How to Use Case Studies to Show the Value of your SaaS

What’s one of the first things you check when you find a product on Amazon? Stars and reviews. What do you check for on a social profile? Likes and followers. As consumers of just about anything, we look for validation of others to guide us in the right direction of making a decision - especially a purchasing decision. It’s the same for potential customers coming to your SaaS website. Making a decision to start using a new tool with their team is one of both time and money. They want to know your product was worth it for others. 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review. One of the first things they’re going to look for is case studies.

Here’s how your team can leverage case studies to show the value of your product to customers:

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1. Find the right promoters to be your case study
2. Diversify case studies across your target industries
3. Write case studies in an interesting, digestible way
4. Present case studies where they matter in the buying process
5. Use case studies over and over again
6. Add CTAs and make sure next steps are clear

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[anchor id="find-the-right-promoters-to-be-your-case-study"]Find the right promoters to be your case study.

When we did our first case study for Beamer, our team sought out our most engaged customers. To have a strong case study, you need a supportive customer. Another way of finding your ideal case study customers through NPS. Your NPS score helps you identify your “Promoters”. Promoters are users of yours that are highly engaged and happy with your product. So happy, they’re highly likely to share your product with peers. The term comes from NPS or Net Promoter Score. Your NPS is a score of how likely your users are to recommend you. You figure that out by surveying customers and asking them to rate your product 1-10. can easily install Beamer’s NPS tool to do that. It’s a great way to find out who your promoters are. Once you know, you can ask if your team can write a case study and get a few stats and quotes from them to create a compelling case. Learn more about how you can use NPS to increase growth for your SaaS.

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[anchor id="diversify-case-studies-across-your-target-industries"]Diversify case studies across your target industries.

Imagine if you were looking for a new laptop. What kind of reviews would you check? Well, it would depend...This is why you have to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. You want to cover all potential users you are selling to when you present case studies. For example, if your focus is eCommerce, marketplaces, and retailers, you will want a case study from each. Better yet, try to secure case studies for “lighthouse logos” or brands with a name that is instantly recognizable by other potential customers. Clout has real value in sales. With various industries, you’ll want the style and focus to be tailored for those potential customers as well. Use stats that pertain to that type of user or business. Use jargon that is relevant to their work. Try to focus on the specific ways that your product has helped out that customer and their work so that other potential customers in the same segment can relate.

[anchor id="write-case-studies-in-an-interesting-digestible-way"]Write case studies in an interesting, digestible way.

No one wants a 6 page PDF they have to enter their email to download. Make case studies easily accessible and easy to read. A short page on your site will do. They should be visually interesting with photos, screenshots, GIFs, or videos if possible. Something that I value about case studies is stats. These are really important for users especially if you can directly tie your product to value driven. Text should be kept to a minimum with a focus on the words of your customer - they hold much more weight than yours!

Here’s what should be clear and visible in your case study:

• Stats - real numbers
• Quotes from customers
• Usage examples that potential customers can relate to

[anchor id="present-case-studies-where-they-matter-in-the-buying-process"]Present case studies where they matter in the buying process.

Your case studies don’t matter if they’re never seen. They should be displayed prominently on your site but also throughout your sales process. Whenever users come into your site, there should be a clear way to see your product’s success. For example, if you really focus on content, include links to your case studies in your blogs. When you do outreach, link to your case studies. Your customer’s words are powerful. On your homepage, have clear CTAs and compelling data or quotes from your case studies. The success of your product and viability will sell itself. Present logos of clients where you can on your homepage and other pages. There’s something about seeing validity from other companies that makes your product look legitimate and communicates value right away.

[anchor id="use-case-studies-over-and-over-again"]Use case studies over and over again.

We touched a little bit on this but case studies should not just be a simple page on your site that you hope customers happen to get to. You want to make case studies living, in a way. They should serve more purpose outside your website.

You can “breakdown” case studies and use them in different ways:

• take quotes and stats from your case studies and use them on social media
• use case studies in emails
• add parts of case studies to blogs to bring users further into your site

You can also share case studies as an update on your site and in your app with Beamer. Beamer is a changelog that sits within your app or your website. You can share updates with users or potential customers on your Beamer feed. All they have to do is click an icon in your interface or a “What’s New” tab in your nav to open the Beamer feed. You can share parts of your case study as an interesting, engaging Beamer update.

You can share:

• Stats
• Quotes
• Customer testimonial videos
• Examples of how customers are using your product

You can use this to sell new customers and upsell current customers. You can enable segmentation of your update so that only new or freemium customers see case studies to not bother paying customers.

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[anchor id="add-ctas-and-make-sure-next-steps-are-clear"]Add CTAs and make sure next steps are clear.

Your case studies should inspire action. Make it clear what customers are to do next with CTAs and next steps clearly outlined. Push them to a further point within your sales process. Ask them to schedule a demo at the bottom of your case study. Invite them to sign up for a free trial. You can create specified pop ups for customers leaving case study pages to “catch” them so you can reengage or offer to take them to the next step. You want your case studies to be actionable. Multiple CTAs are also helpful in boosting engagement and ensuring that customers don’t just bounce out. The words and results of your current users is probably your most powerful marketing and sales tool. Case studies really help you summarize and package that value. By leveraging them correctly and giving them visibility, your product can sell itself.

For an easy way to share information like case studies with users and site visitors, try Beamer.