Marketing Interactions

Stories that Sell - An Interview with Casey Hibbard

As most of you know, I've long been a proponent of storytelling for marketing and sales. Customer stories are one of the most valuable ways B2B companies can share their compelling value. They have the ability to simplify the complexity of considered purchases, validate that what you promise is true, and mitigate risk by proving the business case.


Casey Hibbard, and her book Stories that Sell, provides a wealth of information about how to plan for, research and create customer success stories that help you sell more—and do so with ease. And, she ought to know. She's written over 450 of them over the last 10 years for companies such as, Macrovision, Jobfox, USA.NET, IHS, and Vocus.

In the interview below, Casey shares the answers to 7 questions to show you just how valuable your customers stories can be for validating your company's compelling value:

1. What’s the biggest mistake you see B2B marketers make when developing customer success stories?

Marketers are simply not using their customer success stories enough. A story documenting a specific customer’s success with your product or service is one of the most powerful pieces of marketing and sales content you can have. Too often, companies just throw that story up on their web sites and don’t take it further than that.

I’ve seen companies make customer stories the very center of all their communications efforts and it really paying off. That means telling that story every chance that you get – in webinars for lead-gen, at events, live sales conversations, on your blog, on Twitter, in pitches to key media, in training your sales team and all new employees, in awards submissions, in white papers, and the list goes on. If you’re going to invest in capturing a story, tell it every chance you get.

2. Can you share some factors that motivate a prospect to seek out a customer success story?

As marketers, we make a lot of promises. Buyers are wary of solutions that haven’t performed as promised. If someone is going to invest in a product or service – especially a big, high-risk investment – they have to have confidence that it will pay off.

In the age of authenticity, with eBay feedback and Amazon reviews, there’s nothing like a happy customer vouching for you. Customer success stories and case studies document the success of a specific customer, giving buyers the details and evidence they need to justify a purchase.

3. In the book you present the concept of a story needs assessment. Can you talk about why this is important and the types of things companies can learn when they assess their story needs?

So many B2B marketers don’t approach success stories with a plan or vision. So often it’s a matter of, “We have a happy customer, so let’s do a story.” That success story or case study may or may not support your current sales and marketing efforts.

Effective customer stories are very closely tied to your targets. You need to identify your key targets and create a success story wish list from there. What industries are they in? What’s their size? What’s their geographic location? What are their current challenges? What position is the reader in – technical or business? Then decide what stories you need so that, no matter what type of prospect is evaluating your solutions, you have a success story to match.

4. You share a number of ways in which customer success stories can be used in the book. Can you highlight some differences in how success stories are best used in marketing versus sales activities?

Traditionally, there’s been a misconception that customer stories, in the form of case studies, were really only valuable in the latter stages of the sales cycle, when prospects are validating a solution. But many organizations have found customer stories to be equally important throughout the complete customer lifecycle, from lead generation to sales to selling more to existing customers.

The differences between usage in marketing and sales are usually in the amount of information you give people. You offer more details as prospects get further into the sales cycle. In marketing, you might have a summary of a customer’s story or a video story/testimonial on your web site or on your blog. Or, you might feature a customer on a free webinar that folks sign up for. You get someone interested enough to learn more about your solution.

At some point they have the option to read, hear or view a more complete customer case study, or a sales rep walks them through that. The really detailed customer stories, case studies with return on investment data, are most valuable for closing sales. At that point, people want more than a general overview. They want numbers.

5. Testimonials have long been attributed to increased credibility but, at the same time, we all know a company isn’t going to publish anything that doesn’t make them—or their customers—look good.

Have you seen a shift in what constitutes a believable testimonial in a customer success story—especially given the rise in social media? And, is there a tip you can share with us about eliciting effective testimonials?

My #1 tip: always get testimonials from the actual customer! People are definitely skeptical of the “PR” testimonial, a glowing statement that sounds like it’s been written by a PR person (and probably has). If we want to keep testimonials believable, then they need to be from customers. The customer will  always give you a more authentic-sounding quote, with more personality. That’s not to say that you can’t do a little smoothing out, in collaboration with the customer, but try to maintain as much character and authenticity as you can.

