Why Case Studies Trump Advertising in Eye of the Consumer

As a recent (September 2007) issued a survey that sobering assessment of the advertising industry, the results served to reinforce a powerful truism: the factor of credibility, as it relates to marketing, it is more important than ever.

A study of J. Walter Thompson titled "Ad Industry Perception Survey" revealed that 84 percent of American adults feel advertising of products and services is "over-hyped," while 72 percent are in tune "tired of people trying to capture the my attention and sell me stuff. "

So what's a marketer to do? How do you climb the walls of resistance? What is an effective way to overcome the barriers of our potential customers erected in defense?

In both B2B and B2C sales, the answers back to credibility and trust. And a few other marketing materials to supply those attributes to your business case studies.

Case Studies - Customer success stories - bring a high level of authenticity, because the demands are not made through slick ads. Rather, these are provided extensive testimony from a real person.

Chances are, many of the potential customers who are on the market to have the same or similar dilemma as the firm or the person you profiled in a case study. When they are able to see in real-time solution your product or service provided, which is a powerful evidence.

Customers often ask "Where's the proof?" Case studies go a long way to substantiate the claims, an important consideration when trying to convert a cold prospect into a hot lead.

The advertising effort that is affecting most of today's consumers - caused by a 24/7 bombardment of all things business - Reiterates the need for case studies. The research case studies have shown a 75 percent effectiveness rate when used as part of a marketing campaign and copywriting.

So, next time you divvy the advertising budget, ask yourself: Can you afford not to have case studies in your marketing arsenal? ......