Using case studies with press releases is a remarkably effective strategy for local business marketing, yet it is underutilized. Here’s how to make the strategy work for your business.
- Case studies prove you’re an expert, a problem-solver, and that you’re very good at what you do. They increase conversions.
- Press releases spread the word about your brand and help your website be more visible in the search engines, because of the backlinks from the press releases.
When you COMBINE press releases with case studies optimized for SEO, it’s like marketing on steroids!
(And this isn’t a common strategy, which creates an opportunity for you, since most of your competitors aren’t doing it.)
So let’s quickly look at the benefits of case studies, the benefits of press releases, and how using them together can supercharge your marketing efforts.
What are case studies?
A case study is a document that describes the challenges and solutions of a project with a particular customer or client. You may also think of it as a success story, since the goal is to highlight how you successfully solve specific problems. So what are the benefits of case studies, especially for small businesses? They:
- Demonstrate the value of your products or services. By showing how your products or services have helped a specific customer achieve their goals, you give potential customers a clear understanding of the benefits of working with you. They offer details and explanations about the products and services you offer, and why you work the way you do.
- Build trust with potential customers. Case studies build trust and credibility with potential customers by showing that you have a proven track record of success. They increase the number of people who contact you. You aren’t just saying that you’re good at building a deck, selling a home or providing insurance – you’re showing how well you do it.
What are press releases?
A press release is a written communication that is used to announce news or events to the media. Benefits of press releases include:
- Generating publicity for your business. By getting your press release distributed to appropriate outlets, you increase awareness of your business and its products or services. They also build brand awareness by positioning your business as an expert in your industry. There are many types of “news” that you can share with press releases.
- Driving traffic to your website. By including link(s) to your website in your press release, you can drive traffic to your website and help it rank better in the search engines. Strategic selection of links is key – just linking to your site’s home page is a missed opportunity.
Note that press releases for local businesses do NOT need to focus on the kinds of news that will be written up in newspapers or announced on TV. The video below illustrates press release titles that will give you some ideas:
Why use both? Case studies WITH press releases?
Either strategy, alone, is smart. Using a press release to promote a case study is like putting it on steroids. It amplifies the impact, giving it a boost of visibility and credibility. When you combine a well-written case study with a well-crafted press release, you create a powerful marketing tool that can help you win more customers.
There’s a synergy between between case studies and press releases. When used together, as a system, these two tools can be even more effective than they are on their own.
Here are some reasons why combining these two strategies works:
- Press releases are picked up by search engines. When a press release is published, it is often picked up by search engines and indexed. This means that your case study will be more likely to appear in search results when people are searching for information about your products or services.
- Press releases generate backlinks. When a press release is published, it should (if written well!) generate backlinks to your website. Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. They are an important factor in SEO, and they help to improve your website’s ranking in search results.
- Press releases build trust. When people see that your business has been featured in a press release – in other words, it’s featured on credible news sites – it can build trust and credibility. This can lead to more people visiting your website and converting into customers.
The Simple Case Study System Strategy
To use this strategy effectively, both the case study and the press releases should be written with the intent to use them together.
In other words, the case study is written to highlight a specific service, in a specific location, to a specific audience. It is optimized for SEO as well as for prospective buyers. This means using details, keywords and phrases that people are likely to search for when they are looking for information about your products or services.
The follow-up press releases, promoting the case study, are written with that intent in mind, especially when it comes to the backlinks (SEO) included. Most press releases link to the homepage of a company. In this system, the press release may do that, but it deliberately links to the case study itself.
How I can help you – my Simple Case Study System
I write both the case study and the press release, with a specific focus on helping local businesses. I write the case studies, add them to your website, and then write and distribute the press releases. This will free up your time so that you can focus on running your business.
Contact me today to learn more about how I can help you use case studies and press releases to grow your business.
