Business advertising

Do you accomplish what you set out to do for your customers? Do you provide more value than your competitors? Are you genuinely proud of what you do?
Most business owners and executives respond with an enthusiastic "Yes!" to those questions. But then I read their brochures, ads and websites, and I'm puzzled. If they're so convinced that they're the best around, why are those brochures, ads and websites crammed full of empty, meaningless platitudes?
If your company is the real deal, prove it. And one of the most effective ways to do that is through a simple yet powerful tool called the case study. In simple terms, a case study is telling the world what you did for someone, how you did it, why you did it that way, and what the results were.
When it comes to setting yourself apart, few tactics are as effective as real-world examples of what you've done. Explaining how your expertise or products helped someone else achieve goals or reduce stress connects with your audience. And if the company being profiled in the case study is widely known or well-respected, you'll bask in the glow of their reputation.
Case studies are compelling, powerful, and versatile. Your ads can make some vague promise that your veeblefetzers increase profits by allowing customers to core more radishes. Or, Joe Schmoe at Perky Produce can describe how they helped his company core 42 percent more radishes per hour with a 16 percent lower labor cost. That's positive, believable proof, rather than hype.
Your brochures, website and newsletters are great places for case studies. People like to read about the challenges others face. Case studies in email newsletters can include links to your customers' websites, which is a nice way of saying that you're proud to do business with them.
One of the best ways to use case studies is in trade magazine articles. Most editors hunger for meaningful stories that will help readers. Provide an article describing how a major radish processor boosted profitability, and you've helped fill their pages at no cost to them. By publishing your story, the publication lends third-party credibility to your message – and you can use reprints in your marketing efforts.
Worried that customers or clients won't want to share their stories? Most will actually be complimented. In fact, the biggest impediment to creating successful case studies isn't hesitant customers. It's time. Asking staff members whose plates are already full to create case studies is a recipe for inaction. Even if people do have time, it's easy for case studies to get shoved farther down the to-do list.
That's why it pays to set up an ongoing program that's built upon a schedule with firm due dates – and why you may want to consider outsourcing your program to a PR firm or a writer.
If you've got a case, prove it, and you just might find that the case you already have will grow into even bigger ones.