The Four Stops On the Way To Compelling Customer Story Content

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Customer Stories|The Four Stops On the Way To Compelling Customer Story ContentAsk any experienced marketing professional about the top moves you can make to accelerate your marketing campaigns at any level of business, and an overwhelming majority will point to the weight that compelling customer testimonials carry. From the days of infomercials on television making using of customer stories to sell anything from kitchen knives to toaster ovens, all the way up to 2019 in which unboxing videos comprise a major section of YouTube’s most viewed content, and it’s easy to see that we as humans attain some level of comfort in hearing from others experiences with a product.

And while still requiring a little bit of planning and scripting to pull off in the best way possible, customer stories alleviate some of the stress from the marketing team in that they can generate tons of content with a minimal time investment. That’s why we’ve looked at this awesome marketing method and identified the four stops on the journey to a successful customer video venture. We’ve arranged these four stops around four simple questions that you can ask yourself when assembling a customer story video:

  • What do you need to prepare a dynamic testimonial?
  • Which customer should you approach about interviewing?
  • What should the time and locational context of your video be?
  • What platforms do you intend to promote the finished product on?

First Stop: What do you need to get ready?

Think carefully about who you want to interview the customer during the video. Whether you’re the one doing it, guided by a vision for the final product, or a coworker with a more charismatic energy is the one, it’s important to recognize strengths and weaknesses, then find the best person for the job.

  • A good interviewer will help the customer relax and forget that they’re even being interviewed, delving into conversation that flows more naturally.
  • They’ll ask product related questions, but in a way that comes across as organic, tying the overall discussion about the product back to a driving theme in the video.
  • A strong interview relies on collaboration to develop appropriate questions in advance and map out how the interview should be conducted, with pre-established cues prepared

Once you have your interviewer figured out, turn attention towards the logistical matters. What’s your overall budget for the production? How many cameras do you need, and what kind of camera? Multiple will help in getting a stronger viewing aesthetic. Will internal microphones work? How will you handle things like lighting and makeup? What are your post-production options?

The answers to these questions will depend primarily on the first: budget. Just know that you can get this project done with any size budget, from high-tech camera equipment down to your iPhone.

Second Stop: Who should be the focus of your interview?

This is pivotal to the success of your testimonial. You want to find a customer that’s not just interested in doing the video, but that succeeds on camera just as strongly as your interviewer. Be deliberate with this. Entice if needed, through free products or however else you may incentivize active participation. If they represent a client company that you work with closely, ensure that the company is aware of the participation so there aren’t any surprises.

Third Stop: Where and when should the video take place?

This can vary greatly, but one excellent strategy is seeing how a client uses your product successfully in their place of business. Other strategies include setting up a dedicated interview space and having a casual sit-down conversation. You could also introduce a new variant of your product and catch the first glimpses to simulate the unboxing experience. It’s all up to you.

Fourth Stop: Where will the video go?

This question will shape the length of your video, from short fifteen second Instagram stories to extended YouTube comment topping out at an hour or more in length. The awesome thing is a single day of filming may yield multiple production outcomes: you might make one extended video for your YouTube channel, then use footage and soundbites for your social media feeds. Carefully curate it to funnel traffic in the directions necessary.

Make sure to visit each stop along the journey and you’ll soon discover what it takes to draft and publish creative customer testimonial content that will boost your business and maximize your marketing potential!

About the Author

Sean Gordon has an extensive track record recruiting, hiring, training, and unlocking the talent of people. For 20 years, Sean has been on the front lines of business across North America. He started with AT&T, where he built award-winning teams in sales and operations from coast to coast. He delivered equally stellar results for EMC, Aetna and West Corporation before becoming CEO of a technology company in need of innovation.

Sean founded vidREACH.io to engage candidates, prospects, customers and employees – all on one platform. Sean has created new lines of business, reinvigorated stagnant company cultures, and mentored hundreds of employees who have gone on to do great things.

Connect with Sean Gordon on LinkedIn.

5 Marketing Emails That Work

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Email Marketing|5 Marketing Emails That WorkCheck your inbox, particularly under the promotions tab, and you’ll no doubt have an absolute deluge of emails from businesses vying for your attention. You’ll likely click on very few of them; after all, they’re usually from companies that you’ve made a one-time purchase from or are repetitive reminders of sales and offers. Bearing in mind how cynical people are about marketing emails, how do you create one that actually converts to a click or sale? It’s tricky, but there are certain types of emails that are more effective than others.

