Customer reference programmes and reputation management

Posted by Carey on Apr 5, 2011 in Copywriting, Customer references

Customer reference programmes have been a recurring theme at the start of 2011 for HN. Of course, case studies and testimonials have always been a valued marketing asset and so it shouldn’t be surprising that they come under scrutiny from time to time. Do we have the right stories? Are we getting the best value from them? However, for some time now, the role of customer references has been changing; perhaps that’s the case in your organisation, too.

Once the mainstay of reinforcing a company’s credentials and acting as a proof of capability, customer references have moved into the front line and are being used to engage with prospects and build reputation—often well in advance of any sales visit. As a consequence, the traditional format of the case study, structured along the lines of problem, solution, results, is woefully inadequate.

What makes a good customer reference?

Modern case studies need to tell a story and engage on an emotional as well as on a logical business level. They must provide a plot and well-rounded, believable characters to draw the reader or viewer in. The formulaic writing styles and reporting of the past just won’t cut it. The story must be told from the customer’s view point with the vendor’s angle getting second billing. This can make some of our clients feel uncomfortable—until they start to get some feedback from sales and new customers about just how influential this new style of customer reference has been, that is.

How customer references support the buying process

IT decision-makers are better informed than ever and reputedly a sceptical bunch. They still value the opinion of their peers greatly and reference stories are a great way to capture this opinion. Customer references can act as powerful door-openers, but only if the content has been developed from the off to do this job.

This rule applies to every piece of content, actually, and it’s fundamental to consider where and how the communication will support the buying process so that the structure and information imparted align with the decision-making stages.