It doesn’t matter if you operate a local business or a global company with a professional logo design, customer stories (testimonials) can make your brand seem more human and more trustworthy. True stories that describe how your business helped real customers can have a significant impact on the perception consumers have of your brand.
1. People remember customer stories. When customer stories stir up emotions in people, they are more likely to be remembered. If those emotions are positive, that means people who remember the customer story are more likely to remember your brand positively, too. For example, when you publish a story about how your customer service team went above and beyond expectations to help a customer, people who are tired of poor customer service might recall the story and share it with their friends, family, and online connections, which could lead to more business for you.
2. Stories are more effective than overused and empty-sounding marketing messages. Instead of claiming “We exceed your expectations,” prove that you do it with a customer story. A lot of businesses claim to go the extra mile but few can prove it. You can be one of the few that can prove it with great customer stories.
3. Customer stories make your business more credible. While marketing claims can be unbelievable, stories are the opposite. People want honesty from businesses, and customer stories add that level of transparency that can set you apart from your competitors in consumers’ minds.
4. Customer stories make you look better than your competitors. If you’re competitors aren’t using customer stories to demonstrate that they actually deliver on their marketing messages, then a huge opportunity is waiting for you to differentiate your business.
5. You can use customer stories in a variety of ways to market your brand and business. You can publish them online and offline. You can use them on social sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and your blog. They work in commercials, brochures, and presentations. Most importantly, you can slice and dice customer stories so different audience segments get the specific messages that are most important to them.
6. Customer stories can support your brand position. What does your brand stand for? Use elements of customer stories to support your brand’s position in the marketplace relative to its competitors and demonstrate how your brand translates into amazing customer experiences.
7. Stories can be used again and again. There is no expiration date on customer stories. You can retell customer stories in different ways for different marketing purposes. Trim a story to 140-characters or less and publish it on Twitter. Create a video about the story and publish it on YouTube. Write a blog post about the customer story. The options are limited only by your creativity.
8. It’s easy to get customer stories. If your customers are satisfied with your products, service and business, then some of them are probably willing to talk about their experiences. Don’t be afraid to ask people to share their stories. You’d be surprised how many people are happy to help a business and brand that they support.
Bottom-line, there are customer stories out there waiting for you to gather and use for marketing purposes. Don’t leave that opportunity untapped. Follow the four steps below to start creating customer stories right now:
1. Search: Start contacting customers and ask them if they would be willing to share a story about your business, products, your logo design, or other services.
2. Gather: Conduct interviews or request stories from specific customers who are willing to help you.
3. Write: Put the story into words that your target audience would respond to and be sure to include customer quotes in the story.
4. Publish: Start using the story in marketing efforts and across the social web, so it has a chance to spread to broader audiences and boost word-of-mouth marketing.
The first step is reaching out to customers and asking for their help. Don’t be shy. Go out there and get those customer stories!