tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329721772012-01-31T03:08:02.630-08:00Readers will learn an insider's perspective of how to write case studies that sell products and impress clients.David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.comBlogger781100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-33184616002659903352009-05-13T16:31:00.000-07:002009-05-13T16:33:21.345-07:00

Hi All: In addition to this blog, I'll also be using http://twitter.com/mrcasestudy to communicate with the world. Please join me - David

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-16173362587270015712009-04-30T13:39:00.000-07:002009-04-30T14:07:56.929-07:00

I have met the enemy and it's (yikes!) me. I can't stand it when I succumb to the media's ongoing maudlin tone. That said, I don't know why I worry; we'll probably all be dead from the swine flu before next Tuesday...But seriously, these are tough times in the business world. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are horrible for me. Even though business is slow, there are still clients.As a

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-52105125398374249062008-12-22T15:11:00.000-08:002008-12-22T15:12:35.322-08:00

Sorry there's no link in the previous post. I'm working on managing the software - David

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-67142263547325029112008-12-22T14:58:00.000-08:002008-12-22T15:04:10.407-08:00

Thought I'd pass this excellent article along to my fellow case study writers.Written marcom whiz Cheryl J. Goldberg, this newsletter story lays out how to leverage case studies. I call in money in the bank.

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-74309065197963041632008-12-10T12:48:00.000-08:002008-12-10T13:04:19.526-08:00

I may have mentioned this use for case studies some time ago, but it's worth bringing the subject up again.Case studies juice up direct mail pieces beyond belief.This week, alone, I've written four case studies that are being used specifically to woo businesses into a non-profit organization. Here's how it works. A letter is crafted for the non-profit that highlights several communication points.

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-56267950275918460512008-10-29T09:11:00.000-07:002008-10-29T09:21:43.380-07:00

That is indeed the question when tracking down hot leads. Or maybe the question is, how much time to put in between calls?A good pal of mine, whom I've worked with for the past 10 years, referred me to his friend, who also owns a PR shop. After a couple of phone calls and follow-up e-mails we connected.Had a good chat, really, and she told me to call her in a month and she'd begin off-loading all

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-38871076453605101322008-10-02T13:02:00.000-07:002008-10-02T13:13:16.530-07:00

One of the tricky things about writing a case study is to remember who it is that you are working for.I'm not kidding (although it sounds ludicrous). I'm going through this exercise right now. My client is a Wi-Fi enterprise networking provider. The story is about a minor league baseball team that has transitioned to using only plastic - no money.My client makes the idea work. However, the more

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-83162788106865031242008-09-10T11:41:00.000-07:002008-09-10T12:09:27.219-07:00

I got to thinking this week after reading about social networking in my pal Roberta Rosenberg's blog. As it turns out, I'm a low-tech writer in a high-tech world. That's not to say I don't have a cursory understanding of telecom, networking, various software, etc. High-tech, more often than not, pays my bills. But I'm much more interested in how the technology helps people - not how cool the

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-49252113901093575822008-08-26T08:29:00.000-07:002008-08-26T08:43:59.338-07:00

I'm not one of those writers who has a set fee. I look at each client as a unique opportunity. So when a prospective customer asks me how much I charge I don't have a pat answer.For one thing, I liken my career to that of a radio station selling advertising. The station is broadcasting whether it sells time or not. Thus, if I'm just sitting around pining about no one paying what I want (demand),

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-51218834027091222062008-08-05T08:14:00.000-07:002008-08-05T09:32:24.715-07:00

We're all so spoiled by the immediate gratification found in TV and movies that, as a society, we've collectively forgotten how much work it takes to become an overnight success. I mean, heck, Jack Bauer can stifle a nuclear catastrophe in 24 hours. He does so once a week.Anyway, I've been thinking about how many cold calls it takes to come up with a warm lead - that turns into a bona fide (

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-23993858339757228592008-06-09T09:54:00.000-07:002008-06-09T10:19:34.676-07:00