The best testimonials emerge when you can really get a customer talking, and usually on the phone. Gathering testimonials by email doesn’t allow you to dig for more detail and elaboration. You start with open-ended questions and keep asking until you get your answer – or before you start annoying the customer.

6. Your book showcases 7 story formats. Which one is your favorite to write, and why?

Good question. My favorite is the feature-story format with call-out sections.  I enjoy storytelling and this format provides the best opportunity to tell an engaging story. It also seems to be the way that case studies and success stories are headed. You have the chance to really kick off with an interesting lead paragraph, punctuate the story with powerful quotes and use descriptive subheads. It’s interesting to those who read the body of the story but also to those who skim only. If you’re pitching your story to editors, they tend to prefer this type of presentation as well.

7. What’s the most surprising thing that’s happened to you as a result of writing Stories that Sell?

The amazing connections I’ve made. I’ve met and collaborated with some really interesting thought leaders on blogs, articles and webinars. I sought out these types of experts while researching and writing the book but it took the book’s release before our paths crossed. It would have been better to know them during the book process, and integrate some of their input in Stories that Sell. Instead, I’m using more dynamic venues like my blog, teleclasses and webinars to share new information on my topic.

Now, do yourself a favor and go buy the book. It's truly a hands-on guide for creating Stories that Sell. Plus, you get two free bonuses. Go check it out!

If you're not reading her blog already, Casey continues to share tips and insights that expand what you'll learn in her book.

Plan B2B Content for the Takeaway

There's an evolving list of all the things you need to consider when developing B2B marketing content. One of the components often discussed is the call to action. And, yes, you still have to do that. What's important to understand is that the call to action is not the takeaway.

A call to action is what you want your prospects and customers to do next.

A takeaway is the specific impression or memory the audience walks away with after reading your content.

A good takeaway is:

• Conceptual - produces an idea your content helped generate.
• Conversational - inspires sharing of that idea in the their own words
• Recommendable - promotes people to pass the content along to others
• Transferable - applicable to their own specific situations
• Visual - something they can "see" happening—not pie-in-the-sky thinking

Quite often I read content that's technically correct. It may even offer some valid insights. But, yet it doesn't inspire me to think of anything on my own. In B2B, that's often because the content is written without consideration for the prospect's perspective.

Content like that usually spends more time telling me what I'm supposed to think than providing ideas that help me think.

The easiest way to grasp the difference is to remember what happened when your parents told you that you had to do something. How many of you did the opposite, just, well, because?

Your prospects and customers want to be in control of their buying process. They want takeaways they can ingest that build their knowledge, increase their confidence and help them make the best decisions. In order to take action, they need to take ownership of the choice.

And that's often due to their ability to lower or eliminate their concept of the level of risk related to the choice. You can tell them all you want that your company is an expert. You can tell them not to worry because you're the best. You can tell them that research shows X, so they should do Y, but unless the content presents that finding as a takeaway, it's only just a statement.

I see articles and research reports all the time that display statistics like, "96% of an average organization’s Marketing Qualified Leads fail to make it closure."

My takeaways could be:

• We're much better. Only 75% of our MQLs are lost. (proof we're better than average)
• Sales isn't doing their job. (pass the buck - not my problem)
• Marketing needs a better definition of an MQL. (What should I do?)

B2B marketers need to plan for the takeaway. In the article used above, their takeaway is a big one. The idea that companies need marketing automation. (I agree, btw) But, there are also a number of smaller ones such as sales needs to participate in nurturing programs and applying resources across the entire opportunity lifecycle.

[This article could actually provide fodder for 3 or 4 nurturing articles with planned takeaways that build the case for marketing automation in step with prospects' thought processes.]

This is a good, informative article, and I love Sirius Decisions research. My point is that for prospect nurturing content, you will do better if you focus on emphasizing one takeaway. Seed one idea that the prospect can build on.

