B2B SaaS businesses operating in healthcare, compliance and other regulated industries often work with organisations such as hospitals and government agencies. Even when they have completed a successful project, they may not be allowed to disclose the client’s name.
It’s for these reasons that I have decided to write this guide. While working with these types of B2B SaaS businesses, I had to find a simple workaround that would allow them to build social proof through their content without compromising client relationships or confidentiality requirements.
So, here is a simple way to write case studies without naming your clients.
Present the Client as an Anonymous Organisation
The simplest alternative to disclosing clients’ names in any marketing material is to present each client as an anonymous organisation within a particular industry or category.
For example, instead of calling your case study “How We Helped X Hospital Achieve a 78% Time Saving”, you could use “How We Helped a Major Australian Hospital Achieve a 78% Time Saving”.
If you worked with a state government organisation, you could describe it as “a public sector organisation” or “an Australian government agency”. You can then focus the title on the outcome you helped it achieve.
Keep Confidentiality Requirements in Mind Before Publishing
Even if the case study will be anonymous, check any confidentiality agreements before publishing and confirm which project details can be shared. Anonymising a client does not automatically give you permission to disclose confidential information, so obtain approval if necessary.
Use Details in Your B2B SaaS Case Study
Provide as much relevant detail as you can. Think about the client’s situation, the constraints they faced and the numerical outcomes you achieved, if those numbers can be shared.
The more specific the case study is, the more likely it is to resonate with prospective clients, meet them where they are in the buyer journey and establish credibility. That is the whole point. In B2B marketing, credibility is king.
How to Structure a B2B SaaS Case Study
I have been using this case study outline for years and it works consistently, and I use it on my website too. Although this article focuses on B2B SaaS marketing, the same structure can be applied to businesses in many other industries. It includes three main sections.
The Problem
Introduce the organisation and provide relevant context about what it does, the industry in which it operates and the problem that led it to contact you. Explain how the problem affected its performance.
The Approach
Explain the approach you used to address the problem. Describe what you did and the different stages of the project. You should also explain why you selected that approach instead of another one because this helps demonstrate the expertise behind your work.
The Results
Describe what changed for the client. Where available, include real numbers that summarise the outcome. These might include time or resources saved, increased efficiency, reduced waste or similar.
If exact figures cannot be disclosed, you can still describe the result using ranges or qualitative outcomes.
Why Website Case Studies Matter for B2B SaaS Companies
Social proof is one of the major drivers of influence from a psychological standpoint. Case studies help you do just that. They allow prospective clients to recognise problems similar to their own and see how you have helped comparable organisations. This will make them more confident that you understand their situation and that you can help them achieve a similar result.
For a conversation about how to leverage your previous projects and social proof for your B2B business, get in touch.
