Overcoming 8 Common Challenges to Creating B2B Case Studies

As a content marketer, I've created and published content in a wide range of formats, shapes, and sizes. Written case studies, in my experience, have been among the most challenging—for many reasons, which I'll explore in depth below.

Case studies can be a valuable sales enablement asset for any company or organization. They equip your sales team with specific examples of how your product or service has helped your customers, and they can serve as a key marketing touchpoint in the buyer journey. Ideally, you'll distribute your case study via social media and other channels. (I'll dive deeper into content distribution in a separate blog post.)

In my time creating case studies as a content marketer, I've encountered several obstacles along the way. Here's a list of the ones that come to mind—and how I overcame them. (These insights apply to those publishing written customer stories, though marketers publishing video case studies may also find them useful.)

Challenge #1: Finding the right customer to feature

Solution: Weigh customer outcomes and brand loyalty.

The first step to creating a B2B case study is, unsurprisingly, finding a great case study participant. When deciding who to showcase, I recommend looking at customer outcomes and exploring your existing data. Did a specific customer see a rapid increase in sales, for instance, and directly tie these results to your product or service?

You'll also want to consider a customer's enthusiasm for your brand. Do they consistently rave about your product? Have they recommended it to others? Along with great outcomes, select a customer who can add some emotion to your case study. Ideally, they can share how your product or service impacts their day-to-day work and why they feel so positively about your brand.

Challenge #2: Fear of burdening your customer

Solution: Choose one internal point of contact from your company.

You don't want to overwhelm your customer with your request. I recommend selecting one internal point-of-contact from your company to reach out and solidify their participation in the project. Ideally, this point-of-contact (e.g., a member of your sales team) already interacts with the customer regularly. A familiar face and name can go a long way in quelling any initial hesitation.

Solution: Clarify the time commitment upfront.

Be specific about what a customer's participation would look like and how much time they'll need to devote to the project. They may, for example, need to spend roughly 30-45 minutes on a Zoom call. From there, you can adjust your process to meet their needs.

Challenge #3: Finding the right contact to interview

Solution: Leverage existing internal relationships.

Remember that internal point-of-contact from your organization who already has a relationship with your customer? Spend some time picking that person's brain. Ask questions like:

• Which stakeholders within your organization do they work with a regular basis?

• Who is the "decision-maker" or key persona it would make sense to feature?

• Who specifically is using the product, day in and day out?

Once you know this information, you can identify who to contact and interview. Depending on your needs, you may interview one key player or multiple. Including key voices in the case study is essential to success.

Challenge #4: Getting customers on board with your project

Solution: Explain what's in it for them.

Customers may be hesitant to participate for many different reasons. They don't have the time. They're nervous about the final asset. They need to get input from their marketing team.

A great solution here is to explain what they (and not just you) will get out of the case study. For your business, the desired outcome is obvious: showcasing customer outcomes to get more customers. For them, a case study can be a great way to highlight the great work they're doing and how they're making a difference in their industry. Noting this in your initial outreach may make all the difference.

Challenge #5: Alignment between the marketing and sales teams

Solution: Establish clear guidelines on the processes involved and everyone's role.

When there are multiple internal stakeholders involved in a project—for case studies, it's often the marketing and sales teams—it's easy for the process to become messy, between the initial outreach, scheduling conversations, content approvals, and so on.

It's important to establish a process and do your best to stick with it. Answer key questions:

• Should you reach out to a potential participant before or after you collect all your outcomes data?

• What should (and shouldn't) you say in your initial outreach?

• Who from your organization should participate in the interview? (Remember, you don't want to overwhelm your customer!)

Taking the time to iron out these details will save you trouble in the long run.

Challenge #6: Understanding the customer relationship and product usage

Solution: Take the time to prep before you dive in.

Before you interview a potential case study participant, you should spend some time understanding the history behind your company's relationship with them.

Maybe your customer experienced technical difficulties while implementing your B2B product, or maybe there were hiccups during onboarding. Maybe your customer stopped using your product at some point and then returned as a repeat customer. Knowing this information will help you determine what to ask, how to frame certain questions, and which topics to avoid.

If you don't want to do a prep call, you can also create a template for your sales team or another internal point-of-contact to fill out, where they can share a history of your business' work with the customer, difficulties they've experienced, and so on.

Preparation, in any form, is essential to a smooth-flowing conversation, where you won't risk damaging an existing relationship.

Challenge #7: My customers are busy and have limited time to spend on this project

Solution: Make the process as easy as possible for them.

This may involve interviewing multiple stakeholders at once or allowing them to provide answers over email. While not always ideal, you should try your best to accommodate your customers without burning any bridges. Remember, this project may not be their first priority (even if it is yours).

Challenge #8: My customer is nervous about the published case study

Solution: Send them your final draft.

A customer may want their marketing team to review the final product, or they may want to edit it themselves. Unless some sort of company policy prohibits you from doing so, I recommend sharing the final draft with your customer and letting them weigh in—again, leveraging your internal point-of-contact.

Ideally, you'll share the final draft with them after all your own internal stakeholders have reviewed, and ask them to give it a final read for accuracy. But this may look different depending on the customer and their expectations. You should also give your customer a timeframe for their review, depending on when you want to publish the asset. This will help streamline the process and set expectations.

At the end of the day, you want to keep your customers happy, both during the case study creation process and in the aftermath. Hopefully, these tips and insights will help you achieve that goal—and create great, results-driven content in the process.

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Looking to create great case studies for your business, or need a consultant to help you get started? Directional Content Services can help. Contact Jordan Friedman today for an initial meeting.