You'll often see customer stories featured in our website, and there's a good reason for doing it -
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL AND APPLICATION STORIES WORK!
How do they work, and, why is that good for your company? Let us count the ways.
1) HOW DO THEY WORK?
Application stories increase your featured customer's or customers' visibility.
WHY IS THAT GOOD FOR YOUR COMPANY?
That customer's or customers' loyalty to your organization increases exponentially.
2) HOW DO THEY WORK?
In an application story, your prospects hear from the mouth of a peer the advantages of doing business with you.
WHY IS THAT GOOD FOR YOUR COMPANY?
We all put up a screen when we're looking at an ad - we're cynical, with good reason, and we don't really believe the claims. We put more credibility on a down-to-earth account describing real-world challenges and ways to conquer them.
3) HOW DO THEY WORK?
In an applications story, you get space. As you know, when you're developing an ad you have to choose one main point, one message that you want to drive. In a story, on the other hand, you can mention many features and benefits.
WHY IS THAT GOOD FOR YOUR COMPANY?
As a fisherman knows, choosing the kind of bait that just one fish likes is a risky proposition. Choosing and prioritizing benefits is one of the toughest tasks of the marketing communications team; there's ALWAYS the possibility that your ad will miss a good portion of the readership - who would otherwise maybe were ready to buy - because the message emphasized a point that is not the most important one from their point of view.
4) HOW DO THEY WORK?
Application stories provide good "general interest" information.
WHY IS THAT GOOD FOR YOUR COMPANY?
Your company's position as advanced/experts/go-to resource is secured. The magazine sees you as a valuable contributor and begins to rely on you for more articles. The circle goes on.
5) HOW DO THEY WORK?
Applications stories put a human face on your company.
WHY IS THAT GOOD FOR YOUR COMPANY?
This is where you see the old principle at work, "Nature abhors vacuum." When there's no image in the public's or publics' mind about an organization, the void tends to be filled with a vague mistrust, even a negative opinion, based on nothing but lack of information. Good application/customer testimonial articles begin building a reservoir of goodwill that can become very useful for example during rocky times; to improve relationships with your different publics; maybe for purposes of recruitment.
6) HOW DO THEY WORK?
Printed application stories drive your competitors wild with envy.
WHY IS THAT GOOD FOR YOUR COMPANY?
Ask your salespeople.
7) HOW DO THEY WORK?
Your salesforce begins to get very competitive; each salesperson wants to have "his" or "her" customers featured in an application story.
WHY IS THAT GOOD FOR YOUR COMPANY?
A competitive salesforce is a much more aggressive salesforce, as your VP of sales can tell you.
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