Let your customers do the talking

In B-to-B
public relations, the strongest media coverage often comes from a well-told
story by a satisfied customer of our client.

The trick
is finding a customer with a good story who is willing to tell it to the
media. 

We often
find these stories by talking with sales teams and client service reps.  While it can be difficult to pry the
names out of their hands, once they understand that we are
Bullhorn not asking their
clients for a favor, but rather highlighting their client’s accomplishments,
they usually get on board.  If
client reps don’t see the value right away, they usually understand quickly
once they see a peer’s client featured favorably in an article.

There are
other ways to ferret out theses valuable candidates:

  • Put a
    sign-up form on your webpage.  Let
    customers go to a specific success page where they complete a form and tell you
    about their triumphs.
  • Ask
    customers what they are doing with your product/service.  If you distribute an e-newsletter,
    embed a survey.  If you have a
    Facebook site or use Twitter, ask your customers what they are doing that is
    new, unusual or successful.
  • Run a
    contest.  Ask customers to send in
    their best story.  If you use the
    story for marketing purposes, the customer will receive the tech toy of the
    moment, such as an iPad or Flip camera.

Once we
identify the right customer, we speak with them directly to get the details,
tenor and emotion of their story.

If they
are willing to speak with the media, the next step is to find the right media
outlet and reporter who may be interested in doing an interview about this
customer’s experience.  The
reporter will want a story that speaks to the concerns of his readers.  If there is a match, the results will
work for everyone: the client and their happy customer.

Here are a few examples of how customers can help tell your story:

Internet
Retailer

Credit Union Times

Digital Signage Today

 

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