This is often the biggest stumbling block. Your clients are busy and/or apprehensive about sharing their story with your audience.
Here’s how you can make it easier for them:
- Point out the case study can benefit them as well since you’ll be promoting it to your audience (let them know size) and that you’ll be linking back to their site.
- Acknowledge concerns they may have about sharing sensitive information. Explain that instead of expressing client results in raw numbers, you’ll use growth percentages which tell the story without compromising confidentiality.
- Let them know they’ll have final sign off on anything you publish that uses their name.
- Provide examples of case studies your company or another has published about similar companies so they understand what you have in mind.
- For those worried about how much of their time will be required, tell them you need between 30 minutes and an hour for a phone interview, and explain your interview process so they know what to expect.
After all this, they may still be unpersuaded.
In that case, figure out what the stumbling block is.
If it’s time, maybe all you can do is get sign off on a quote you write for them. Including that with a case study you draft and submit for their approval minimizes their investment without reducing the power of the story.
And if getting sign off on the case study proves fruitless, their brief testimonial would still be powerful. Use it elsewhere in your marketing materials.
If the stumbling block is sharing sensitive information, you can write a case study that keeps your client anonymous. Downside is you lose the persuasion of social proof.
But the upside is that the prospects your solution can best help are quite interested in how the project came together – even if it’s anonymous. They want to learn about strategy and process, plus the hurdles and how your team cleared them.
By providing details of a real world example, you’re still helping buyers see connections between their challenge and another company’s and how your product could be useful.
Another strategy is to tap an individual at your client who is willing to go to bat for your case study project.
Ready for next steps? Click here to find a list of interview questions.