86,552 Views of a Single Case Study
For those who doubt the draw of a customer case study online, here’s your proof.
One Microsoft case study, posted online just four months ago, has racked up 86,552 total views.
Listed among its most viewed case studies, the Outback Steakhouse case study describes how the restaurant chain used a Microsoft solution for a Facebook campaign.
Other cases in the "Most Viewed" tab have more than 50,000 views. (On each online case study, Microsoft actually lists the number of total views.)
That many eyeballs should be a clear case to companies that case studies and success stories shouldn’t just be online somewhere; but they should be prominently displayed and easy to find.
Here are a few tips for organizing your case studies online for maximum exposure:
Tease them on the home page
How-to stories about other companies’ success with your solution is a top draw for prospects.
Feature a case study somewhere on your home page or devote a space to scrolling teasers for several case studies.
Include them with product information
Anywhere that you talk about specific solutions, feature a case study right there that shows that product or service in action.
Make them easy to find!
Allow site visitors to search or browse case studies by industry, product or other categories that might matter to them, such as business need.
Check out Microsoft’s page for ideas.
Include a Retweet button
Make it easy to share your content on social networking sites like Twitter. Include a Retweet button or other social media sharing icons.
The most important rule: Don’t let valuable customer stories go to waste! Leverage that content anytime and anywhere that you talk about the value of your products and services.
Share your own examples of companies that organize their stories well online.
Your Customer’s Giant Logo on Your Home Page?
I'm always on the lookout for examples of using customer stories creatively and with impact.
Acsys, Inc. achieves both on its Web site. The award-winning, full-service interactive agency provides strategy, branding, design, eMarketing, software development, and hosting services to companies like Swiss Army, Northrup Grumman and GE Capital.
On its home page, Acsys features a client very prominently as the "lead" for the entire page--with the highlighted customer changing each time you visit. It displays the featured client's logo or related image hugely across much of the length of the page--a giant Swiss Army knife, a big, bold Timex watch, and a massive molecule for a chemical company.
Then a prominent headline hints at the idea behind the client's story, before giving you a chance to read the full case study.
It's attractive and engaging, and client results are clearly the focus on the home page and throughout the site as Acsys describes its services. It's kind of unorthodox, but it succeeds in associating Acsys with each client's success.
Sure, Acsys is a design, branding and eMarketing firm, so it's very visually oriented. But any company can feature its customer results and success in this way.
Check it out and be inspired. And please send me your own favorite examples of creative uses of customer case studies and success stories!
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