Photography Case Studies for Marketing

What is case study photography

Case study photography is what it say’s it is, the documentation or photographic illustration of a case, or sample of how a client works in the market, or a study of a practice such as an educator with their students.

In marketing terms a ‘case study’ is a way that a supplier can show an example in the real world how their skills or service can make a difference. It is a tried and tested marketing concept that shows with a few images how a supplier has produced results for their client.

In industry a process output can mean totally different things to different clients, producing chemicals is what a supplier does, but the end application in a variety of industries can be very different.

A telephone provider is simply the business a customer gets a phone and its supply of calls and connection to the wide world.

It can be by using case histories, that a company can have such a great BRAND that the customers shall use the brand, remain loyal and be happy to endorse the brand.

As a marketing idea it has been around for many years, early examples show satisfied customers using or consuming the product. Actors, celebrities and just photo models were and stall are used, but as audiences get more sophisticated and Trents change, now real people are used as case studies to show a positive vision to a wider audience.

In fact no case studies are a way that not only the ‘advertiser’ gets the benefit of exposure, but also the user can benefit from great PR or exposure that they can turn around for their own business or Brand.

If a sole trader is featured as a user of say a telecom company, the use of the images and possible video shall help promote both and although media may cost a lot, it can be so cost effective, going viral and providing all with great coverage.

Before the digital revolution, case study Advertising was often used, even massive campaigns were produced for services like American Express who would use Celebrities to endorse the product, the celebrity is still a useful aspect of Advertising, such as Nespresso & George Clooney, now across many platforms there are many influencers who are endorsing products for free stuff or great financial reward.

Are Case studies just the same?

I certainly hope there is a difference, case studies show ‘real world’ use, the service or product can be seen in context and the audience can be reached by email campaigns or on appropriate platforms.

Real people are seen as much more believable and often if its a specialist area may well be know in their field and that is giving more credibility to the service.

A photographer that is featured in a case study could for instance just use a make of camera such as a Nikon, the type of work they do can have great interest to a large audience of amateur and professional practitioners, the lens they use and the way they light a subject are going to be an extra insight, so the audience are gaining knowledge and are exposed to the Brand that could make them life long customers.

So when marketing campaigns are planned may I suggest that case studies are considered as part of the strategy, it maybe a difficult start to get customers to agree, but when they see others featured and hopefully getting positive reaction , then others shall be eager to be photographed, interviewed and even videoed.  This enables  your brand to gain a strong following and the loyalty that is experienced helps to develop a relationship that can endure.

Over the years I have photographed many ‘case histories’ from a football team who used Persil to wash their kit, too many clients who used a storage company. The variety of use was certainly interesting as many clients were E commerce start up’s — to Blue chip companies that used a storage Dept as a service engineer’s hub, where spares and products could be left and engineers just collect materials from a small lock up and don’t need to return to HQ or run a small warehouse. Once the human aspect of a business is communicated, potential clients do engage with the business,  even just a short background story and a portrait of a happy client can help communicate to others in a similar line of work.

A short video of work practice for the usual platforms can reach many and funnel the viewers to websites or direct action.

Those featured as a case study often find themselves with massive exposure, much more than they could generate themselves and they can repurpose the material ( with permission from client and any body with copyright interests such as music and photography).

A short video that features their business could cost hundreds, if not thousands, so if you are approached to be a ‘case history’ seriously consider the opportunity, it could be a game changer for your business.