Case studies are the best kept secret of marketing. Edtech professionals don’t often mention them while discussing marketing collateral, but they should!
Yesterday, I read an article in the Economist about how edtech is more effective when it helps teachers vs. tries to replace them. The race wasn’t even close. Then I read a piece from dot.LA about the boom of edtech tools used during the pandemic. The article juxtaposes that with the silence around missing evidence that these tools actually improve student learning. The following quote was particularly telling:
“”If you’re saying you’re going to improve a students’ ability to do math skills. It is important to see that there’s some evidence with that — and that can be difficult to measure,” Green said. “Should investors be concerned about that? Of course.””
In my opinion, case studies address this issue directly. Additionally, they offer the best value for the investment. They provide the most information to customers (specifically B2B companies), compared to more popular marketing tools like blog posts. They also show the effectiveness of your product in action using storytelling. Case studies really show your customers that you know them.
Here are 5 reasons why you need case studies now to boost your marketing efforts. But first…
What are case studies?
I like this definition from SWZD:
A case study is a detailed storytelling piece, showcasing what pain points and problems a customer faced, and how a company helped alleviate those pain points. Case studies show what solutions they used to address the customer’s problems, and the business impact of solving those problems. Case studies are filled with research and stats to back up the solutions offered, and present detailed results and findings.
In other words, case studies are compelling stories filled with research. They provide detailed information about customer problems and company solutions.
Sometimes, people use case studies interchangeably with success stories. However, case studies are not testimonials nor are they reviews. The main difference among all of them is that case studies include research while reviews and testimonials do not.
Why are case studies important?
Case studies demonstrate how well you know your customer’s problems and can resolve them. Businesses use them often to help other businesses make buying decisions (in their favour). Additionally, case studies are evergreen. This means that you can use them over and over again in ways that benefit your bottom line. Most importantly, they’re stories with purpose. Yes, some can read as boring advertisements with facts and research. But the best ones are compelling, insightful, relatable stories that centre the customer.
Why do I need case studies?
#1: Provide social proof to your customers
In the digital technology age, people always want proof of whatever company’s claim. In fact, 92% of consumers will trust nonpaid recommendations over any kind of advertising. Generally speaking, your customers often look to other customers to influence their own buying decisions. This is what social proof is.
In the education technology space, teachers and students (i.e., end users), are not usually the buyers of the products. It’s usually school administrations. So if there are positive product reviews from teachers and students, school administrators have an easier time making decisions. However, reviews and testimonials alone are not often enough. They can’t be verified for sure and they don’t necessarily show quantifiable real life results.
Case studies offer the credibility and evidence for your customers to make informed buying decisions. They provide the value of your product(s) upfront because they provide concrete proof about:
- Customer problems
- Company solutions
- Product(s) effectiveness
- Product(s) value
Social proof make the strongest case for case studies. It lets your customers know that your brand is worth investing in.
For instance, DreamBox Learning has a case study that demonstrates this. It explains how the company helped close the learning gap of math students in Fort Wayne, Indiana. DreamBox Learning supported the professional development of educators and provided students with more personalized learning opportunities. This shows other school districts with learning gaps amongst students that DreamBox Learning is a company worth consulting with.
#2: Demonstrate how you solve your customers’ problems
Unlike reviews and testimonials, case studies explain problems and solutions in detail. Most importantly, they explain why a solution was chosen. The “why” is especially important. It shows customers that, using thorough research, your products can solve problems.
In the education technology space, this looks like using qualitative and quantitative data to substantiate the “why”. For example, Remind uses case studies to show how it can improve parents communication. They also explain why using different ways of gathering information from parents. That shows other school administrations what’s possible at their own schools.
#3: Tell powerful stories about the customer experience
Case studies give you the opportunity to tell more compelling stories. Aside from strong visuals, you can include qualitative and quantitative data, customer quotes and relatable anecdotes. For example, Edsby has a case study about Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board’s search for a learning management system. They provide:
- Executive summary
- Background information
- Quotes and stories from school administrators and senior staff
- Solutions
- Results
This case study tells other school administrations how detail-oriented Edsby is.
What I like the most about this case study is that it is not short. Edsby takes its time explaining things, including all the ups and downs. This approach would be very reassuring to school districts considering the same kind of decision.
#4: Boost your lead generation
Case studies are usually consulted while customers are considering purchases. This is why it’s so important to make them relatable and customer focused. That demonstrates that you know your target audience and what they want. It becomes much easier to identify what kinds of problems and solutions they’re interested in to begin with.
For example, if you have your case study on a landing page, you’re able to consistently gain customer insight. Using web metrics, you can create more relevance case studies, which can increase your conversion rate. Unfortunately, reviews and testimonials don’t necessarily provide those same kinds of metrics. They’re usually hosted all on one page and offer limited opportunities for engagement.
#5: Build your brand authority
Unlike testimonials and reviews, case studies are based on research. Since the education technology space is mostly business-to-business transactions, case studies can really work in your favour. Since case studies are often consulted while considering purchases, a lot of businesses are looking at them.
If your edtech company regularly publishes case studies, your company would be well on its way to establishing thought leadership. Additionally, the education technology space continues to grow at a rapid pace. It’s very easy for both new and established companies to get lost among bigger ones. Regular offerings to your customers gives your company a huge chance at standing out and building a loyal customer base.
Bonus: repurpose your content
I completely understand: many EdTech companies have limited marketing budgets. Additionally, it takes a long time to make marketing material, contrary to popular belief. But case studies are worth the time and money investment, trust me. Why? They offer many opportunities to repurpose and repackage content. This will save you time and money figuring out ideas and filling up your content calendar.
For example, if you have a case study about how your edtech product increased graduation rates at a school, you could repurpose some of that content to put into a newsletter as an update for your customers. Similarly, you could use some of those quotes to make infographics about why your product works. You could even use the problem outlined in the case study to make a blog post about graduation rates as an overlooked metric in the education technology industry. Better yet, interview one of your customers and let them tell their story on a podcast!
Conclusion
Case study content is simply research. With research you can pretty much go anywhere.
But I’m not going to lie to you: case studies are not easy to create. They take weeks of research, a lot of time and maybe a lot of money. Unfortunately, there are a lot of testimonials and blog posts passing as case studies. If you want yours done right, understand that it takes time.
Furthermore, case studies are just one part of the marketing puzzle. Case studies should be created in tandem with other marketing efforts such as email marketing, blog posts, white papers, social media engagements and more. Despite this, case studies are a good start to your company’s communications journey.
I hope this piece was helpful to you and includes information you can use right away.
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