Story telling is an art, whatever form it takes, spoken, written or enacted. If done right, uncovering your customer’s story will resonate with the reader and effectively communicate.
The term case study can sound dry, dull and boring, I’m sure this is why more people use the term customer story. And just renaming this valuable marketing tool can give it a whole new personality and lease of life. A story is intimately more engaging. In our hearts we envisage ourselves sat around the fire side being transfixed and lulled by an elder who takes us to another place, another time.
When uncovering your customer’s story it’s essential to establish goals and the key message the story is trying to reveal. It’s the glue that binds the piece together. Central too is the business value and how the customer experiences it. Those ‘aha moments’ when people nod, agree and understand. Reading about this value, often in the form of a quote, can be enough to provoke the reader to think, ‘I want to experience those benefits’.
What’s more, once read and enjoyed customer stories are remembered, they might even spark the reader to ring the customer the story is about and talk directly to this product champion! Or the reader might keep the story or share it with peers and suddenly the reason to test and buy, is real.