The Leader in Residence is responsible for maintaining detailed logs of their participation in center activities and initiatives on a semester basis. These logs serve to track the progression of mastery of AONL competencies by benchmarking activities and identifying areas for future growth for the Leader in Residence.

Evaluation. In addition to assessment and benchmarking, evaluations need to be completed by Csomay Center stakeholders (leadership, staff, and community partners involved) and the individual Leader in Residence both during and upon completion of the program. Feedback from stakeholders will identify the contributions made by the Leader in Residence and provide valuable insights into their growth. Self-reflection on experiences by the individual Leader in Residence throughout the program will serve as an important measure of personal successes and identify gaps in the program. Factors such as career advancement during the program, application of curriculum objectives in the workplace, and prospects for future career progression for the Leader in Residence should be considered as additional indicators of the success of the program.

The evaluation should also encompass a thorough review of the opportunities experienced during the residency, with the aim of identifying areas for potential expansion and enrichment of the DNP Leader in Residence program. By carefully examining the logs, reflecting on the acquired executive leadership competencies, and studying stakeholder evaluations, additional experiences and opportunities can be identified to further enhance the program's efficacy. The evaluation process should be utilized to identify specific executive leadership competencies that require further immersion and exploration throughout the program.

Future Innovation of DNP Leader in Residence Programs in Non-traditional Healthcare Settings

PDSA Cycle: Act

As subsequent residents complete the program and their experiences are thoroughly evaluated, it is essential to identify new opportunities for DNP Leader in Residence programs to be implemented in other non-health care system settings. When feasible, expansion into clinical healthcare settings, including long-term care and acute care environments, should be pursued. By leveraging the insights gained from previous Leaders in Residence and their respective experiences, the program can be refined to better align with desired outcomes and competencies. These expansions will broaden the scope and impact of the program and provide a wider array of experiences and challenges for future Leaders in Residency to navigate, enriching their development as dynamic nurse executive leaders within diverse healthcare landscapes.

This case study presented a comprehensive overview of the development and implementation of the DNP Leader in Residence program developed by the Barbara and Richard Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence. The Leader in Residence program provided a transformative experience by integrating key curriculum objectives, competency-based learning, and mentorship by esteemed nursing leaders and researchers through successful integration into the Center. With ongoing innovation and application of the PDSA cycle, the DNP Leader in Residence program presented in this case study holds immense potential to help better prepare 21 st century nurse leaders capable of driving positive change within complex healthcare systems.

Acknowledgements

         The author would like to express gratitude to the Barbara and Richard Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence for the fostering environment to provide an immersion experience and the ongoing support for development of the DNP Leader in Residence program. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The essentials: core competencies for professional nursing education. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/AcademicNursing/pdf/Essentials-2021.pdf . Accessed June 26, 2023.
  • American Organization for Nursing Leadership. Nurse leader core competencies. https://www.aonl.org/resources/nurse-leader-competencies . Accessed July 10, 2023.
  • Warshawsky, N, Cramer, E. Describing nurse manager role preparation and competency: findings from a national study. J Nurs Adm . 2019;49(5):249-255. DOI:  10.1097/NNA.0000000000000746
  • Van Diggel, C, Burgess, A, Roberts, C, Mellis, C. Leadership in healthcare education. BMC Med. Educ . 2020;20(465). doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02288-x
  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Plan-do-study-act (PDSA) worksheet. https://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/Tools/PlanDoStudyActWorksheet.aspx . Accessed July 4, 2023.
  • Taylor, M, McNicolas, C, Nicolay, C, Darzi, A, Bell, D, Reed, J. Systemic review of the application of the plan-do-study-act method to improve quality in healthcare. BMJ Quality & Safety. 2014:23:290-298. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2013-002703

