Bragging is human nature – it’s in our blood. We all like to brag about ourselves, about our accomplishments, giving ourselves the proverbial pat on the back. Even if someone says that they don’t like to brag about themselves – let’s be real, they totally like to brag. And, hey, I’ll even admit it. I like to brag!
We even like to brag about our businesses, especially in our industry where we focus so much on the service side of things. To our potential customers, we might say something along the lines of: “Oh, we’ve got fantastic turnaround!” or “we ship really fast!” That’s great, and it’s definitely a way to build a relationship and confidence with your potential client. Sometimes, though, we forget to talk about the value that our products bring to our customers.
So, how do we do that? With a case study, of course!
Case studies are a great opportunity to tell a story about our products and what they’ve done to help solve problems that many people face when marketing their own business. What’s great about them is that they can be as in-depth as you want, or they can just scrape the surface. You can make them about a specific field of business – like hospitals, schools, or universities, related to a specific thing like vaccines or tech, or even just highlighting one product that you know has been a success.
How do you even write one, to begin with? What’s the formatting?
Let’s come up with an example solution and break it down. Let’s say that one of your customers has had success with the golf towels they ordered for a big, local golf tournament that they sponsored. To write your case study you’re going to want to break down that story into three sections: the problem, the solution, the return of investment. It might look something like this:
- Problem: The client is sponsoring a golf tournament; they want to get their name in front of the players in a more nontraditional way instead of just a banner or a hole sponsorship. They wanted something tangible that the players could use for a while, even after the tournament was over.
- Solution: You and your customer produced golf towels in a bright color that the players could use on the green! You chose a specific product that would be able to clip to their golf bags and was heavy duty so the players could use it later or take it home with them as a souvenir. You were able to decorate the towels with your customer’s logo and they would be able to pass them out at the beginning of the tournament.
- Return of Investment: Your customer reported a noticeable return of investment and an influx of business in the weeks and months following the tournament. Every time the players used the towel, they were able to associate it with your customer’s logo. The next time they needed something that your customer specialized in, they would remember the towel.
See? Easy peasy!
When you’re writing it, make sure to keep it short and to the point, meaning don’t get too long-winded. Don’t worry about describing the product in great detail– we’re not trying to be George R.R. Martin using three pages to describe Oberyn Martell’s feast in A Song of Ice and Fire. Post a picture of the product instead! You’ll be able to show potential customers what you can do for them, and they might even get an idea for their own business or event. Keep each of your sections to about a paragraph too. We don’t need the background of your customer’s company or a breakdown of their complete numbers for return of investment. Just enough to get the point across that promotional products work.
As always, make sure to check your grammar and spelling, too! Make sure that you’ve got all your commas in the right place and your spelling is spelling bee-worthy!
Now that you’ve written it, where do you even post it? You can post it on your website in the form of a blog and link it out on your social media. You could email blast it to your customers! Take a deep breath, you’ve got this. Happy writing!
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