Case studies, also known as customer stories, are valuable content assets for attracting new customers and showing your expertise in a competitive market.
The more case studies you have, the simpler it gets for your customers to make decisions.
How?
Case studies provide a firsthand experience of what it’s like to use your product or service, and it can give an “Aha!” moment to potential customers.
While product demos and white papers are great for generating leads, their use is limited to highlighting product features.
On the other hand, case studies showcase the transformation a business has undergone while using your product.
A case study offers potential customers a glimpse of the positive changes they can expect, which is more compelling than simply showcasing your product or service’s excellence.
💡 Tips
- Customer mission should be given at the beginning
- Follow up about specifics and metrics
- Use quotes from their side to highlight
- Work out the biggest benefits of your offering and make reference to them
- Make sure your success story follows a brief and logical story structure
In this article, we’ll review 10 examples of outstanding case studies that have collectively helped secure millions in new client business. Let’s get started.
What Is A Case Study?
In simple terms, a case study highlights how a product or service has helped a business solve a problem, achieve a goal, or make its operations easier.
In many ways, it’s a glorified and stretched-out client testimonial that introduces you to the problem that the customer is facing and the solution that the product has helped deliver.
Case studies are invaluable assets for B2B SaaS, where sales cycles tend to get lengthy and costly. They’re a one-time investment that showcases your product’s features and benefits in rooms your sales team can’t be in.
What Makes A Good Case Study?
There is no one-size-fits approach to a good case study.
Some case studies work better as long, prose-forward, and story-driven blog posts. Whereas some are better as quick and fast-fact content that doesn’t add to the chatter but gets straight to the point.
Here are some of the tenets of good case studies:
- Product-Led: Focuses on showcasing the product as the solution to a specific problem or challenge.
- Timely: Addresses the current issues or trends relevant to the business’s ideal customer profile (ICP).
- Well-structured: Follows a clear, organized format with easily digestible writing style and synthesis.
- Story-driven: Tells a compelling and relatable story that puts the reader in the customer’s shoes.
Case studies must tell the customer’s story regardless of style or content density.
Other than that, visuals in case studies are powerful in increasing conversion rates, by providing real evidence and taking attention.
Companies can also use their website, social media, and newsletters to promote case studies and increase visibility.
Below, we have ten diverse case study examples that embody these principles.
B2B Case Study Template from Our Team
We will share great and proven B2B case study examples that you can get inspired by in the following section, but before that, let’s take a look at an easy and effective template from our team.
10 Best B2B Case Study Examples To Take Inspiration From
1. Plaid
Plaid is a fintech company specializing in equipping users with a secure platform to connect their bank details to online applications. Addressing the pressing concern of financial security, Plaid leverages compelling case studies to showcase the remarkable transformations their clients experience.
Take Plaid’s case study of Betterment, for example.
The study begins by stating the goal that the customer is trying to achieve, which is to “onboard new users and drive engagement.” Right next to the goal is company details, and followed below is a singular problem and its solution.
The case study continues by keeping the business’ desired result front and center and offers a generous outlook on the SaaS business.
The core process of how Plaid helps Betterment is cleanly laid out, which is a brief version of a ten-page white paper.
What follows are several benefits that Plaid offered to Betterment.
Plaid’s subtle yet effective product integration and clear, well-organized process make it simple for customers facing similar challenges to envision the solution.
2. SalesHandy
SalesHandy is an email automation software that personalizes high-volume cold emails. The company heroes client success stories for its case studies and opens the heading with their wins.
Check out this B2B case study example from Sedin’s case study published by SalesHandy.
Readers need context, and case studies should always begin by outlining the exact problems their product or platform aims to solve.
Here, SalesHandy expertly introduces us to Sedin’s use case and the challenges that the business is facing.
After a lengthy context, the case study highlights Sedin’s core challenge in the words of its personnel.
This personable approach ropes readers in and lets them empathize with Sedin’s challenges.
With a single scroll in, SalesHandy lays out the solutions to Sedin’s core challenges and integrates its product.
This highly detailed case study covers all corners and includes the exceptional results achieved in record time. SalesHandy closes the study with a word from the character already introduced to the readers.
SalesHandy doesn’t shy away from giving a detailed account of its process, which is crucial for highly technical products and enterprise packages that involve multiple decision-makers.
3. Playvox
B2B Case studies, first and foremost, should be written in a language that your ICP understands.
Playvox is a customer service platform that helps businesses streamline business operations.
This industry-specific case study of Sweaty Betty by Playvox addresses unique challenges within a niche industry, such as account assessment times for retail and online shops.
The case study starts with the results it achieved for Sweaty Betty.
The case study follows a straightforward, albeit impactful, challenges-solution-results format as we scroll down.
But instead of listing out solutions in bullet points, Playvox uses customer voice to present the transformation that Sweaty Betty went through.
With this formatting, Playvox doesn’t have to tout the platform’s usefulness. Sweaty Betty is doing it for them.
