A recent report has cited case studies as the most effective content format. Findings from the Content Marketing Benchmarking Report published in B2BMarketing.net reveal that 66 percent of B2B marketers from a sample of 122 say producing case studies are the most effective means of attracting their target audiences.

While 32 percent say that case studies are “quite effective,” the number presents no significant counterweight to the majority of B2B marketers that say they are “very effective,” implying that these content forms are highly reliable.

And it’s easy to see why.

An article from AndersPink.com summarizes the intrinsic value of case studies to companies in their B2B lead generation.

Credibility

The first thing a case study does is to establish your credibility. It provides evidence of how your product or service has been selected and used by real clients. The fact client companies not only use you but are happy to be quoted as a case study reinforces this credibility. At Kineo our case studies include Nikon, Warner Bros and McDonald’s. These immediately help establish our credibility with potential new clients. This is further reinforced if you can include client quotes.

Evidence

Case studies provide evidence about the effectiveness of your product or solution. Ideally they will provide data about the results you have achieved. They are your success stories. Potential clients will have to justify their decision to buy your product or service. By providing evidence through case studies you can help make their lives easy, make them feel secure and help them assemble the evidence they need.

Stories

Case studies provide a narrative structure with a beginning, a middle and an end. They are a short story and stories are one of the best ways to engage people.

Guides and tips

Good case studies are not simply sales collateral, they are something from which lessons can be learnt. People are always keen to learn from what others are doing and you can provide key takeaways or lessons that can be learnt from your case studies.

Unique content

A case study is unique to you. It is the story of how you have worked with a client to deliver results. Thus a case study is one thing a competitor cannot easily copy.

Reusable content

Case studies can work equally well as an article, a video interview, top tips or a slideshare. Thus one case study can generate a range of useful content for your content marketing.

See how we make our own case studies. Feel free to click here and rummage through our collection of industry-specific literature.