Riffing on the old Henny Youngman joke. Except instead your wife, it's your customer.Hey, that's not funny.It's not amusing, but it's pervasive in today's multinational, impersonal go-go marketplace.Consumers have been whipped into submission. When was the last time you simply called a company without experiencing a bewildering, alienating phone tree? And why is it that their menu options have

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-16566063570560147862008-05-20T09:32:00.000-07:002008-05-20T10:33:53.765-07:00

Although I now work as a marketing strategist/writer, at heart I still have ink coursing through my veins, as the saying goes...So that's why being bombarded with opinions - under the guise of reporting - makes me livid. Just check out the table of contents in Newsweek. Last week, it contained about 75 percent opinions - with a sprinkling of news items thrown in.Case in point: the magazine had a

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-12690121870754193222008-05-07T09:26:00.000-07:002008-05-07T10:56:36.928-07:00

As a consultant, it's sometimes tough to convince a client to move forward on a project. Understandably, the client is spending their resources, and they want to make sure you're not pushing them into something they can't afford or justify.That said, there's a time for thinking and a time for doing. I often sit with clients who spend countless hours concocting worst-case scenarios that only run a

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-37167821883052830172008-04-14T14:12:00.000-07:002008-04-14T14:26:47.571-07:00

I had a client call and ask me if I could write a press release for him...naturally, I said sure...We scheduled some time and he pointed me toward an e-commerce site that he'd designed. It was cool, but so what?After 10 minutes I asked him to tell me the point of the release. He said he'd do one better, and send me an e-mail with some video.After looking at the videos, I sent my client an e-mail

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-14786477059032691832008-03-17T08:41:00.000-07:002008-03-17T09:34:17.285-07:00

Hi All: First off, let me apologize for the lengthy time between posts. I'm walking through some heavy-duty health challenges right now, and it's slowing me down big time.That said, I've had some time to think about the world as it rolls by my window. Specifically, whether you buy into the recession theory or simply call it an economic slow down, this is still a great time for your clients to

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-7790831738235927002008-02-01T13:51:00.000-08:002008-02-01T14:17:31.999-08:00

I like money just like everyone else, so I bite my tongue many times when a client treats as less than equal...Most often I keep my sense of humor, do the writing, complete the project and move on...That said, I just spent two weeks working with a person who didn't understand how to write, but had countless comments about how I supposed to approach this particular web-writing project.Keep in mind

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-9804929555826091312008-01-24T10:10:00.000-08:002008-01-24T10:22:53.308-08:00

I began work this week writing website content and case studies for a client...I was given a 19-page marketing analysis to use as background. It was quite thorough, and defined the overall market and who their ideal customer is...What was lacking was the emotional pain that their potential customers are experiencing...that's what I need to know to write punchy copy that grabs the reader...What I

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-38043309169532227982008-01-08T15:00:00.001-08:002008-01-08T15:08:32.471-08:00

Third-party endorsements are great...Thus the essence of case studies...The same holds true as you build your business: you want to get testimonials with sizzle that describe your value...Back in the day I'd e-mail satisfied clients and ask them to compose a glowing quote and send it to me...Nine times out of 10 the silence was deafening...It wasn't that they didn't like my work. The problem was

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-62593273639138751372007-12-20T15:45:00.000-08:002007-12-20T15:54:19.787-08:00

It's easy to become interesting, rather than interested....That's a sure-fire way to turn off folks around you. Plus, you're probably leaving work on the table...That's quite a stretch, you say....Not so much...The name of the game is listening. Everyone likes a sympathetic ear...How does this translate to the mercenary side of my readers? That easy...Just last week, I had a client who had asked

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-45357617058086939472007-12-03T09:22:00.000-08:002007-12-03T09:32:58.484-08:00

As another year winds down, it's important to look back and forward....Use your 20-20 hindsight to check out your successes this year - and keep yourself honest by evaluating what you could have done differently....The good news is that we have a New Year staring us right smack in the face...make a marketing plan for your biz - now - and don't sell yourself short....Why is this important? Because

