5 Hottest Ways to Use Customer Stories in ‘10
Ever walked through the living room when someone else is watching TV (on your way somewhere else), and just had to stop right there and watch?
I’d be willing to bet it was a compelling story that drew you in (if it wasn’t some sultry hamburger ad).
Humans have always told stories and it’s still the best currency for communication.
If anything, we rely on stories more than ever to be seen or heard in a sea of messages.
What’s changed are the media we use.
So what’s hot now in sharing customer success stories and case studies?
Here are my 5 predictions for the hottest ways to use your stories in ‘10. Drop a comment on your top ways.
1. Blogs
An estimated 77% of active web users read blogs. They’ve proven to be powerful drivers of search engine traffic.
Even better, those following your blog are interested in your particular topic, giving you the perfect target audience.
Share your best customer stories on your blog – either in full or linked back to the full story on your website.
Focus on the customer’s experience and path to success, not just tooting your own horn.
And finally, be sure to get the customer’s permission before you publish anything with their name on it.
2. Twitter
Enticing Twitter content gets fresh eyeballs on your blog or website. A decent percentage of my own web traffic comes from Twitter.
Customer stories are among the more interesting pieces of content you can share.
Mention a compelling customer story and link back to it on your blog or website.
Several of my clients regularly Tweet their customer stories, proving to be a source of new traffic to their sites.
Be sure to give it a compelling headline, and keep the Tweet short to encourage Retweeting.
Remember to follow what has become Twitter protocol of sharing more helpful links/Tweets than self-promotional ones.
3. Video
Video continues its hot streak.
Consider capturing short versions of your customer success stories and comments on video, or use video technology that allows viewers to navigate to chapter marks.
Some surveys indicate two-thirds still prefer written stories, but if possible, have multiple ways that your audience can consume your stories.
Then post the videos on your website, blog, YouTube (the third largest search engine) and other sites like Viddler.
Check out more video tips here.
4. Sales Conversations
Sure, you may have your video and written stories nicely displayed everywhere.
But you don’t really know whether those powerful stories have reached the right prospects.
Make sure those hot prospects know your best customer successes. Encourage sales reps to tell them in sales conversations.
To that end, communicate clearly and often to reps where your customer case studies and success stories reside on your website or intranet.
Discuss those stories in sales meetings.
Do everything you can to ensure that when a rep talks with a prospect, she knows just the perfect story to mention in conversation.
5. Awards
I’m big on awards these days – after seeing some Fortune 500 companies jump at the chance to tell their stories for awards opportunities.
Why? We all like to be recognized for our efforts. Your customers are no different.
If they’re doing cool, best practices things, and your solution helps with that, find relevant awards programs and ask their permission to submit them.
You might be surprised how on board they get for an awards submission when they might not publish their story as a case study.
If your customer wins, their story gets natural publicity through the awards process.
Also, once you have all the juicy details, ask if you can make that public on your website.
What are your predictions for the hottest ways to use customer case studies and success stories right now?
Lock Your Customer Case Studies? Then Forget Social.
Put yourself in these shoes:
You just noticed a Tweet, or a LinkedIn or Facebook posting, that’s of interest to you. So you follow the attached link.
When you arrive, you hit a closed door – you have to fill out a form with your information in order to go further.
Would you leave? Probably.
When you follow social media links, you expect that content to be EASY and quick to access.
You should be sharing your customer case studies and success stories on social media. Relevant stories spread your ideas and solutions to new people.
That calls for keeping them free and open – not behind closed doors.
Social media is about sharing and interacting with others, first and foremost. Don’t bring them to locked content and make them give you something in return for the key,.
The rule of thumb: If you lock your case studies, then don’t publicize them on social media.
Better yet, don’t lock your case studies.
By leaving them free and open, MORE people will see them, increasing the chances that you’ll actually make a connection with a greater number of people.
What’s your take? Do you agree?
Buyers Link to Case Studies from Blogs, Wikis
In just the past six months, marketers have really begun embracing social media. They’re blogging, building Facebook fans and Tweeting.
Yet, much of it is still experimentation.
The question is, how do you get people to link to the content on your site from social media venues?
Case studies are a top draw for technology buyers, but mostly linked from blogs and wikis versus other social media, according to a recent report from IDG Knowledge Hub.
The report, Social Media and the IT Investment Process: Linking Social Conversations to Content, includes findings from a survey of 100 information technology buying team members regarding the links they most want to see.
According to the report, the wrong content types can be worse than none at all.
"Over 40% of social media participants are interested in pursuing links to vendor-generated content…Winners’ will be vendors that build a relevant content bridge to draw the conversation towards their own hosted platforms and insight."
What works?
The report points out that preferences vary by investment type, buying role and the type of business impact (technical, financial, business impact).
Here are the top three preferred content items for various social media tools:
Blogs
Case study, advertisement, tutorial/how-to
Discussion boards/forums
Tutorial/how-to, free-event registration, evaluation version
Messaging/live chat
Free-event registration, ROI calculator, presentation
Microblogs
Advertisement, technical knowledgebase, free-event registration
Social networks
Free-event registration, advertisement, ROI calculator
Wikis
Tutorial/how-to, technical white paper, case study
Do you track your content consumption by incoming links? What are you seeing in terms of linkage from social media?
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