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CBD case studies or success stories can be pure marketing magic. But, like any other copy, they need to be done correctly if you want results for your investment. Keep these five keys in mind to maximize their impact.
Our brains are hardwired to love stories. It’s how cultural history and lore was passed down from generation to generation for millennia before the written word. Stories are still the most powerful way to catch attention, engage and inform.
When I was a teen the library was my favorite place when school was out for the summer. Every other week my sister and I would walk to the local library, return the last batch of books and select new ones. She might get one or two…
Not me. They all called “read me, read me.” I could never get out of the place without a load so heavy my arms ached by the time I got home.
Books were my passion and my escape from what I saw as a rather dull life. As soon as I got home, I’d grab the top book and head for the big wicker chair on the patio. Their titles lured me. Stories unfolded. No longer was I in my boring suburban back yard…
I was in faraway places…the other side of the US way back in history. Europe, China, Mexico, and all points in between. I reveled in history, people and exotic landscapes. I learned about artists, builders, and native peoples. Irving Stone, Michener, Pearl Buck, Shin, Haley, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Michael, and Kathleen Geer and of course… Tolkien.
Books were an escape…but they also taught me a lot. I didn’t think about what I was learning, but I was absorbing the uniqueness of people, cultures and their homelands. Many were biographic or historical fiction.
They were real, living and drew me in. They weren’t written to sell travel…but they sold me on it.
When we employ case stories, we create a way to engage and help prospective customers. Think of them as expanded testimonials using the vehicle of the story. More entertaining than just a testimonial and far more powerful.
We aren’t making any claims, only sharing what happened to someone else. We share the customer’s problem and how we helped them find a solution.
Case studies combine the power of storytelling with the ability to share information that is relevant to CBD. More importantly, specific to the product…the solution that you offer.
Your readers get to connect with a person who experienced the same problem they are coping with. It’s. They read about someone that would understand their own feelings.
Every little success the person in the story experiences gives them hope. It also gives them a glimpse of possibilities. Sleep better. Be able to keep up with the grandkids better. Cope with everyday stresses that threaten to overwhelm.
That person’s success gives them hope and a glimpse of possibilities. Success and hope in a story.
You can use your case studies on your business website. But they are equally good as articles to submit to a local or regional magazine.
Don’t overlook online sites that are very niche specific. There people who share a problem share ideas and information. Get the right match and your case study is a natural additive.
They can also be used to build your reputation. Reputation takes lots of quality content. Use social media to share your stories in the form of articles, posts, infographics or videos.
Package them correctly and they are perfect information to share with potential customers. Success stories could be included in an email funnel with the suggestion of trying it for themselves.
They could be mailed out or featured in regular newsletters.
A story starts with a great catchy title. Like a headline or subject line, it needs to be kept short and intriguing. It gives a hint of what is to come but doesn’t blurt it out.
I like to think of this as sort of a promise. A hint at the before and after. Here’s “Joe” with a problem but three months later he went back to work, full-time. Whatever his story is.
Talk about the process. What did he do/how did he use the solution. This is a really confusing area for CBD so how they incorporated it to change their life can be very useful to the reader.
Share a snapshot of their life before and after. How are they better off? Be sure to include a call-to-action…something that relates the solution to the next step you want the reader to take.
For a CBD case study to be a real success story, you must match the right client experience with your ideal target market. It is critical there is a connection between the reader’s problem, passion, concern and that of the person who your story is about.
You are creating content that will help not just current prospects, but future customers. Case studies are “evergreen” meaning they don’t shed their value, or leaves, in the fall. Rather they are lovely and useful year-round.
The right story can be used in multiple ways to help build and maintain your reputation. Again, it needs to be someone the reader can instantly connect with. That might be by shared personal concerns.
Some companies have created fabulous success stories featuring the changes someone in the media, an influencer who used their product experience. Sometimes this person even becomes a paid spokesperson for the company.
Do take into consideration how they will be perceived. Are they someone who fell in love with what your product did for them? Or are they someone on your payroll. Two very different things.
Whoever you chose to feature, work with them. These stories can be sometimes tricky to write and it can be well worth the investment to have a professional do this for you. Make sure they are well versed in writing for our niche and what can and can’t be said. And that they understand the art of a case study.
Let the featured client review the draft. Get their endorsement on it. Support the work with good images to help tell the story. And let them know how much both you and your readers appreciate their sharing.
When I work with clients we look for the best stories they hear from clients. They connect me with their favorite stories that best match our goals. I reach out to the clients and interview them. We create their compelling, informative, story and share their journey. Before, process, after.
When the article is completed and approved, we post it in all the right places to maximize their results. Pair up the social media venues that match our target clients. Words, articles, posts, memes, graphics and even video snips.
I help them with the best social media practices and strategize multiple ways to make the best use of our creations.
If you need help developing strategies to share success stories from people using your product and craft these stories in a simple “infotainment” manner…message me.
judith@jcpwellnesscopy.com
For more information on the power and importance of educating your clients and prospects, read this: https://jcpwellnesscopy.com/2020/01/21/cbd-education-sales/
Judith Culp Pearson receives three top honors
at the annual Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals in
Ft. Worth, Texas - October 7-9, 2023