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-46474162307169294302007-11-16T13:13:00.000-08:002007-11-16T13:21:43.038-08:00

What do you do when you're smack in the middle of writing and the phone rings?It turns out that one answer does not fit all...Having a journalism background, I was trained to work well in a loud newsroom filled with phones, police squawkers and people in various stages of conversation...Other writers require dead silence. A phone call totally disrupts their train of thought...I'm sure that there

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-69021165824023361352007-11-07T15:47:00.000-08:002007-11-07T16:01:45.055-08:00

I had an e-mail today from a scribe who was wondering what the benefit is for a company agreeing to be studied...I've touched on this before but it's worth hammering on again....Case studies are a definite 10 on the win-win scale...It breaks down like this:You, the writer gets paid a fee (that's always a good thing)...Your client cements their relationship with their customer, and can often use a

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-6621728053160291612007-10-24T09:10:00.000-07:002007-10-24T09:20:40.797-07:00

Okay, this isn't some kind of New Age therapy program, so don't get nervous....What I'm talking about here is your ability to grow. When you expand your writing services, you may run into trouble with your customers. They have you in a box - and they like it like that...Client says: "John Doe is a great technical writer. I always call him when we have a need for a technical manual. He works as a

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-70476103997033228172007-10-15T08:57:00.000-07:002007-10-15T09:12:23.247-07:00

In the continual race to pay our bills it's easy to forget why we are writing in the first place....Let's face facts: if we were totally focused on money, we would have been plumbers or electricians....That brings me to the subject of client satisfaction. Not are they satisfied with you, but are YOU happy with them?I'm talking about the kind of work you are doing and how that lines up with how

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-16542165303972498442007-10-02T07:48:00.001-07:002007-10-02T13:56:57.086-07:00

To tell you the truth, I've never met a person who's a master writer and a great designer....different parts of the brain I guess...But it helps to know as much has possible about design as a writer. Why? Because it makes your work more effective.When I write copy, whether it be for a case study, brochure, direct mail or website, I usually include art direction in brackets above the copy....

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-28328072712546007072007-09-26T14:50:00.000-07:002007-09-26T15:12:25.926-07:00

Just an informal survey....What part of the freelance writing business really drives you crazy? Is it staying focused? Interviewing? Cold calls?Just trying to get some discussion about what's happening in the "real" world....Okay, I'll go first: The lengthy time that it often takes to get copy approved. You have to stay on top of things for your client, but it's a fine line between being

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-62970086237626417562007-09-19T12:54:00.000-07:002007-09-19T13:09:58.381-07:00

Plagiarism is something I read about from time to time in the newspaper...But this ugly dynamic has never affected by life-until this week...We have a client, who is also a long-time peer of mine. He's a content expert and we had spent the past nine months building an information product that was going to educate and, by the way, potentially make us a substantial amount of money....Out of the

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-19588600379540546782007-09-07T09:34:00.000-07:002007-09-07T10:09:33.068-07:00

There's nothing like turning on the radio or TV and watching an insightful interview...We all have our favorites: Wallace, Stewart, Oprah. I'm sure those folks also have people who have influenced them...I like to combine my interviews with insightful, well-researched questions and the timbre of long-time Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully... Whatever your individual style, the key thing is to be

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-26444048909607667252007-08-30T08:00:00.000-07:002007-08-30T08:07:14.684-07:00

I had lunch with a friend yesterday. This is a guy who's pretty far up on the high-tech food chain...He told me the latest trend in the corporate world is "solutions marketing." I blinked and asked him what that meant...He told me that, rather than build products and services in a vacuum, companies were beginning the development process by asking customers what they want and need to solve their

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-71314934136105568202007-08-23T10:02:00.000-07:002007-08-23T10:49:09.790-07:00

I had a great conversation this week with a woman who's bound and determined to jump-start her case study consulting business...She called me for coaching input, but it quickly became apparent that she already held a wealth of knowledge that she just hadn't tapped into - yet....The challenge: she knows how to write, but hadn't made the leap from wannabe to case study writer...We started looking

