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You tell your story best, right? Not always. Your existing clients and customers can often provide inspiration for your most powerful content and story ideas. That is, if you let them. This session will help you discover compelling and engaging new content that literally speaks the language of your best customers. See real-life examples of customer-inspired content, how they evolved and how to weave similar storytelling techniques into your own organization’s content marketing.
Citation preview
@goldasich • #cmworld
Customer Stories:How to Unlock an
Abundance of New Content
Deana GoldasichWell Planned Web, LLC
@goldasich • #cmworld
@goldasich • #cmworld
Customer Stories
1. Introduce
2. Shut Up
3. Get Out of the Way
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Customer Stories
Create
Imagine
Dream
Direct
“Brilliance” Is Less About How Well You…
Customer Stories Can’t Come From a Controlled Vision
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Customer Stories
Facilitate
Capture
Glean
Listen
Customer Stories Become Your Story.
“Brilliance” Is More About How Well You…
@goldasich • #cmworld
Do Customer Stories Really Matter?
Producing content that engages
prospects
—B2B Content Mktg: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets &Trends
#1 Challenge for Content Marketers today:
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Do Customer Stories Engage?
Business decision makers say:Friends & colleagues are the #1 influencer of B2B purchase decisions.
8 out of 10 consumers say that opinions and recommendations from people they don't know indicate brand quality and influence what they buy.
— Bazaarvoice Survey
70% of Content Marketers say: Case Studies are “Effective” or “Very Effective.”
—B2B Content Mktg: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets &Trends
@goldasich • #cmworld
Do Customer Stories Really Matter?
Producing enough content
—B2B Content Mktg: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets &Trends
#2 Challenge for Content Marketers today:
@goldasich • #cmworld
1 Customer Story
1 Internal Customer Email
2 Infographics9 Blog Posts
10+ External Drip Emails
2 White Papers 3 Case Studies
11 Testimonial Quotes
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• 3D Interactive Animations• 3D Cutaways / Exploded Views• 3D Product Images/Spinners• Interactive Floor Plans• Architectural Renderings• 3D Set Shots / Interiors
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Multiple Stories = Abundant Content!
COMPANY CUSTOMERS
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Position Your Customer. Not Your Brand.
( Psst! It’s not about you. )
@goldasich • #cmworld
Positioning Your Customer
1. Make the customer the HERO.
– They saved the day.
– They came up with the solution.
– They reaped the rewards.
You may have created the solution, but your customer owns the
experience.
@goldasich • #cmworld
Positioning Your Customer
1. Make the customer the HERO.Whirlpool Quote:
“In our dishwasher animation, you
actually see the tool going in,
tightening bolts, connecting wires,
and showing how everything works
together.
@goldasich • #cmworld
Positioning Your Customer
1. Make the customer the HERO.Whirlpool Quote:
“We realized you don’t want a
person in the demonstrations
because they take up too much real
estate – especially when your
customer is viewing the demo on a
small screen like a smart phone.”
@goldasich • #cmworld
Positioning Your Customer
1. Make the customer the HERO.Whirlpool Quote:
“Feedback from our consumers
is that the animations are great.
In fact, they’re asking us to add
interactive animations to our
product Use and Care Guides.”
@goldasich • #cmworld
Positioning Your Customer
1. Make the customer the HERO.
Mentions of “Whirlpool” (customer) = 24
Mentions of “MediaLab” = 1
Check the ratio of Company to Customer mentions
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Positioning Your Customer
2. Make the customer RELATABLE.
VS.
Who would you rather meet?
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Positioning Your Customer
2. Make the customer RELATABLE.
“The past solution was less than ideal.”
“It just wasn’t the ‘wow’ we had hoped for. We felt stuck.”
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Positioning Your Customer
2. Make the customer RELATABLE.
“We found a program that satisfied the leadership team.”
“We finally found a better way…and no more tug-of-war between departments.”
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Positioning Your Customer
2. Make the customer RELATABLE.
“We saw a 76% lift in sales within the first 26 days.”
“Our team was floored. 75% lift in sales? We hadn’t seen that kind of spike in five years.”
@goldasich • #cmworld
Positioning Your Customer
3. Make their story RELEVANT.
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Positioning Your Customer
Make Them:
1. Hero
2. Relatable
3. Relevant
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Gathering the Story
Think Like a Reporter.Not a Writer.
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Research
Ask your “front line”:– Sales people– Customer Service reps– Account Managers– Social Media managers
“Who should we talk to on the customer side?”
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Research: Who Should Conduct the Interview?
– Sales people– Customer Service reps– Account Managers– Social Media managers
You want the 30,000 foot view.
Don’t send someone who’s on the front line.
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Research: Who Should Conduct the Interview?
– Content Producers– Content Managers– Facilitators– Storytellers
– Outside Agencies
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Prepare to Listen
The Surprise StoryThe Assumed Story
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Prepare to Listen Assumed Story:• Cost Savings• Simplified Process• Smooth Product Launch
Surprise Story:
• Haven-like environments impossible without 3D Set Shots
• Not locked into one vision
• Control over every detail
• Using images everywhere — even as art at corporate and showrooms.
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Prepare to Listen
PREP with WIDE-OPEN "questions.”
– B2B:• Tell me a little about your role at Acme. (B2B)• Describe the biggest challenge you face in your role. • Explain how your team is organized. (B2B)• Describe why you decided to start researching “X.”
– B2C:• Tell me about your family/car/dog/skin • Explain your desire for a better “X.” (B2C)• Describe how/why you decided to start shopping for “X.”
@goldasich • #cmworld
Prepare to Listen
PREP with FOCUSED questions. (then hope you won’t need them)
• What made you decide to consider [company]?• What was your experience with [company]? Who did you work with?• You mentioned your prior search for “X” was “fruitless.” Can you tell me more
about that?
Relevant questions draw out
relevant stories.
@goldasich • #cmworld
Get Comfy
• Set the stage. – Introduce yourself– You’re here to hear their story.– Tangents are welcome.– Use questions as a reference… not a form.
Facilitate. Don’t interrogate.
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Interview
• The Extremes:– Low Energy / Quiet
• Bring your energy to the table
• Linger on open-ended questions
• Shy = Dry: Make it a brag-safe environment
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Interview
• The Extremes:– High Energy / Talkative
• Meet their energy level.
• Focused questions keep things on track (relevant)
• Let them talk! Keep `em focused.
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Record It!• Let’s you be a reporter, not a
secretary
• Keeps it relaxed, conversational
• Let’s you bite off more than you can chew(you can chew it later!)
SoundNote
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Unfold the Master Story• Transcribe First!• Highlight:
• Sound bites / Quotes• Background• Problem• Challenge• Resolution• Results• Tangents• Other relevant nuggets• Don’t fear emotional tidbits
Now think like a writer!
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You’re Not Done Yet…
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Maximize Your ROI(Return on Interview)
@goldasich • #cmworld
Maximize Your ROI (Return on Interview)
Contribute• Build a database of
content– White paper snippets– Case studies– Stats– Blog ideas– Anecdotes – Quotes– Future content
Distribute• Create a tagging strategy• Collaborate
@goldasich • #cmworld
Maximize Your ROI (Return on Interview)
Taglaboration: n. 1. the act of tagging one’s content for easy reference,
usage and love by others.
@goldasich • #cmworld
7 Customer Interviews
2+ Infographics9 Case Studies 46 Blog Posts
20+ External Drip Emails
42 Testimonial Quotes
3 White Papers
3+ Internal Customer Emails
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From This
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To This!