How Case Studies Can Improve Your SaaS Lead Generation Strategy

What if you were ignoring the best strategy to generate leads?

For SaaS businesses, generating leads can be particularly difficult. And SaaS lead generation can ultimately make or break a company striving for success.

Surprisingly, the best way to improve your lead generation strategy is to use case studies. Wondering why that is? We’ll tell you.

Content Quality

When you're trying to improve your lead generation strategies, you might not immediately think about case studies. If that's the case, you probably have a simple question: "what can case studies do for my business?"

The truth is that case studies can impact your leads and conversions at different levels of the sales funnel. And because there are different strategies and benefits to using case studies, the funnel is impacted at different points.

For example, your success hinges largely on the quality of your content. It can be as simple as reviewing a variety of case studies to discover a new content strategy. Or it can be as complex as conducting your own case study and using the results to revamp your content.

Regardless of your approach, case studies can shine a light on any deficiencies with your current content. And even better, these studies can help you strengthen content at every level.

Consumer Engagement

Speaking of strengths, case studies have plenty of them. But what case studies are mostly known for is boosting consumer engagement. And when done right, this creates lasting effects at different levels of your sales funnel.

For example, case studies are a great way to help you boost engagement at the top of the funnel. This is particularly important because engagement at this level will inform the entire customer experience as they descend further down the funnel.

Interestingly, the benefits of case studies don't stop at the top of the funnel. According to the recent 2019 Demand Generation report, case studies were the most successful engagement tactic for the top of the funnel and second most successful tactic for boosting engagement at the middle and end of the funnel.

According to that report, case studies were more effective than strategies such as video content and content syndication. While case studies cannot replace all of your other lead generation strategies, they are the best way to boost engagement. And engagement, in turn, is one of the best ways to boost leads.

Converting and Accelerating Leads

Earlier, we talked about how case studies were effective at boosting engagement at the top, middle, and bottom of the sales funnel. However, case studies also work another kind of magic when it comes to the middle and bottom of the funnel. And that magic is converting and accelerating leads.

The Demand Generation Report found that case studies were one of the best ways to convert and accelerate leads. In fact, they were only a single percentage point behind the most effective strategy, which was conducting special events.

This report revealed that case studies were more effective than many other proven strategies. In fact, case studies are superior to white papers, webinars, and lead nurturing campaigns when it comes to converting and accelerating your leads.

Again, this doesn't mean you should discontinue all of your other strategies. But your time and budget are both limited, and it's worth investing more of each into case studies. Before too long, you'll see the many ways this approach has positively changed your own business.

Demonstrate Authority

Sometimes, companies are guilty of overthinking SaaS lead generation. What do you think potential clients are really looking for? Most of the time, they want some kind of reassurance that you know how to help them.

Case studies are a perfect way to do this because they help you to demonstrate authority. Specifically, they help these clients see how you have helped out other clients who are very similar to their own business model.

By successfully conducting and publishing your own case studies, you can easily demonstrate that your business is a thought leader in this particular area. Your clients want nothing less than the very best, and case studies demonstrating your experience and authority are a great way to convince them they have made the right choice.

Problems and Solutions 

Want to hear something your clients really hate? More than anything else, they find buzzwords to be a major turnoff.

You can't throw a digital stone without hitting a landing page full of corporate buzzwords. Sometimes, it's so bad that a potential client doesn't even understand what a company does, much less how that company can help them out.

Case studies are appropriately named because it helps potential clients get down to cases. Beyond all those buzzwords, they can explore the very specific problems your previous clients have encountered and the very specific solutions that your business developed.

It really is that simple. You can't really generate leads until your business can prove that you are capable of solving a complex array of dynamic problems. Case studies help generate those leads and drive conversions because customers understand that your experience and previous successes are a proven quantity within your specific niche.

Case Studies and Social Proof

As much as we love case studies, they cannot be your only SaaS lead generation strategy. You must still utilize things like blogs, ebooks, and white papers. In the eyes of your clients, this all adds up to the gold standard of modern marketing: social proof.

The modern consumer is very wary of traditional advertisement. Simply put, they don't trust businesses when those companies tout their experience and accomplishments. They would rather gauge the success or failure of a company based on the metrics of social proof.

Social proof may come in many forms, including client testimonials and user-generated content. But it all boils down to the fact that the average customer trusts other consumers more than they trust your business.

With case studies, you can utilize this reliance on social proof to your favor. By showcasing what you have done for other companies, you give potential clients an opportunity to explore the accomplishments of those satisfied clients and even reach out to them for questions.

And when they see how satisfied your previous clients are, they will be far likelier to place their trust in your business.

Creating Your Own Case Studies

We have focused extensively on how case studies can boost your lead generation and generally win over clients. But have you considered how you best plan to use case studies?

The most basic solution is to rely on case studies in the same way that your consumers would. You can identify businesses with a similar product and market and use their case studies to discover new ideas for your own business.

You won't unlock the true value of case studies, though, until you conduct your own. And that's because every case study you conduct creates an amazing stream of data that your business can use in any number of ways.

For example, you can publish your case studies to take advantage of the benefits we outlined earlier. This provides a perfect way for you to showcase your successful track record and demonstrate exactly how you can solve the problems of potential clients.

However, don't forget that case studies are also a great way to discover existing weaknesses in your products, your marketing, and your overall strategy. By being brutally honest with yourself, you can use case studies to improve other aspects of your company that extend far beyond your lead generation strategies.

SaaS Lead Generation: What's Next?

Now you know how case studies can help with SaaS lead generation. But do you know who can help with both case studies and leads?

At Referable, we are experts at creating dependable inbound marketing. To see what we can do for your own business, contact us today!