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-44312550935479793272007-08-16T13:10:00.000-07:002007-08-16T13:17:14.662-07:00

For those of you who couldn't attend our teleseminar today on creating a Hyperaccurate Customer Profile, here's the cliff notes....Do it.Okay, that's a bit too short...The name of the game is to identify an existing customer who's generating revenue, as well as holding up their end of a trusting, business relationship.Create a document that examines who this person is, what you like about them,

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-13634874353064702242007-08-09T13:36:00.000-07:002007-08-09T14:00:31.496-07:00

There's an old saying that having three gas stations at an intersection drives consumer prices down because of competition...Maybe that's not true anymore because all but a few gas stations have gone under...but you get my point...Here's a twist: the exact opposite proves true when running a prosperous consulting business (insert case study where you see consulting)...Most of the time we're more

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-13278674652949721762007-07-31T08:04:00.000-07:002007-07-31T08:33:05.512-07:00

If you haven't already, you're bound to be asked if you also write white papers as well as case studies...It happens frequently with me, and my answer is always the same....No.And here's why...White papers are of technical ilk (which isn't that big a deal)...but they have a different audience than case studies...While case studies target sales and marketing folks, both of which I am quite

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-88134748921222511402007-07-23T14:05:00.000-07:002007-07-23T15:17:10.315-07:00

As I've mentioned before in this blog, the virtual world is great but...I'm a firm believer in face time. A firm handshake and all that rot....It helps business and bolsters the soul...Last week my partner and I dragged ourselves out of the comfort of our office and attended a conference. There were actual people there...we had fun and made plenty of useful connections...So it made my heart soar

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-80682083616549798702007-07-10T14:21:00.000-07:002007-07-10T14:41:45.654-07:00

I have a snappy answer when a prospective or existing client asks me how much I charge for a case study: $1,500.I get one of two reactions: okay or yikes! that's a lot of money.I agree. $1,500 is a lot of money. So, at that point, I tell them what goes into writing a case study that sells. I'll tell you one thing: it's more than writing...First off, I work with them to develop a strategic

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-19334524239136587132007-07-06T07:58:00.000-07:002007-07-06T08:20:15.589-07:00

First off, I'd like to welcome all of the case study writers who joined us after Bob Bly's mention of How to Write Case Studies That Sell. Bob's a cool guy who attracts excellent writers...Anyway, what should one do when one's client goes beyond being difficult? I mean, we all need money and clients don't grow on trees. They take cultivation, time and money...So mindfully parting ways is tough.

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-63256348116145673892007-06-20T12:46:00.000-07:002007-06-20T12:58:57.777-07:00

It's funny how marketeers often resemble the cobbler whose children have no shoes. We are great at handing out nifty time-proven nuggets, but fail to follow our own sage advice.Yesterday while in a client meeting, my partner and I demonstrated the necessity of the two essential ingredients for effective marketing campaigns: consistency and persistence.Consistency is concerned with your message.

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-80650923103869252552007-06-11T09:05:00.000-07:002007-06-11T09:15:48.335-07:00

It's obvious to almost everyone that marketing is the key to success. In fact, we're all bombarded daily by the newest Web 2.0 techniques...almost ad nauseum to my way of thinking...We can buy lists, post videos to You Tube, blog, send out sizzling mailers...yada, yada, yada....At the end of the day, however, good, old-fashioned referrals hit the bull's eye long before New Age efforts...Seriously

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-6646121110503806692007-06-04T14:14:00.001-07:002007-06-04T14:23:42.208-07:00

I get calls and e-mails from folks who are struggling to grow their case study business. Sometimes this is a new venture, but most often these are established writers seeking more income...As the saying goes, "life ain't easy"....However, John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing has some sage words on the subject of growing your business.Check it out...

