Education Ten Mistakes Case Study Writers Should Avoid

Times change. Customers no longer directly know their vendors, which means they have to be all the more careful when making a purchase. In today's fast-moving world, a company that is booming today may not even be around next year. Case studies are a powerful part of any plan to draw customers in. They tell the tale of a company's success, and they detail how that success came about. In other words, they tell why a company works, rather than just saying that it works at all. When writing a case study, there are ten things a writer should remember to avoid in order to create effective work. Mistake #1: Ignoring the Audience Know the types of customers who will patronize the business before writing a case study to get a better handle on just who will be reading the completed work. Mistake #2: Avoiding the Subject Matter Never attempt to write about a product or service without learning everything about it first. The purpose of the case study is to show what these things are all about, but that is impossible to know without some research first. Mistake #3: Avoiding Interviews with Internal Personnel No one likes their time wasted and a customer who feels like a company has wasted time may not patronize that company anymore. Before calling anyone for an interview, research that customer's history with the company. This may include asking questions of people within the company - someone who dealt with and remembers the customer. Mistake #4: Improvising Customer Interviews Writers, especially journalists, are used to interviewing people without prepared questions. When there are deadlines to observe, it is difficult to write up questions in advance. Do it anyway, because it is well worth the time. Mistake #5: Not Focusing on Results Results are what a case study is all about. In an interview or an analysis, aim for the results of the use of the product or service, because this is really the highlight of the case study. Mistake #6: Relying on a Formula Be willing to vary the standard template in order to draw in more readers and hold them until the end. Mistake #7: Failure to Follow Up Every story has an angle or a hook to draw in the reader. Follow up on the hook and elaborate upon it to keep the promise delivered in the first paragraph. Mistake #8: Blaming the Customer The story should be a success story. There was a problem that the product or service solved, of course, but do not belabor the 'before' state. If a customer is made to look bad in a case study, prospects will wonder if they will get the same treatment. Mistake #9: Not Remembering Both Readers and Skimmers There are some who will read the case study word for word, and others who will just look for the heart of the story, trying to find details that pertain to them specifically. Write for both types of readers. Make it interesting throughout, but format it so skimmers can pick and choose. Mistake #10: Too Boring or Too Exciting! Remember the tone of the story. Too boring and no one will want to read it at all. Too excited and it will seem as if the writer is trying too hard. complete link building