Customer Success Stories Show You Solve Problems for Customers
Last week, the Hubspot blog ran a story with lessons from the MarketingProfs B2B Forum, "27 Marketing Lessons B2B Marketers Should Know."
I picked up some fresh new tips and important reminders.
You can accomplish several of the lessons with the help of customer case studies and success stories.
Here’s one of the lessons and how customer stories tie in…
"Solve problems for customers, and leverage marketing to demonstrate these solutions."
Isn’t that why you’re in business, to solve problems for customers, no matter what you sell?
Yet, often it’s not clear to potential customers if and how you can solve their problems – despite all you might invest in web and brochure copy.
You have to SHOW prospects…
-
The types of problems you solve
-
For whom you solve problems
-
How you solve those problems
-
And the end result of solving those problems
The best way? With examples of your happy customers’ successes.
Ultimately, prospects believe your satisfied customers more than they believe you. Always integrate that voice into your marketing.
Watch this space for more ways to use customer stories to achieve some of Hubspot’s B2B lessons.
Teleseminar for Coaches, Consultants and Solopreneurs – Weds, May 19
If you’re a coach, consultant or solopreneur, you’ll want to join this one-hour, no-cost call on Wednesday, May 19.
You may be one of the most experienced professionals in your field but if you can’t convincingly convey credibility to potential customers, then you may not win the client.
How do you set yourself apart and convey credibility?
Customer success stories.
Show that you deliver what your marketing messages promise by showcasing the experiences of your happiest, most satisfied clients.
In this complementary, one-hour teleseminar, Creating Credibility – and Sales – with Your Customer Success Stories, you’ll learn why and how to use customer stories to give yourself a competitive edge.
Customer Case Studies: The “Maybe” Language Legal Loves
In the world of customer stories, "legal" just might be our arch nemesis.
Where marketers look for strong, absolute endorsement statements from customers, legal reviewers at vendor and customer companies prefer muddier terms.
The language legal likes isn’t the clean and action-oriented phrasing marketers and copywriters have been taught to use.
It’s understandable. They don’t want it to appear that stellar results can always be expected.
Unfortunately, it’s the culture we live in.
This varies from company to company. The larger the vendor or customer company, the more likely legal reviewers will go to town with the "Track Changes" feature of Microsoft Word.
What does that mean?
One company in particular I’ve worked with has its legal sensitivity meter set extra high. If you want to work with them, you’ve got to shift your language from absolute, action words to kinda, sorta, maybe terms.
Here’s your guide to creating a case study legal will love. Substitute the "before" words with the following "after" phrasing:
Before After
Drives is intended to drive
Builds helps buid
Enables can enable
All campaigns some campaigns
Pays off can pay off
Increases is intended to increase
Analyzes can analyze
Automates is designed to automate
Triggers can be used to trigger
Wow, huh? That really takes the punch out of a customer case study or testimonial.
This mostly refers to the paraphrased part of your stories, not actual customer quotes. But at times legal will question customer quotes as well.
While this example maybe be more extreme, now you know how to get a story past the most persnickety legal gatekeeper – when you have to. But always start out with your strong, absolute language until you know it’s not going to fly.
Then you can kinda, sorta, maybe tone it down as needed.
Any stories to share in your battles with legal?
Order from this site and get TWO bonuses!
Companion ebooks to Stories that Sell!
Get the most out of Stories that Sell with The Marketer's Toolkit AND The Writer's Toolkit. These additional resources provide proven tips to help you succeed with success stories.
Recent Comments