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-54424579683911560452007-06-04T14:14:00.000-07:002007-06-04T14:19:53.113-07:00

I get calls and e-mails from folks who are struggling to grow their case study business. Sometimes this is a new venture, but most often these are established writers seeking more income...As the saying goes, "life ain't easy"....However, John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing has some sage words on the subject of growing your business.http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/weblog.phpCheck it out...

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-18784214584678809572007-05-30T08:03:00.000-07:002007-05-30T08:39:07.670-07:00

Not a week goes by when at least one person e-mails me looking for the "trick" to developing at solvent case study business...I always answer back politely and say something to the affect that - if I knew the "secret' - I would a) be wealthy b) share it with the world....Unfortunately, I don't know any other way around a successful freelance writing career than hard work. For some reason, people

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-55034083040572936552007-05-21T15:41:00.000-07:002007-05-21T15:54:02.128-07:00

I remember when I was in journalism school. The cardinal rule was beware of fact errors -- that included misspellings of people, places and things.The professors weren't kidding, either. I remember I received an F on one story (that my professor said was quite good) because I spelled Berkeley wrong. Believe me, I've never spelled the city incorrectly since.The underlying thought process in this

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-86903625489661836942007-05-15T08:39:00.000-07:002007-05-15T10:19:31.676-07:00

I've been doing an informal study on the effectiveness and honesty of virtual marketing...This is not because I'm bored (okay, maybe just a little). No, my inquisitiveness burns because my partner and I are often asked by clients how to best reach their target audience. Should they pursue traditional modes like direct mail and advertising, or utilize blogging and e-mail blasts.Until recently I

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-86987711432118828482007-05-09T08:53:00.000-07:002007-05-10T08:58:05.089-07:00

Coming from a background in journalism, I used to work hard at keeping myself apart from my sources. Conventional wisdom dictates that a journalist is there simply to take notes and accurately reflect them in a story....That said, yesterday when I was interviewing a person for a case study, I observed myself having a rather animated conversation -- in which I had an opinion...The case study is

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-50738398209200018102007-04-30T08:31:00.000-07:002007-04-30T14:31:22.497-07:00

My partner, Michael Knowles, takes care of our company newsletter, The Arrow...He put together a piece on marketing that all case study writers - indeed freelancers - should take note of. Just insert the word "me" when you see "company, start-up, etc."Good stuff....http://tinyurl.com/296ahw

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-29094665239814688162007-04-23T10:44:00.000-07:002007-04-23T10:59:33.983-07:00

Emotion is the key ingredient that separates a case study from a white paper...I've been harping on this for months.Yet as I look around the web at various corporate sites, I still see a boatload of boring problem-solution case studies. "Acme utilized a best-of-breed solution to consolidate the company's storage paradigm into a cohesive fault-tolerant system (barf)."I've decided to offer up a

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-24865713539703372422007-04-16T10:52:00.000-07:002007-04-16T11:10:55.314-07:00

The time has come to turn up the volume on your writing potential. That said, I'm starting the Case Study Mastermind Group.If this seems like an ad, I apologize. The spirit of this effort is to help you get the most out of your writing career. I know how hard it is to develop a creative brief, come up with interview questions, identify customer problems (clean the office), work with difficult

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-63950165067398809862007-04-09T07:40:00.000-07:002007-04-09T07:55:59.879-07:00

Years ago, I taught journalism at Carmel High School. I was instructing smart kids; at least one was on his way to Stanford. The problem was this: their writing skills failed to match their speaking skills.I'm not trying to be funny here....From that point on I kept my eyes open as I taught, read articles, books and provided feedback to peers...Here's what I came up with: for some reason, when

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-68472738017327583872007-04-03T14:49:00.000-07:002007-04-03T15:16:36.575-07:00

Okay, in this case I should have said client, rather than customer...At any rate, as we all go off merrily in search of writing work, it's crucial that we have some sort of idea who we want to attract. The operative word here is "attract." I'm a firm believer in the notion that if we put our time and energy into welcoming jerks with a lot of money into our life, that's exactly what we'll get.In

