Building a case study strategy: 8 ways to use case studies to drive more B2B sales

We all know that case studies are valuable resources for driving B2B sales. Through case study writing, businesses can provide concrete evidence of how their product or service has benefited other companies. They can also be a powerful tool to boost your sales. But are you utilizing them to their full potential? There are countless ways to repurpose case studies to squeeze the most “juice” out of them. 

Let’s explore 8 creative ways to use case studies to support your B2B tech sales — and look at some examples to see how to implement them.

1. Create an online case study library

Building a dedicated online library for your case studies makes it easier for potential customers to access and browse through them. It sounds fancy, but it’s essentially a page on your website that showcases a list of all your case studies. Like a blog home page, but for your case studies. Organize your library by industry or solution type, making it easy for prospects to find relevant success stories. 

Take Salesforce as an example: they have an extensive case study library categorized by industry, product, and location. This makes it simple for potential customers to find relevant information. After completing your case study writing, add a page to your website to create an online library that displays them. This also gives you a central page to link to in marketing campaigns and for your sales reps to send to prospects.

2. Use case studies in sales pitches

Incorporate case studies into your sales pitches to illustrate the benefits of your product or service. Choose case studies that are relevant to your prospect’s industry or pain points, and use them to emphasize how your solution can address their specific needs. You can provide an overview of the customer’s success in a single slide of your pitch deck, and then have the full case study available for anyone interested to read after the presentation.

Say a SaaS company is pitching to a financial institution. The sales representative might bring up a case study about how their software helped a similar organization streamline its compliance processes. After the pitch, the rep emails the full case study to the prospect as an easy follow-up.

3. Craft engaging social media content

B2B decision makers are on social media, which means you should be too. Recent research shows that 70% of Fortune 500 CEOs have a social media account on at least one platform. Which makes factoring social media into your case study strategy all the more important. Share case studies on social media to showcase your success and reach a wider audience. Turn key statistics or quotes into eye-catching visuals or create short video testimonials to grab attention. 

Before diving into social post creation, though, make sure to identify the right social media platform for your target audience. For a B2B audience, LinkedIn can be incredibly effective. Start by creating a LinkedIn post highlighting a recent case study with a quote from a satisfied customer. Make sure to add an engaging image that grabs attention and showcases the results achieved.

4. Feature case studies in email marketing campaigns

As part of your case study strategy, include case studies in your email marketing campaigns to help nurture leads that are aware of your solution but haven’t yet purchased. Send targeted emails to prospects in specific industries or with particular pain points, sharing relevant success stories. 

If you’re targeting e-commerce businesses, you could develop an email campaign and include a case study about how your platform helped an online retailer increase sales and reduce cart abandonment rates. This type of content leverages the storytelling power of case study writing to position your product as the ideal solution to their challenges.

5. Turn case studies into webinars or podcasts

You can repurpose your case studies into webinars or podcasts featuring in-depth discussions with satisfied customers. This allows prospects to hear firsthand how your solution has benefitted current or past clients. It also positions your company as a thought leader in the industry.

A project management software company could host a webinar where they interview a customer about their experience using the platform that walks through their use case and shares tricks for improving team collaboration and productivity. The audience gets a firsthand review of your product, while seeing how they can make it work for their own companies.

6. Develop in-depth white papers or ebooks

White papers are usually in-depth reports that provide detailed information, data, and statistics around a certain topic. Say you’re creating a white paper that demonstrates the ROI of your product after using it for a year. You can combine details from multiple case studies into a comprehensive paper that highlights the results of multiple customers, and even combines their data to give a more holistic glimpse into the impact of your product on your customer base. 

If you’re trying to reach businesses struggling to optimize their marketing strategies and increase their ROI, for example, you can create an ebook compiling case studies of how your AI-driven marketing platform has driven results for past clients — giving concrete social proof about how your software solves their pain points. 
Ebooks and white papers are worth the effort. Wondering where to start with white papers? We created a guide to help you develop a winning white paper format.

7. Build case studies into your blog content

Take advantage of the power of blogging and weave case studies into relevant blog posts. This will provide real-world examples and reinforce the value of your product or service. Using case studies this way builds your credibility and enhances the persuasive power of your content. (Check out the benefits of blog writing for your business). 

Here’s an example of how to do it: Say you developed software that reduced lead times and improved inventory control for a manufacturing company. In a blog article discussing the benefits of data analytics for supply chain management, you can include a paragraph summarizing their results and linking to the full case study.

8. Use case studies at industry events or conferences

Highlight the results from case studies during presentations and panel discussions. People often find it helpful to hear the outcomes of your work to understand your offering better. Condense it down the main points: problem, solution, results — and bring in data wherever possible. By referencing your customers’ successes, you can help position your company as an industry leader and demonstrate the tangible benefits of your solution.

In a presentation at a cybersecurity conference, a company’s executive might incorporate the story of how their security software helped a healthcare provider protect sensitive patient data in compliance with HIPAA regulations. Think about what kinds of events you can start sharing your client’s success stories as part of your case study strategy.

Build momentum with case study writing

Case study writing is the first step in building an effective case study strategy. Follow these 8 tips for repurposing and using the stories from your case studies across different channels and media. And if you don’t have the in-house resources to write your case studies, our team is here to help.