A huge pile of data is begging to be repurposed that will save your time and help you create new content, but you decided to wait until now to use it?
Disappointed!
But I am glad at least now you are here. So let's not waste more time and see how you can repurpose internal data in 8 easy steps.
Step 1: Collect all the necessary documents
When repurposing internal data into a case study, you don't need to spend even one more second researching. Everything you need is already there. You just need to collect it from the different people working on that project, and if you already have access to that data, then you, my friend, can repurpose it in 7 steps ;)
Step 2: Go through all of it again thoroughly
I am sure the data will be massive, and you can't possibly remember every detail unless you are Sheldon Cooper with an eidetic memory. Let's just assume you are not. You need to go through the data thoroughly and refresh your memory so that you don't forget to include important points. Don’t forget to highlight those points.
Step 3: Draft the perfect title
This is the first thing that your audience will read. Like it or not, your audience's decision to open the case study to read it will depend on this. The best way is to include some pain point of your Target Audience or numbers. Personally, I am a big fan of numbers because they cannot lie. If you can combine numbers with pain points, that will be the best. For example - How we helped XYZ reach X billion people on LinkedIn in 30 days?
Step 4: Work on the summary
Once you have successfully created a bait with your title, time to tease them a little more. Provide a brief summary of the project but make sure to add a cliffhanger so that they have to read more. The goal here is to give a sneak peak.
Step 5: State the problem and provide the context
Now it's time to get into the details. Start by talking about the problem in detail. Which client and their details? What was the problem they were facing? For how long are they facing it? What alternatives didn't work for them? How is the problem affecting them? Once this is done you move on to the part where you became their knight in shining armour.
Step 6: Write about the objective and process
List out the objectives and write about the process you followed to help them achieve it. A tip - never portray anything you did as simple or easy. "We just" or "It was a simple..". You don't want to give your potential customer the idea that what you did is easy to do and that anyone can do it.
Step 7: State the results
When you are adding the results, don't just stick to stats and figures. You can also add testimonials, feedback and reviews of your client. Try to keep this section concise and to the point. Basically, no distracting element as you move from one result to another.
Step 8: Proofread and publish
Lastly, proofread the final case study, and make changes if required. At least get it proofread by two more persons apart from you. Make sure there are no grammatical, spelling or factual errors. Once this is done, you are all set to publish.
Start digging into your old data files and folders if you haven't already. They are waiting for you to repurpose them.
Arpita Lenka
A Social Media Marketer trying to streamline and simplify the content creation process with an aim to help you build more creative content efficiently.