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-35871048063637008182007-03-30T10:45:00.000-07:002007-03-30T11:25:19.711-07:00

Early on in this blog - and in How to Write Case Studies That Sell - I wrote about the key components of the creative brief...marketing goals, communication points, target audiences...With practice, this document serves as the ideal springboard for a variety of marketing deliverables. Of course, the case study is a logical by-product.It's time to check back into the principal spice of a creative

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-31460179878631345732007-03-27T08:55:00.000-07:002007-03-27T09:37:39.662-07:00

Just like the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, the path to a successful case study career starts by setting up a manageable personal marketing plan.I confess that I'm often guilty of diving into a marketing effort without proper planning. However, I've made this mistake so many times that it has become quite easy to spot the symptoms...or should I say symptom: the inability

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-91012238702464992392007-03-22T12:24:00.001-07:002007-03-22T12:36:09.269-07:00

Yesterday, I was talking to a client about upcoming marketing activities. She works as a corporate trainer and mentioned that there was a company that loved her work in the area of hiring smart.Keep in mind, that she's new to the self-promotion game -- just like a lot of your existing and prospective clients.I suggested that she contact the prospective case study interviewee prior to our next

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-6980916496705295342007-03-19T10:07:00.000-07:002007-03-19T10:25:47.801-07:00

Okay, I may be dating myself with this rather-arcane TV reference to Lost in Space...However, it's worth mentioning again (I blogged a few weeks ago on this topic) about one of those case study dynamics that plagues all of us. It's happening to me as I write.It's called the approval process.Two weeks ago I wrote a case study on a non-profit health care agency in NYC. I first got sign-off from the

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1173885280760778842007-03-14T09:11:00.000-07:002007-03-14T09:14:40.770-07:00

I want to pass this article along to all of my friends. It's good stuff. Especially about getting quotes that are "real," not gimmicky.Here ya go...look about half-way down the page for this article.http://www.earlytorise.com/2007/03/13/using-testimonials-for-maximum-effect.html

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1173823798518117132007-03-13T15:59:00.000-07:002007-03-13T16:39:56.846-07:00

I had a nice e-mail from a friend today. He's relatively new to the case study game. He asked me to outline my approach to finding case study work.Here goes...The first connection.I have several approaches, depending on where a company is located. If it's local, I'll fish around their web page so I know what the company does -- and if they are using case studies. I identify three companies and

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1173736987718003692007-03-12T15:49:00.000-07:002007-03-12T16:05:28.313-07:00

I got up this morning feeling pretty darn good...but after looking around at various blogs in my spare time I began wondering if I was on the opposite side of the coin as everyone else.Usually, I get inspiration from my bookmarked blogs...but today it seemed like many topics were focused on how to get out of some sort of writing funk. Whenever I lean that direction I go back to what my

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1173388796969145432007-03-08T13:08:00.000-08:002007-03-08T13:29:33.186-08:00

Having gotten more than a few writers interested in case studies, I take responsibility for alerting you to potential mine fields. One of them - the approval process - is biting me in the rump right now.As I've written numerous times, the actual composing of a case study is relatively painless and enjoyable. It's the politics and work flow process surrounding the effort that can try your

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1173112692782553582007-03-05T08:29:00.000-08:002007-03-05T08:40:10.076-08:00

Last week - after reading my post on preparing your clients - you may have walked away with the idea that there's more to case study writing than meets the eye. You would be right. I've found that the easiest part of putting a case study together is the writing.Unless you are dealing with a savvy marketing pro, your client may be a bit lost. Excited about pursuing case studies...but lost in terms

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1172852027546507202007-03-02T08:05:00.000-08:002007-03-02T08:20:19.576-08:00

Let's assume that you have a stable of clients who use your writing services. Up until now, you've essentially been a hired gun. Here's an assignment, write this website, write this brochure, write this data sheet.I'm now suggesting that you take a more proactive approach to your writing services. It's sad but true that many companies don't realize the value of a case study. It doesn't take much

