Is your case study worth the client's time? Prove it

You don't ask for it, but we're delivering anyway.

Welcome to Unsolicited Advice, where I offer some content marketing guidelines for an unsuspecting target – whether they like it or not.

This month's advice goes to a marketing leader at a B2B software company.

Bart Molenda
Executive Vice President, Marketing
Introhive

Dear Mr. Molenda,

There might be a good reason you lock your case studies behind a form asking for six pieces of my personal information, but I can't think of one.

A trusted colleague of mine suggested that I take a look at your AI-based relationship management software platform. Me too.

I've read all about how Introhive saves the average employee 7.2 hours a week and enrich sales data while we sleep. It sounded too good to be true, so I decided to download one of your case studies.

That's when your website experience is unsatisfactory.

As soon as I clicked the free download button and was about to read the case study your expertise you ask I provided for friend some personal information.

WHAT?!

I got it. You want to take the lead. But no way am I trading $120 – worth of my personal information for a case study.

Bart, you've got it all behind.

The burden of proof is on you, not me.

You need to demonstrate that your software does what it says it does – saving money and revenue for companies like mine. You need to demonstrate that you provide value. You need to prove Introhive is real.

Then and only then will I exchange data for more information – and maybe even schedule a phone call.

Look, if you want to build trust with potential customers like me fast, let me download free your case studies. Remove your forms! (Unless your software doesn't work, of course.)

Here's the deal: If you remove the form from all your case studies, I'd be happy to read one. And, if that case study goes well, I promise we'll set up a 30-minute call to explore some of the next steps.

What did you say? Do we have an agreement?

Whether you like it or not,

Andrew Davis
Host and Author, The Loyalty Loop

content-box-green”> Unsolicited Advice is a regular columnist in CCO magazine. To get a free digital publication – with bonus content for subscribers – Sign up today .

Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski / Content Marketing Institute