It Takes a Village
Summary:
As product marketers, we like to believe we have the best shot of making a case study happen
In reality, Sales and Customer Success are more important to the process than we are – which is why they have to want the case study to happen
Aligning each team around the need to tell customer stories by sharing the benefit to their team and the organization dramatically increases the likelihood it will happen
You're Not Alone
A common mistake many marketers and product marketers make when creating case studies is trying to do it alone. It makes sense – after all, the product marketer is the one whose asked to make the case study, they should make it happen.
However, your absolutely best friends when trying to create a case study are sales and customer success. These groups have more consistent touchpoints with your customers/prospects, and will be able to much more easily communicate the value for both sides in creating a customer story.
How to do it: Create a regular touchpoint with these groups where you can describe the kinds of stories you would like to tell, and all of you can brainstorm the ways you can get in front of and convince those customers to partner with you.
Making the case study a team effort multiplies your ability to talk to customers, and ensures that other teams are aligned to see everyone win.