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1172593351194091562007-02-27T08:10:00.000-08:002007-02-27T08:22:31.206-08:00

Two thumbs up for Nettie Hartsock (http://nhartsock.typepad.com/nettie_hartsock/) who in her latest blog espouses the virtue of knowing your customers' emotional needs.This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. It represents the selling point of any successful case study. You see? That's the point of a case study: We know who you are and we feel your pain. You're not alone; we have

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1172266746387108002007-02-23T13:24:00.000-08:002007-02-23T13:40:28.306-08:00

A well-written case study serves as an excellent bonus piece to use with your clients' direct-mail efforts.This exercise is part of the "tweaking" process that Robert Middelton talks about in his article "The Hidden Marketing Secret" (http://www.actionplan.blogs.com/). Okay, case studies may seem to veer off in a separate direction from direct mail but, on further examination, they definitely fit

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1171990147469697552007-02-20T08:42:00.000-08:002007-02-20T08:49:07.480-08:00

I had a nice e-mail from a woman who was just learning to write case studies. Attached to the text was her first stab at writing a real-life testimonial. Part of one of the exercises in my book.First off, I'm happy that Writing Case Studies That Sell is helping people get up to speed in this niche market.In her case study, she named a large, but-rather-obscure company. I read the lead several

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1171563613883194582007-02-15T10:02:00.000-08:002007-02-15T10:20:13.896-08:00

You may have heard me speak during a recent teleseminar, or gotten my take on case studies right here on this page. The beauty of a case study is that it takes the focus off the company and allows the customer go on and on about how great a product is (boy, do I sound like a broken record).That said, I ran my new site http://www.mrcasestudy.com through Bryan and Jeffery Eisenberg's handy-dandy

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1171297975671851332007-02-12T08:20:00.000-08:002007-02-12T08:32:55.686-08:00

A hot topic during teleseminars that I take part in is how to get the word out. It's one thing adding case studies to your quiver, but quite another to beat the drums and get additional business.My stock answer to people just starting out is that case studies are a fantastic niche product. If I'm cold calling a client and roll into voicemail, I typically leave a message like this: "Hi, this is

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1170867135609619502007-02-07T08:33:00.000-08:002007-02-07T08:54:02.440-08:00

A case study is not a white paper. Here's why. A case study presents a high-level business case about how a product helps a person, company or team. A white tells the in-depth tale about a particular product or service. Period.This is an interesting subject and is currently under discussion on Michael Stelzner's blog: http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/Those of you just starting out may get

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1170694132329944692007-02-05T08:37:00.000-08:002007-02-05T08:48:52.346-08:00

For the most part, I've become rather weary of bean counters trying to put a number on success -- sometimes marketing communications just works. Let's leave it at that. In several teleseminars where I've been interviewed, the host asked me how success is measured with a case study.I typically bristle at this question. Gee, isn't it enough to gain goodwill from your customer, fodder for your

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1169833693130402882007-01-26T09:37:00.000-08:002007-01-26T09:49:26.063-08:00

One of the very cool things about writing case studies is that I'm able to learn about things that I would have never known existed. Granted, this is true for all styles of writing. Witness Dianna Huff's blog in which a writer talks about her love of learning new things http://www.marcom-writer-blog.com/?cat=4That said, the opportunity appears to me to be a bit wider as I write about people

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1169055283668742592007-01-17T09:26:00.000-08:002007-01-17T09:34:43.690-08:00

After being interviewed by David Garfinkle during a teleseminar last week, I got to worrying that a good portion of the listeners (173 writers dialed in) might be a bit fearful at branching out into this new area. At the end of the day, putting a new tool in your writing toolbox is an "action" item. It's not something you ponder over for hours and hours. As Nike is so fond of saying, "Just Do It

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1168452835811318052007-01-10T10:00:00.000-08:002007-01-10T12:21:15.133-08:00