Short term promotions

If you have a big sale or a can’t-be-missed offer, then a short email to potential customers in your database can often increase clicks. While lots of companies send out these e-mails, keeping it short and sweet can make them quite effective. Quote the percentage discount in the subject title and make the email body a well-laid out image that links to the sale. Remember your mobile customers. For every second of mobile page delay, conversions can fall by 20%, so if your email is packed with images and taking ages to load, you’re losing customers.

New products

All consumers like novelty, so although they may not visit your website regularly, they may click on emails about new products and ranges. For example, a new season clothing collection, new vacation destinations or a new service. These emails should link to a relevant page on your website, so when you’re overhauling your web design, think about having a ‘new in’ page or similar to use as a shortcut.

In these emails, images and layout are vital, so make sure you have something that’s visually appealing to maximize clicks.

The welcome email

Whether it’s their first order or signing up for updates, when you get a new email address in your database, it’s essential to make a good first impression. Welcome emails can include:

  • A friendly hello and a reminder how happy you are that they’ve signed up
  • A short list of the benefits of your site
  • Links to key categories on your site
  • A discount code or other incentive to use your site, i.e., free shipping or an upgrade

Product knowledge

Whether it’s how to wear a new trend or the hottest destinations in a vacation spot, these emails offer practical advice while still selling your products and services. The layout often looks like an online guide, which means people don’t feel like they’re being sold to, but there’s plenty of appealing imagery to generate sales and clicks.

Reorder or replenishment emails

If your business sells items that are ordered regularly, from cleaning products to printer cartridges, then reminders to reorder can lead to more sales. Many retailers send out reorder emails, which are timed to coincide with the product running low. The good thing about these emails is that you can recommend similar products and services, offer incentives to sign up for auto-renew and even ask for feedback on how the customer is finding the product. Many consumers like this personalized approach to marketing.

Just because inboxes are full of emails, there’s no reason why your marketing communications can’t stand out. By sending the right types of email at the right times, you can maximize your conversion rates.

4 Simple Ideas To Market Your Restaurant Business

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Restaurant Business|4 Simple Ideas To Market Your Restaurant BusinessMarketing continues to be of primary concern for restaurateurs. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, drawing in the consumer is more important than ever before. Restaurants continue to be a favourite pastime when it comes to socializing with family and friends. There’s a huge scope to increase your profits if your marketing is done just right. If you’re looking for some simple and effective ideas to market your restaurant, you’ll want to take a look right here.

Video marketing

The modern consumer often prefers to view content as opposed to reading it. According to statistics via Insivia, viewers only retain 10% of a message from reading and a huge 95% when watching a video. These days it’s simple to create your own video marketing content. You can use sites like YouTube to upload content, share on socials or embed in your website. Consumers love behind the scenes footage and getting to know the faces behind a brand. Food content can be really fun with how-to videos or recipe tips. Video content gets shared online more than any other type; so it’s a surefire way to improve your marketing and get noticed.

Loyalty Programs

If your restaurant doesn’t already have a loyalty program, it’s a great idea to create one. Offering your customers rewards for returning is an excellent way to strengthen your customer base. To save the paper, consider digital loyalty cards offered via apps. Consumers have come to prefer accessing their services digitally. If your restaurant provides an easy to use app and loyalty card, you could be gaining an edge over your competitors. You can use your email marketing to provide friendly reminders to encourage the use loyalty programmes.

Use influencers

Influencer marketing has surged in the last few years, and the restaurant industry can easily tap into the benefits. Hubspot reports that as many as 82% of consumers are likely to follow an influencer recommendation. The concept of influencer marketing is all about trust. Often, people tend to trust other individuals over brands. Micro-influencers have smaller but very active followings of people who trust them. They tend to theme their content in a specific niche. You’ll need to find the right influencers with food-related content and get them on board with your campaign. From here, you’ll gain lots of new business. Ensure that you also have a great blog with strong SEO. When people are searching to, ‘find the Best Restaurants near me,’ for example, great SEO could lead them right to your website.

Special events

Marketing is often about standing out from the crowd and offering something special. As a restaurant, you could collaborate with some local musicians and offer some live music nights. Giving something a little extra can work wonders for drawing in new crowds. If you can theme the music with the kind of food that you offer- all the better! Creativity is the foundation of all the best marketing strategies. Always think back to your branding when you are designing your special nights, offers and creative web content. Succeeding in the restaurant industry relies much upon stand-out marketing.