Return to College of Nursing Winter 23/24 Newsletter

IMAGES

  1. CBSE Class 10 Maths Exam 2023: Check Best Tips to Solve Case Study Questions Here

    how to solve a case study in marketing

  2. 10 Marketing Case Study Examples

    how to solve a case study in marketing

  3. Branding case study

    how to solve a case study in marketing

  4. 8 STEPS TO SOLVE THE CASE STUDY

    how to solve a case study in marketing

  5. What is a Business Case Study and How to Write with Examples?

    how to solve a case study in marketing

  6. 【How to】 Solve Marketing Case Study In Mba

    how to solve a case study in marketing

VIDEO

  1. How to Solve Case Study of Business Law

  2. Case Study

  3. How to Solve Case Study in Excel #excel #case #casestudy #solution

  4. How to solve case study in Business studies with example

  5. How to Solve Case Study In Management? || Very easy trick to solve the case study in management

  6. How to Prepare Case Based Study Questions

COMMENTS

  1. Marketing Case Study 101 (+ Tips, Examples, and a Template)

    An optional way to conclude a case study includes discussing key takeaways, insights, and lessons learned from a campaign. Case studies can help you connect your product to the customer's needs by providing a real world examples of success and encouraging conversions.

  2. The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Case Studies

    Case studies answer potential customers' questions, demonstrate success, build company-wide credibility, increase conversions, and most importantly, eliminate bias so your customer can make a confident decision to buy your product. What Is a Marketing Case Study? Marketing case studies analyze the ways that a customer uses a product or service.

  3. 10 Marketing Case Study Examples

    1. Third-person or client case studies: These highlight the experience of a specific client working with your company or using your product. 2. Explanatory case studies: These case studies explore the impact of a phenomenon or tactic, such as the company's marketing strategy, and how it impacted their growth.

  4. What Is a Case Study in Marketing and How to Build One (Examples)

    : Identify your customer's or client's goal for the project so readers understand what to expect. You don't have to include every category, but the more detail you add, the more effective your marketing case study becomes. Most of the time, you're conducting a case study for your own business.

  5. 28 Case Study Examples Every Marketer Should See

    There are myriad ways to use case studies in your marketing strategy. From featuring them on your website to including them in a sales presentation, a case study is a strong, persuasive tool that shows customers why they should work with you — straight from another customer.

  6. 4 Marketing Case Study Examples + How to Write One

    Let's get started. What is a Marketing Case Study? According to Curata, "a case study in the context of marketing is an analysis of a project, campaign or company that identifies a situation, recommended solutions, implementation actions, and identification of those factors that contributed to failure or success."

  7. 16 Important Ways to Use Case Studies in Your Marketing

    14. Include case studies in your lead gen efforts. There are a number of offers you can create based off of your case studies, in the form of ebooks, templates, and more. For example you could put together an ebook titled "A step-by-step guide to reaching 10,000 blog subscribers in 3 months…just like XX did.".

  8. Analyzing Successful Marketing Case Studies: Lessons from the Field

    The role of case studies in marketing strategy development. Case studies serve as a foundation for marketing strategy development. By analyzing successful marketing case studies, marketers can gain a deeper understanding of the tactics and approaches that have proven effective in the past.

  9. The simple formula for great case studies & why they ...

    A well-written case study will clearly lay out the challenges your client faced and the approach you took to solve them. The case study should act almost like a mirror - showing prospects how a similar customer benefited from buying your services. The more similar the prospect is to the customer in the case study, the more striking it will be. 3.

  10. How to Write a Marketing Case Study

    Answer: Ask your sales team (first). Is it to help sell a particular service? Do you want to emphasize a specific offering? Are you trying to grow business in a certain sector? Are you trying to get more clients to try a new product? One place you can start to get answers is with your sales team.

  11. Are You Leveraging the Power of the Case Study Effectively in Your

    Challenges/problem statement/opportunities: Here, you discuss the specific needs addressed by your product or service. It may be a problem that the client was looking to solve or an opportunity that you helped unlock. The solution: Typically, this makes up the bulk of a case study in marketing.

  12. Case Studies: Unlocking Their Power in Your Content Marketing

    Case studies are a vital part of many marketing campaigns. They can substantially impact your success by providing concrete examples of how your business helps users. When carefully crafted, a case study creates leads, closes deals, and drives conversions. However, many case studies lack structure, data, and clarity — leading to a time ...