I was struck by David Garfinkle's http://www.world-copywriting-institute.com/blog/ blog recently. He was remembering the passage of his father. Some of the most sage words his father ever spoke to him were that it would be a real gift to help technical people write easily.Well, I'm not sure I can turn water into wine, but a good case study writer is adept at taking heavy duty technical nonsense

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1167757444497191812007-01-02T08:59:00.000-08:002007-01-02T09:04:04.516-08:00

As I've suspected for quite some time, the writing community is eager to gobble up useful information on how to write case studies. Since we launched our website, Case Studies That Sell (http://www.casestudiesthatsell.com/), slightly more than a week ago, we've already sold 10 copies of How to Write Case Studies That Sell.Keep in mind, this is worldwide! One writer in Qatar purchased the text,

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1166722609744098832006-12-21T09:33:00.000-08:002006-12-21T09:36:49.746-08:00

I must say that I'm really excited about our new information product: How to Write Case Studies That Sell (casestudiesthatsell.com). It's actually a labor of love for my fellow writers. I've tried to put down everything I've learned in the past 20 years into a format that will help you make money writing case studies.I cover all the pertinent aspects of case studies, including the creative brief

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1164669506362951642006-11-27T15:02:00.003-08:002006-11-27T15:18:26.363-08:00

The target/opportunity component of your creative brief is where you really begin to see how defining your target audience (the point prior to this) is criticial. Conversely, if you aren't inside the head of who you are trying to communicate with, this is where that will show.Don't for a moment think that you can fake this step. It just won't work. Most of the time when I'm writing my creative

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1162592452363755082006-11-03T13:36:00.000-08:002006-11-03T14:20:52.416-08:00

Though each component of your creative brief is equally important, identifying your audience stands out as a must-have ingredient.By identifying your audience I don't mean just a general description. This step almost always involves some research. The idea is to become as granular as possible. You want to understand how the audience gets its information, what their age is, and how much their

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1161277398697146382006-10-19T09:54:00.000-07:002006-10-19T13:11:27.736-07:00

Any case study, if correctly written, must have a central point that it is attempting to communicate. I call this the Single Essential Proposition. Those of you in the advertising business may call it the USP, or Unique Selling Proposition.Whatever term you use, just make sure you come up with this key element. I look at the Single Essential Proposition as the universal set which lays over all

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1159211930316830242006-09-25T11:20:00.000-07:002006-09-25T12:53:12.180-07:00

The marketing objective compenent of your creative brief is concerned with gathering metrics. In other words, how will you know if your creative project is a success? It's not enough to simply hold up a case study, flashy brochure or data sheet and claim that your project had merit.I remember I directed a project for a high-tech firm. The deliverble was a very cool DVD that was a walkthrough 3D

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1157664372359536502006-09-07T14:04:00.000-07:002006-09-07T14:26:12.413-07:00

I've found that - before my fingers ever hit the keyboard or begin to research a case study - it's imperative to develop a creative brief.For those of you who have worked for ad agencies, I'm sure you are well-aware that the creative brief is an essential part of any successful project. Those who haven't used this tool, I strongly suggest leveraging its powerful force.In a nutshell, a

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1156612131513636922006-08-26T09:23:00.000-07:002006-08-26T10:08:51.616-07:00

To say the least, the case study niche is a subjective one. Some of my clients have the nasty habit of confusing this type of collateral with a data sheet. Just the facts, maam. The reader might see who, what, when, where, and how -- all with colons following them. The information is parsed out with the steely intent of a surgeon's scalpel. Very boring, to say the least. Plus, keep in mind that

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32972177.post-1155941645492963472006-08-18T15:51:00.000-07:002006-08-18T15:57:17.236-07:00

During the past almost 20 years I’ve written scores of Case Studies − also known as testimonials and success stories. That’s on top of generating countless pieces of marketing collateral, ranging from Web pages and data sheets to brochures and white papers.The No. 1 performer for any type of business solution I’ve written has always been and will always be the Case Study. Sales meets marketing

David Lelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05608142649517526682noreply@blogger.com1