5 Digital Marketing Strategies to Put Your Power Tool Company on the Map

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | 5 Digital Marketing Strategies to Put Your Power Tool Company on the MapYou want to take over the power tool market but if you don’t have the best digital marketing strategies in place, your competition is going to leave you in the dust. Your company needs to put together a digital marketing plan vs. just putting up a couple of posts on social media every now and again.

Continue reading this article to learn five digital marketing strategies that are going to help your business go to the next level.

Must-Know Digital Marketing Strategies

When you’re trying to promote your power tool company, the following strategies will help you get started. As people learn more about how power tools work and how they help people, they’ll be more interested in investing in them and doing business with you.

Here are some ways to get the word out online.

1. SEO

SEO stands for search engine optimization and means that you do everything you can to make Google and other search engine choose your website to show in the search results. There is a lot that goes into SEO but once you get in the good graces of the search engines, you can pull in a lot of highly targeted search traffic.

2. Content Marketing

Content marketing is a great way to let your potential customers get to know you. When you deliver high-quality content that helps them with a problem they have, you become someone they see as a problem solver and may choose to do business with you when they need your product or service.

Content marketing might include blog posts, podcasts, whitepapers, ebooks and more.

3. Social Media Marketing

Getting the word out about your business online through social media can be an inexpensive way to get some serious exposure. With social media marketing, people are able to share your content with their friends and you can get a lot of reach that way.

4. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is becoming more popular because of its effectiveness. Even influencers with small audiences can help you get a lot of attention and sales for your business. If an influencer recommends your products and services, their audience is likely to at least take a good look at what you have to offer.

5. Remarketing

Remarketing is a powerful way to get back in front of people that recently showed interest in your products. They may have triggered the remarketing campaign on Facebook but when they go over to Instagram, they might see your ad on that platform. Most people don’t buy anything the first time they see it so remarketing is very important.

Get More Help for Your Business

Now that you know more about these digital marketing strategies, you can get to work on your business promotion online. Why stop learning about business there? We have many articles that will help you level up your business.

Browse our site, find your favorite section, drop a bookmark and come back soon for more great reads.

How to Access Untapped Markets to Boost Your Profits

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article | How to Access Untapped Markets to Boost Your ProfitsIn today’s globalized business world, you’re no longer selling to just your community or to the people around you who might have a special interest in your products or services: you’re able to take whatever’s special about your company and multiply it across the world. This article aims to encourage you to take your product or service to the international business arena in order to tackle new markets and find new demographics in new countries to sell to – giving a significant boost to your revenue in the long-term.

Establish In-Country Contacts

The simplest way to get into a new market is through a local partner or contact. They will be able to facilitate the kind of groundwork that you’ll need to get your product imported without hassle, and to bring your product into shops and stores that you’d have to work terribly hard to penetrate yourself. With a partner you trust, you’ll be able to outsource all of this work and stress to someone who may have an incentive to make your business success overseas – a win-win for yourself and your in-country contact.

Make Use of International Shipping

If your business is primarily driven by online sales, you may technically never have to sell products to stores abroad. What you should do, however, is make sound use of the international shipping market in order to ensure that your product reaches its destination – wherever in the world that may be – as soon as possible after it’s purchased. Consider the following:

  • Establish a partnership with a shipping provider to get discount shipping rates.
  • Show international shipping options and prices prominently on your website.
  • Ensure that overseas customers can pay with different forms of payment methods so that no one is dissuaded from engaging with your brand.

Sometimes, you may not be able to drum up the interest in your products in emerging markets that would significantly boost your profits. To achieve this, you’ll need to launch a new, international marketing campaign.

International Marketing

The world of digital marketing is, of course, fairly international in and of itself, given that it takes place on the global platform that is the world wide web. Nonetheless, your marketing campaign aimed at developed nations and western countries is unlikely to communicate the same message to other countries and contexts.

As such, one of the best options you have up your sleeve is to run an international or foreign-local marketing campaign through a third party, promoting your products to new markets. Marketing in China, for instance, will make use of Chinese culture, language and sales tactics to bring your products or services to one of the world’s most thriving economies. The same can be said of other rapidly developing countries, such as India, Brazil and Nigeria.

Network Online

Finally, if you happen to find some local businesspeople and entrepreneurs online who you think may be able to sell your product for you in different countries, it’s certainly worth reaching out with an offer or inquiry. Make a small pitch, introduce yourself, and outline the proposal you have in mind: any canny businessperson in a foreign country will see this is a golden opportunity to make some extra cash – for themselves and you.

These tips should help you access foreign markets that can provide a significant boost to your profits in your online business.