How We Helped Lever Create 22 Case Study Assets in 12 Months

BY Laurie Zottmann
March 2, 2023

In a highly competitive industry, Lever’s ATS and CRM platform was gaining ground. But in order to truly rise above the crowd, they needed to turn out strategic case studies at scale.

With eager customers lining up to share their successes, the small customer marketing team only lacked the time to produce the stories effectively.

With Case Study Buddy, Lever gained a partner with tactical expertise and an enterprise-friendly process that delivered:

???? 22 targeted case study assets produced in just 12 months

???? 45% increase in written case study engagement

???? 5 assets created from a single case study interview

We spoke with Jill Shields, Senior Customer Marketing Manager at Lever. She shared how Case Study Buddy’s process empowered her team, put her customers at ease, and delivered a steady flow of case study assets that are driving Lever’s business goals forward.

CHALLENGES

Q: Why did Lever start looking for a case study partner?

Jill: Our sales team needed more case studies and a broader portfolio of stories to showcase Lever’s features and reach our different target segments.

At the time, we were producing case studies in-house. But since our customer marketing team had limited resources, we decided to find a partner to help us scale our efforts.

We really wanted to get the word out about the wonderful growth our customers were achieving with our platform compared to our competitors.

 

Some headlines on Lever’s customer stories page:

Headlines on Lever's customer stories page

Q: What were you looking for in a case study partner?

Jill: We wanted a partner that would be a good fit with our team, and who could produce case study assets that showcase our ideal customers and our platform’s key features.

On top of that, we wanted a partner who could do video testimonials as well as written case studies.

Q: Why not just stick with written case studies?

Jill: We had been talking about experimenting with different media and leveraging customer stories in different ways.

Q: How did you know Case Study Buddy was the right match for Lever?

Jill: We had a one-on-one conversation with the founder, Joel, where he explained Case Study Buddy’s process. It was so eloquent. I could see that the whole team would be there for us as partners through the journey.


“Our sales team told us they needed more case studies to grow our targeted verticals. We decided to find a partner to help us scale our efforts.”


SOLUTION

Q: Did that sense of partnership hold true when you started working together?

Jill: Case Study Buddy was very hands on, right from the start. They helped us develop SOPs around case studies, including a custom scoping brief that we now use to focus each project.

We fill in the brief with information about the customer we’ve selected for the case study and the different aspects of the relationship we’d like to showcase in the story.

 

An example of one of Lever’s case studies. This one was focused to promote Lever’s impressive scalability.

A case study title page

Q: Is focusing important for your case studies?

Jill: It is. In some cases, we want to highlight how the customer uses our data analytics solution, while in others, we might want to spotlight the impact of our integrations.

Case Study Buddy works with us to make sure that each story is unique and that they highlight the specific features of Lever that we want to promote.

Q: What happens after you’ve completed a case study brief?

Jill: Once a customer has agreed to do either a video testimonial or written case study with us, we introduce them to the Case Study Buddy team.

From there, the customer schedules an interview with them, either 30 minutes for a written case study or an hour for a video testimonial.

After the interview, Case Study Buddy shares the transcript with us and they produce the first draft.


“Case Study Buddy works with us to make sure that each story highlights the specific features of LeverTRM that we want to promote.”


Q: How do you make sure your case study assets fit your brand and business goals?

Jill: The Lever team provides feedback and edits on the first drafts, and the Case Study Buddy team then implements those edits. They’re always very accommodating, and they work with us to make sure that we’re comfortable with the way we’re represented in the written, audio, and video assets.

The same process applies for our customers. Case Study Buddy shares our approved drafts with our customer to ensure that they are being showcased in the way that is appropriate and positive for their business.

Q: Are you happy with the way your customers are handled?

Jill: Nothing is ever published unless our customer is happy with the way they are presented.

Our project manager at Case Study Buddy always keeps us in the know about the status and next steps of each project, and our customers get the same level of friendly communication as well.


“Nothing is ever published unless our customer is happy with the way they are presented.”


Q: How are you using your case study assets?

Jill: Once Case Study Buddy finalizes and delivers our assets, we post them on our customer stories page on Lever.co. Then, we share them with the customer to use in their own marketing and PR. Finally, we promote our case studies on our social media platforms.

 

A case study featured on Lever’s Twitter feed:

A Twitter post about a case study

RESULTS

Q: How productive has the partnership been for Lever?

Jill: In less than a year, Case Study Buddy has produced over 14 case studies for us. That works out to a total of 22 assets, including our first video testimonial.

From one interview, they can give us a written case study, a video testimonial, and an audiogram, which is a shareable audio clip from the interview. It’s really helpful to get multiple assets from one project.

 

A full-length video testimonial from Lever’s first multimedia customer success story project:

Q: Would it have been possible for your in-house production team to produce so many assets?

Jill: I do not believe that we would have been able to do that as effectively with our small team.

Working with Case Study Buddy has alleviated a lot of time from the marketing team. We can trust that they will deliver a powerful story every time. It’s been an amazing experience.


“We have total trust that Case Study Buddy will deliver a powerful story every time. It’s been an amazing experience.”


Q: Is your sales team getting the case studies they need?

Jill: The sales team at Lever is very happy with the number of case studies that we’re putting out for them to leverage. They’re sharing our assets with prospects, and our customer success organization is using them to combat objections at renewal.

Internal engagement with our case studies has grown by about 45% since we started working with Case Study Buddy.

Q: How has the partnership supported Lever’s overall business goals?

Jill: Working with Case Study Buddy has added value to Lever because we are able to share our customer stories to address the goals and questions of our prospects, as well as our customers who are curious about trying new solutions within Lever.

They’ve helped us prove that we can scale with our customers and that we have a really powerful solution to offer.

Q: Would you recommend Case Study Buddy to other businesses that want to scale up their case study output?

Jill: I would not hesitate to recommend Case Study Buddy.

As a manager who works with multiple vendors, I can honestly say that they are a great partner. It’s incredibly easy to work with them. I love the level of communication. I love the level of transparency.

My ultimate feeling with Case Study Buddy is comfort—I always feel like we’re in good hands. It’s a powerful thing for us to be able to rely on them and work together on these great customer stories. It means the world to us.


“My ultimate feeling with Case Study Buddy is that we’re in good hands. It means the world to us to be able to rely on them and work together on these great customer stories.” 


Q: What’s next in your case study program?

Jill: We’re excited to continue to work with Case Study Buddy on more video testimonials as well as written case studies and audiograms.

 

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