4. Base Search Marketing
We promised diverse case studies, and here is a stellar B2B case study example of a single deck case study of Shine Cosmetics by Base Search Marketing.
Base Search Marketing is a boutique link-building and SEO agency that works with startups and mid-level businesses.
This case study, which can be reviewed as a brochure, gives you an overview of the customer and lays out the challenges that the business is facing.
You’ll notice how the study uses the CEO’s quote to mention a pretty universal problem that most startups face: “limited resources.”
By highlighting the results in the left tab and laying out the process on the right side, this case study does a masterful job of covering all corners and telling a desirable customer success story.
5. Loganix
Another approachable form of case study is slide decks, which you can present in boardrooms and meetings and act as a sales pitch.
Loganix nails it with its case study deck for rankings.io.
If you have a complicated product or service requiring an in-depth explanation, then using this format would be a great option.
The solution, stated in simple bullet points, drives the message home.
Fewer words. Cleaner decks.
Using this methodology lets the audience walk through the case study with visuals, bullet points, and concise text.
6. CoSchedule
CoSchedule is a SaaS leader in the social media space, and this Outcome-led Case Study proves just why it is so good at capturing the markets.
The study kicks off with a result-forward headline, piquing the interest of readers who are interested in getting similar outcomes.
There’s much to appreciate in this succinctly written case study, but the headlines get our attention and hold it.
With every scroll, results are presented to you in the form of graphs, quotes, and visuals.
The study ends with a quote from the customer, which repeats the outcome stated in the headline.
Leading remote teams is a challenge that numerous teams will face moving forward. CoSchedule makes operations easy for these teams, and it doesn’t shy away from stating just how through its case study.
7. Wizehire
Case studies have evolved from lengthy blocks of text confined to PDFs to a new digital era emphasizing impact over verbosity.
Wizehire’s succinct case study is a prime example of this shift. It uses fewer words to create a powerful impression.
From the very first page, the case study introduces us to Kris, the customer and central figure of the story. Without the need for extensive scrolling, we quickly grasp vital details about Kris: his role, employee turnover, location, and industry.
In the second slide, we are immediately taken to the solution that Kris got by working with Wizehire.
The case study ends with a passionate testimonial from Kris, who deeply believes in Wizehire.
The case study has less than 300 words, enough for local entrepreneurs like Kris Morales, who want to hire talent but don’t have the resources for proper vetting and training. Until, of course, Wizehire comes along.
8. FreshBooks
When a reader can see themselves in a case study, it takes them one step closer to wanting to try the product.
This case study by Freshbooks uses a beautiful personal story of an emerging entrepreneur.
Using a deeply personal story, the study appeals to people who are just starting and aren’t accountants but suddenly have to deal with employee invoices and a dozen other bills.
The text progresses in an interview-style study, with the customer taking the mic and illustrating the challenges that startups and small businesses face.
This style works because readers crave insights directly from customers. Getting authentic testimonials is becoming increasingly challenging. Well-crafted case studies can be valuable substitutes, provided they seem realistic and from the heart.
9. Slack
Featuring quotes or testimonials from satisfied customers throughout the case study adds to its credibility and authenticity. Just like this testimonial Case Study by Slack.
Slack is a giant in the realm of digital communication, with more than 20 million active users worldwide. However, it is tough to break into the market of group communications. After all, Slack competes with both WhatsApp and Microsoft Team regarding market share.
To level the playing field, Slack features case studies from top entrepreneurs and market players who have been served well by it.
Its case studies are laden with personal stories about how the platform boosts productivity.
At the same time, the software also plugs in the “try for free” banner to make sure that customers are aware of the inexpensive nature of the software.
It’s not easy to get such detailed testimonies from the C-suite, but when you’re Slack, businesses tend to make an exception.
10. Kosli
Some case studies are based on highly niche subjects, where nothing is at the top of the funnel. Kosli nails it with this highly technical case study of Firi.
Technical case studies are designed for niche audiences who are already aware of the problems that the software can solve. Case studies like these are clean and smart and come with solutions that have a counterpart solution.
There is absolutely no fluff and nothing that can be a reason for C-suite executives to bounce from.
It’s full of information-packed pages designed to hook the reader in and present the tool as a formidable solution to their problem.
You’ll notice how they weave Kosli through the entire case study, and the first-person report comes from the customer.
B2B Case Study Examples In Short
In the B2B SaaS industry, converting new leads and securing new business has become increasingly challenging. In this landscape, impactful content assets such as case studies and customer stories are sometimes the only things moving the needle.
Crafting a compelling customer story empowers brands to enable potential customers to engage directly.
🚀 Customer stories evoke empathy from buyers
🤝 Customer stories help build up your relationships with vocal brand advocates
⬇️ Customer stories lower your prospects’ information cost
Once you’ve determined the most effective way to convey information that resonates with your leads, you can collaborate with your content and design teams to create impactful case studies to generate new business and prove your expertise and experience in the market.