Getting Your Customers To Help You

How Your Current Customers Can Help You Develop Your Business In More Ways Than You Can Imagine

Customers are powerful creatures.

They have the potential to make your business and also break it.

Is being a customer just about buying from you? Believe it or not this is only part of the story if you want to unlock some of the true potential of you customers.

How can the following be achieved?

# Create a more loyal customer
# Get your customer to generate you referrals
# Increase the life time value of your customer
# Help you improve and develop your products/services
# Generate potential customers who can better visualise your products/services in their life
# Help your business increase its media exposure
# Give your business extra credibility especially as they’re unbiased
# Increase your marketing collateral

Simple – use case studies!

So what is a case study?

Simply, I’m not talking about a dry academic or scientific document. They are essentially product or service success stories.

Case studies tell a happy tale that goes something like this:  

ACT ONE. Customer A has a problem. He looks for a solution …

ACT TWO. Customer A is introduced to a new product by Company B. Hopeful, but cautious, he decides to give it a try.   

ACT THREE. Happy ending! The product from Company B works like a charm. Customer A is delighted. It solves all his problems. He raves about it.

What do they look like? 
 
Case studies are usually a page or two in length (although some are longer), and published online, or in print or as an Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format), or any combination of all three. 
 
You’ll find case studies featured on websites, handed out by salespeople, incorporated into press releases, used in ads in fact, just about everywhere as marketing collateral.

In this type of project where copy is king and design plays an important, but supporting role. 

Case studies are astonishingly versatile. You can use them in just about any sales, marketing or public relations communication or campaign. You can even created a successful print advertisement based on a case study.
 
How can we use a case study?

1. Use it in a press release. A case study can quickly be abridged and reformatted into a press release. Be sure to note in the release that a more detailed, expanded case study version is available. Editors might pick it up.

2. Mail or email it to prospects and customers. This is a terrific way to keep in touch, raise awareness about a new product or service, and even convert prospects into customers.  

3. Give it to salespeople. Salespeople love case studies. They use them in presentations, to illustrate key points and as testimonials. A case study is often more convincing than a brochure.  

4. Post it on your web site. Want to improve traffic to your site? Adding new, valuable content is a proven strategy. A case study certainly qualifies.

5. Use it as a story in your newsletter or e-zine. Success stories based on real-world applications get the highest readership in company newsletters and e-zines.  

6. As a speaking topic. When an executive needs to give a talk at a meeting or conference, a case study makes an excellent presentation. The content can easily be converted into PowerPoint slides. The printed case study itself can be used as a handout.  

7. In lead-generation programs. A case study makes a terrific free giveaway in an ad, email, direct mailer and on a website.

8. For testimonials. Testimonials help make benefits believable. The quotes gleaned from happy customers for the case study can also be used with permission, of course in ads, brochures, websites and more.  

9. As a trade show handout. Case studies are a great way to break through the clutter of flyers and brochures that permeate trade shows.

As you can see, a case study is a valuable asset to any marketing toolkit. Go and talk to your customers today and get them involved in a case study. Remember the benefits you can gain.

Until next time

Tim & Chris