Using case stories as reference marketing tool

USING CASE STORIES AS REFERENCE MARKETING TOOL

LEMARCOPATRICK DALLE

Monday 24 June 13

recommendations from people i know

consumer opinions posted online

branded websites

online ads

0 25 50 75 100

67

42

30

8

33

58

70

92

Nielsen - Global trust in advertising survey - Q3 2011

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TRUST DON’T TRUST

Monday 24 June 13

3

Reach-out

InteractEngage

Reach-out activities towards

targeted audiences

Encourage lead conversion via call to actions

Build relationship through content marketing and

loyalty programs

ARIE - referral marketing framework

Align

Align around common

objectives

Monday 24 June 13

‘Sales and marketing alignment begins with the customer.’

FORBES - 2013

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Align

Monday 24 June 13

Planning starts with aligning

• Business alignment– Sales & Marketing must play the same game in the same

team

• Audience alignment– Which type of customers do we really (not) want?– Which prospect categories should we address ?

• Sales cycle alignment– Which messages should we bring depending on the

prospect’s decision process?

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Align

Monday 24 June 13

‘80% of B2B purchase cycles are completed before the buyer considers contacting the vendor.’

FORBES - 2013

Product,features & pricing

5% conscious & logical

Most of our time & sales efforts are spent here,

where it’s LEAST EFFECTIVE

95%Perception

Unconscious &emotional

CUSTOMERS BUY PERCEPTION IN FIVE MINUTES OR LESS

They spend the rest of their time with you justifying their emotional

decision with logic

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Monday 24 June 13

Where in the sales cycle will our case stories be used?

Define needs Evaluate alterna4ves

Risk evalua4on & ac4on

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Align

Latent pain

Pain

Monday 24 June 13

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Align

Monday 24 June 13

From latent pain to pain



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Align

Latent pain

Pain

Hope!

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Matching your case story content with shifting buying concerns



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Align

Latent pain

Pain

Monday 24 June 13

Shifting buying concerns

NEEDS

SOLUTION

PRICECOST

RISK

Level of concern

PhaseDefine needs Evaluate alternatives Evaluate risk & price

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Align

Monday 24 June 13

Reach-out: from word-of-mouth to word-of-mouse

• Storytelling !• Use the power of online media• Stretch to offline PR and influencer relationships

– Microsoft– HP– Datanews– Federations– ...

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Reach-out

Monday 24 June 13

Storytelling - features, advantages & benefits

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Reach-out

Monday 24 June 13

Storytelling - features, advantages & benefits

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Reach-out

Your customer’s story:

‘How much was revenue increased?”’“How far did we reduce costs?’

What is the solution really worth to you?How did it change your life?

FEATURE STATEMENT“A folded piece of absorbent material that is placed between a baby's legs and fastened at the waist to contain excretions.”

ADVANTAGE STATEMENT “The baby will remain dry all night.”

BENEFIT STATEMENT “The baby will be happier, which is the mother’s main concern.”

Monday 24 June 13

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Reach-out

• Editorial calendar for case stories• Online reach-out plan• Good SEO practices• Make it easy for advocates to refer to your case

stories

Use the power of online media

Monday 24 June 13

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Write once, reach many

your website

affiliate sitesmicrosoft.com

your blog

linkedIn.com

facebook.com

SEOgoogle.com

your eNews

twitter

your companymagazine

Reach-out

from Word-of-Mouth to Word-of-Mouse

Monday 24 June 13

Good SEO practices

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• On-page SEO– (fresh) quality content– good code architecture– general rule: what people like to read wil bring you

better rankings

• Off-page SEO– quality and natural inbound links to your website

Reach-out

Monday 24 June 13

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Interact

• Online solution demos• Video case stories• Premium content & whitepapers• Exent online to offline marketing activities

– Livemeetings– Customer visits– Company magazines

Complement with call to actions

Monday 24 June 13

‘Word of Mouth recommendations result in 3 to 5x higher conversion rates than other channels.’

- Extole Referral Marketing Guide

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Engage

Monday 24 June 13

Engage into a 1-to-1 relationship with customers and prospects

• Apply a smart content marketing strategy

• Monitor & keep the referral program top of mind

• Extend with an (offline) customer intimacy approach

• Make a compelling online offer

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Engage

Monday 24 June 13

6 degrees of separation

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Engage

Monday 24 June 13

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4 criteria:1. Compelling2. Unique3. Balanced4. Tested & optimized

Engage

Make a compelling offer

Monday 24 June 13

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Customers referred by other customers...

– have a higher contribution margin

– have a higher retention rate

– are more valuable in both the short and the long run

‘The average value of a referred customer is at least 16% higher than that of a nonreferred customer.’Source: Referral Programs and Customer Value, Schmitt, Skiera, & Van den Bulte

Engage

Monday 24 June 13

Our 4 key take-aways

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1. Align - make sure Sales & Marketing are playing the same game... in the same team

2. Reach-out - use the power of Word-of-Mouse

3. Interact - complement your case stories with Call-to-Actions

4. Engage - make a compelling offer engaging existing customers

Monday 24 June 13

• developing their strategic vision

• optimizing their messaging strategy and content creation

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WE TRANSFORM TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES INTO BUSINESS LEADERS

Monday 24 June 13

Corporate branding & B2B campaigns…

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Customer testimonials …

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Video productions & software demos

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Personalized whitepapers & B2B magazines

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[email protected]

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Monday 24 June 13