Case Studies: When Measurable Results AREN’T Necessary
"Chris Strouth tweeted "sh*t, I need a kidney" then got one."
Whoa, what?
That’s the headline on one of Twitter’s new success stories, one of many about how the social media site has made a difference for people.
Twitter features a number of stories, but out of all of them, I needed to read that one – to know the rest of the story.
It’s powerful and moving, and it doesn’t feature a measurable result.
For years, I’ve counseled my clients on the importance of getting solid results into their customer stories. The more specific and measurable the numbers, the better, I say.
How much money does the solution save or make, or how much time does it save? Does it generate higher traffic, better customer satisfaction and so on. Whatever it is, we always try to measure the positive outcome.
But Twitter shows that you don’t always need numbers to move an audience. Sometimes it’s about the anecdote, one very specific mini story within a story.
A customer success story I’m working on right now features an anecdote instead of a measurable result.
A bank advertising with one of the country’s local city Business Journals got a big new client from an ad. They can’t really measure how many new clients come from their repeated advertising, but an anecdote about one particular customer adds major impact to the success story.
It’s a reminder, when pursuing results, don’t just ask for the numbers, but dig for those mini stories as well.
I like to ask on interviews, "Can you think of a specific time or example where the solution made a difference for you?"
Afterall, it’s really about the power of story, and an anecdote packs the power of story in a small package.
Chase Those Customer Stories – Before Treasured Contacts Leave!
What a difference a couple of months makes...
Earlier this summer, I was talking with a friend/associate about customer stories. The web developer was excited to capture a case study on one of his customers who had a great experience with his firm.
Not only did the web site deliver for the company but the main contact was a dream - eloquent, intelligent and very happy with the web firm's services.
When I caught back up with my friend a couple of months later, the story was dead, a no-go. What happened?
That prized contact had left the client company - retired. And worse, no one else at the client company could really tell the story of the relationship with the web firm. Ouch.
I've seen this happen dozens of times. Organizations lose their strongest customer stories because they're ultimately not fast enough in capturing them.
Knowledge and experience about working with your products and services resides with people, and when those people leave, so too goes the information.
Even if you stay in touch, they're no longer employed with a title at that company or have the authority to provide the details or be interviewed for a case study.
It's understandable that this happens and sometimes unavoidable even when you pursue stories promptly. Contacts can leave abruptly, and most marketers juggle much more than just customer case studies.
But when those client contacts are gone, those stories are usually lost forever.
The lesson: Grab your customer case studies and success stories at just the right time...
(1) As soon as it makes sense, meaning you have results to document
and
(2) Before your valued contacts move on
What incredible customer stories are just waiting to be told at your organization? Call your contacts NOW.
Survey Says…Case Studies Still Influential in B2B Tech Purchases
We all work hard to create attractive content. But just how useful is it in actually influencing buyers?
Each year, I look forward to The Eccolo Media B2B Technology Collateral Survey Report, which opens the lid on how B2B technology buyers consume marketing content.
Of course, I want to know, what's going on with customer case studies?
Again, this year's just-released report didn't disappoint. Eccolo and Global Marketing Insite collected responses from 501 participants, who were C-level execs, VPs, directors, managers, developers/programmers and technicians - all of which participate in technology purchase decisions in some way.
The survey asked about multiple types of content:
- White papers
- Case studies/success stories
- Podcasts
- Video
- Product brochures/data sheets
- Company web pages
- E-books
- Social media sites
- Blog posts
- Presentations
That list alone shows the diversity of marketing content that buyers consume. In fact, that was one of their main conclusions, buyers look at LOTS of different info.
Here are some key findings:
Buyers like their options - As new collateral types gain popularity, technology purchasers don’t appear to be abandoning any single form of collateral, but rather taking advantage of a broader range of choices.
50 percent had consumed a case study in the past six months when evaluating a technology purchase.
Consumption has dropped...Consumption of case studies dropped 17 percentage points year over year, along with drops in consumption of white papers and brochures/data sheets, but...
...when consumed, they are more influential than ever. When asked to describe the influence of a case study on the purchasing decision, 68 percent called them "very" or "extremely influential," up from 39 percent in last year's survey.
Case studies are just behind white papers among most influential collateral types.
"Share This" buttons make content seem more valuable. Oddly, just the option of sharing on social media gave the perception that the content was more worthwhile.
Tech buyers like LONG stories - 48 percent preferred case studies to be four pages in length.
A majority prefer written - 62 percent prefer written case studies while 37 percent say video.
The majority read on the desktop, but give them print options - 58 percent read case studies on the desktop while 23 percent say they download/print them. The remaining viewed on smartphones, tablet devices or received them in hardcopy form.
Mix your media - High numbers indicated that embedded interactive content like audio and video positively influenced the affect of written content.
Buyers get case studies from web sites - Web sites are the most common place to get case studies, with personal contact and direct response following next.
They consume case studies early in the cycle - 41 percent consume case studies in the pre-sale phase while 37 percent consume them in the initial sale period (vs. mid or late in the cycle).
Eccolo concludes...
"Purchasers expect you to offer collateral that provides information they can use — not just information about particular products. That requires investing considerable time and thought into the development and maintenance of a content marketing library that you can deploy across as many channels as necessary."
Want more info? Check out the full report.
Marketers, how does this information affect your content marketing plans moving forward?
Customer Stories Q&A – Live on Facebook
This Wednesday, I'll be the guest expert on a live Q&A on Erin Blaskie's Facebook page.
Come join me and Erin at 1 EST on Sept. 28, and bring your questions about marketing with customer case studies and success stories!
Click over and like Erin's page to join in.
Learn more about Erin, entrepreneur and owner of BSETC.
How HP Case Studies Cater to Readers and Skimmers
Over and over, we hear that most buyers don't really read marketing copy, but rather skim it. So how does that affect the way you present customer stories?
First, that may not always be true. Some skim while others want to read more. Or, someone might intially skim but read more closely further into the buying cycle.
Given that, it's important to structure your customer case studies and success stories to meet the needs of both types of readers.
One of the best ways is to summarize all the key information on page one of a multi-page story in a sidebar. On a web summary, do the same. Give the highlights and then offer the option of reading and/or downloading the full story.
HP does this nicely in a story featuring a restaurant customer...
Page one of the four-page story includes very little text. Instead it highlights the objective, approach, IT improvements and business benefits in a sidebar section.
It's not just critical because it's a four-page story. If it's a two-pager, or even a one-pager, feature that sidebar summary early on.
Skimmers have all the info they need right there. But for those who want more, there's the detail unfolding in the accompanying text.
You get all the can't-miss highlights out there quickly and readers can decide if they want more detail.
And remember, prospective customers aren't just reading your content online. If you create a downloadable PDF version, they can grab it, email it to colleagues or print it.
What other ways do you cater to readers AND skimmers in your customer stories?
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