The Who, What, When, Where & Why of case studies
September, 2025
Why case studies are essential for effective marketing.
Let’s consider three basic questions about customer case studies. Are they important, are they worth the investment, and should you do them? It will come as no surprise that my answer to these questions is yes. But why? I contend that case studies are the single most important marketing tool. But read this blog and see what you think.
As a vehicle to convey the importance of case studies and answer these questions, I’ve applied the classic news reporting device for capturing the essence of a story. That is the Five Ws of journalism – Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Journalists use the Five Ws as a checklist to gather and present critical information in a news story. The device is designed to ensure a report is complete, concise, and clearly communicates the main facts, typically at the top of an article to inform readers quickly.
Who
‘Who’ is who you want to see, read and be moved by a case study. There could be several ‘whos’ but the main one is prospects. These are the businesses and organisations that you want to target to buy your products and services. Others ‘whos’ could include existing customers showing them what other customers are doing, highlighting success, and as a means of sharing knowledge and best practice. Employees and business partners are also ‘whos’ because case studies about their work and efforts, celebrate and recognise their success.
What
What is a case study? It is a showcase about the effectiveness and impact of your products, services and solutions and how they help businesses and organisations achieve their goals. They are independent validators of what you do and why you do it well. They lend credibility to your sales and marketing outreach.
When
If you are thinking of using our services, I might propose all the time, but that’s presumptuous! Seriously, when should you do a case study? It is tempting to go for one almost as soon as you have made a sale when the customer is keen and excited about you. That is certainly possible, but it is not necessarily the best time. Depending on the nature of your business, wait a few months so the customer has had time to use your product or service. Then they will have something meaningful to say, and critically, have some tangible results to share.
Where
Everywhere, surely? Well hold on a second. Of course, you want as many people as possible to see and read the case study, especially among your ‘who’ or key audiences. And the ‘where’ will most likely be driven by where your audiences source their information to support buying decisions. But also consider this, which merges ‘where’ with another ‘when’. With a bit of judicious thought and planning you can make the case study work harder for you. For instance, if your case study has a great benefit statistic like saving £500,000 every year – that is the basis of a press release. Send out and post the press release before publishing the full case study. One story, two hits. And there are many more examples like that.
Why
Although it goes against the premise of this blog (key point first), I have left the most important point to the end. And to keep it simple here are ten reasons (there are more) ‘why’ you should produce and use case studies.
- Independent, customer-voiced endorsement of your products and services
- Maximised marketing spend because one case study can be used in multiple ways
- Shows real, tangible results and benefits
- Supports brand awareness and reputation building
- Supports sales and marketing
- Highlights differentiation and competitive advantage
- Demonstrates best practice
- Celebrates employee success