  13. 12 great case study examples (plus case study writing tips)

    This long-form content style is also becoming more common as more marketers discover its value. According to Hubspot's 2021 State of Marketing report, more than 30% of marketers use case studies as a primary marketing media—up from 13% in 2020.. If you're new to the world of case studies, we'll be diving into what case studies are, why they're important, and how to create your own.

  14. 22 Marketing Case Study Examples (With Template)

    We're routinely seeing CEOs of Australian hi techs with turnover of $5 million to $50 million (our target audience) opting in and proceeding to self-qualify before they contact us for a meeting. This is what digital marketing is supposed to do. Read the full case study here. 22.

  15. How to Create A Marketing Case Study that Converts

    Because of this, content marketing case studies bring benefits to all areas of your inbound marketing strategy. 1. Builds Trust with your Audience. People are more likely to trust the information that you present to them if they can see that it is based on real-world experience and evidence. Without a case study on your website proving the ...

  16. What Is a Marketing Case Study? (Types and Components)

    Here are the components every case study should include: 1. A descriptive title. Your marketing case study's title should summarize your results and explain clearly what your company was able to achieve in the past. For example, How ABC Marketing's Vine Tool Led to a 25% Sales Increase in One Quarter.

  17. What Is A Marketing Case Study? 10 Examples To Inspire You

    Exploring an Issue Developing new ideas, theories, Models, or, Concepts Helping you understand specific individuals or groups in detail What Is a Marketing Case Study The marketing case study is a persuasive document that uses real-world examples to demonstrate the value of your product or service.

  18. How To Write A Marketing Case Study In 5 Easy Steps

    Case studies for marketing are pretty simple. In fact, you want to use a very basic structure. Honestly, the hardest part is lining up the interview. For com...

  19. Case study for MBA with Solved Examples

    Go through the following case study for MBA with solutions: Case I: CHEMCO CASE Started in 1965, ChemCo is a leading manufacturer of car batteries in the U.K. market. Since then, it has been under the charge of Mr. Jones, the founder-owner of the firm. In 1999, the company decided to go for a diversification by expanding the product line.

  20. How To Solve Case Study? (With Strategy and Solution) // Unstop

    Step 1: Identify the problem statement Step 2: Propose solutions with a pinch of creativity Step 3: Establish the scale and impact of the solution "Case study competitions" - Something that is arguably one of the most valuable parts of your MBA life. But this may be daunting for many.

  21. Top 10 Tips For Solving A Marketing Case Study Case Solution And

    Tip no. 1: Read the case thoroughly The most important aspect while solving a marketing case study is to read the case. Although it has been observed that while solving a case study the major focus for the case study solution is generally upon the questions that needs to be answered.

  22. Solved Case Study on Marketing

    This video explains case study on Marketing Subject with solution. This is useful for MBA, M. Com students. Also watch - Solved case study - https://www.yout...

  23. Marketing Mix (Lesson Plan, Case Study, Questions & Answers)

    Students will understand the concept of the marketing mix and how the 4 P's (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) are used to create effective marketing strategies. They will analyze case studies and engage in interactive activities to demonstrate their comprehension of each element of the marketing mix. Materials Needed: Whiteboard and markers

  24. Video: Marketing Case Study

    Short Summary Global marketing strategy is a way of selling a product or service to an international audience, while taking into account cultural and societal norms and preferences.

  25. Diving Deep Into Marketing in Financial Services (My Takeaways)

    A Case Study of Wise: How to Solve Your #1 Marketing Challenge as a Financial Services Provider . Businesses in financial services deal with a slew of challenges, including regulatory marketing restrictions, lack of consumer trust, and commoditization.. These challenges are mitigated if you build a great product and provide a great user experience.

  26. Relationship Marketing: A Case For Empathy With Moore Family ...

    A case study: The transformative power of relationship marketing. One professional pioneering this relationship-driven approach is Holly J. Moore, Founder of Moore Family Law Group. After enduring ...

  27. Driving change: a case study of a DNP leader in residence program in a

    In this case study, the DNP Leader in Residence was fully immersed in a wide range of center activities, providing valuable opportunities to engage in administrative projects and observe executive leadership roles and skills during practicum hours spent at the Csomay Center. ... marketing and communication, quality and safety, evidence-based ...