Week 22 | Success Stories

Week 22: Success Stories

DIYSB Small Business Marketing Gude | Week 22: Success Stories
In the past, sales and marketing departments viewed success stories as “icing on the cake”, but not required or top-priority marketing collateral. Today, business customers are more demanding. Customers want this real-world proof that a business’s solution has been successfully implemented at a competitor to justify their investment in the product. This poses a critical challenge for businesses: They must produce short success stories in each of their target verticals.

  • Examples aid understanding. Examples improve understanding of complex business issues and solutions. Most people have struggled with a difficult concept, only to understand it when someone says, “for example.”
  • Success stories generate empathy. Properly written success stories enable the reader to empathize with the problem or challenge that the customer in the story faced—in many cases, because the reader faces a similar problem.
  • Success stories are credible. Success stories ring truer with readers than marketing brochures, because success stories relate a factual situation rather than subjective claims.
  • Success stories tell a tale. Everybody loves a story. The success story writer weaves a tale that enables readers to take the first step towards solving a complex, and potentially expensive, business challenge.
  • Success stories address a specific audience. Most enterprises that adopt success stories as a key marketing vehicle tailor at least one success story to each main audience they target. The goal is for each reader to be able to closely identify with the customer in the relevant success story.
  • Success stories can demonstrate ROI. In some success stories, the benefits of the solution can be quantified—which enables documentation of a return on investment (ROI). This can present a compelling case for adoption of the solution.
  • Success stories promote customer satisfaction. By bringing closure to a successful customer project, success stories can increase customer satisfaction. Some enterprises provide a pdf file, printed copies, and even a framed hard copy of the final success story to their customers as a form of thanks. This framed copy, hanging on the wall of the customer’s office, is a symbol of the successful relationship between the customer and the solution provider.

Weekly Goal: Write 1 short success story about a product. You will be able to use this content on your website, blog and other social media outlets.

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