Then present the next nurturing takeaway to build from that foundation. This doesn't mean you can't mention anything else, but it does help you to develop content with a specific intent. By helping your prospects and customers create ideas they can make their own, they'll return to your content to help grow their ideas into business cases.

The beauty of the takeaway approach is that as you enable the prospect to build these ideas they relate their confidence and knowledge to your company. It becomes a natural conclusion for them to consider your company credible, trustworthy and a great choice as a partner to help them when the time comes to buy.

Use an "Exclusive" Mindset for B2B Nurturing

The biggest consideration for B2B Lead Nurturing is often the continuous need for fresh content. If your prospects' buying cycle has lengthened, you need even more content to keep your B2B lead nurturing program rolling forward. But even more than that, you need content that pulls people forward in their consideration to buy from your company.

Just staying in touch isn't enough to generate movement. I wrote about this concept in my post, Strategy Beyond the Send.

I'd like to present an extension idea to that post. I'd like to see you take that problem-to-solution scenario for content development and really pump some muscle into it.

Let's talk about privilege. Everyone loves to feel privileged. Don't you love it when you get the best table in a restaurant, front-row seats at the theatre, a customer service rep who solves your problem with a smile in their voice or the offer of a special preview to something your friends (or colleagues) would kill for?

You can create that same "exclusive" feeling with your nurturing content.

This actually isn't rocket science, although it is often overlooked in B2B marketing programs.

Provide something that's not otherwise available.

If you've provided an article about a topic a prospect shows interest in, augment that with a related, behind-the-scenes customer story that tells more than that company-oriented case study you likely have posted on your website.

Help your prospects step into your customers' shoes and visualize solving the problem, themselves. Give them extra insights they can't find somewhere else - like a side issue that arose mid-project and almost derailed the implementation, and how it was overcome.

There's likely a lot left on the cutting room floor that your prospects would love to know about. Even if you need to throw a veil over the customer to tell the story.

What about a video of your CEO talking about the business impact of industry trends with an analyst that can't be found on your corporate website...or on YouTube?

Perhaps a how-to tip they can use right away to alleviate an aspect of their pain while they work toward choosing a solution to their problem.

Can you say trusted advisor?

You get the point.

Exclusives go back a long way. Every journalist always wants to break a story - be the first one to let us in on the details. The trick to making your prospects feel privileged is to also make sure that the exclusive is highly relevant. That should go without saying, but I thought I'd mention it. Exclusives that produce pipeline momentum are definitely not one-size-fits-all.

The other thing to consider is that an exclusive is no longer exclusive once it's gotten distribution, so you need to plan for this type of content development in your content strategy. If your nurturing programs are already providing content your prospects value, an exclusive focused on a topic of high interest can be an effective way to nudge your prospects forward in their buying process.

Just make sure to make it meatier than your other content. Give it an "insider" feel. Expose your expertise in ways you've not done before. Think deep dive, not surface stuff.

Don't get me wrong, setting your content free is a good strategy for creating inbound interest. But it's not the only one. Holding some content close to the vest, so to speak, can provide an advantage in nurturing. Giving your prospects a feeling of privilege makes a lasting impression. Not to mention helping to raise your trust perception with the people you'd like to do business with.

B2B Content Marketing to Impact Status Quo

Earlier this week I talked about the payoff for B2B content marketing to focus on producing movement. Now, I'd like to back up just a tad and share some thoughts about what it takes to shift status quo. Because until or unless you can get people to shift from status quo, the movement you'll get from your B2B marketing content will be, well, zip.

So back up to the situations your prospects are facing and look at the severity of the pain they're dealing with. Ask the question, what would it take to make embracing change worthwhile FOR THEM?

If the answer isn't around a pretty impressive "shift" from where they are now, they won't change. It's not worth the effort, risk and stress. It's easier to stick with the devil we know, right? That's human nature.

Before you can develop a content strategy for complex sale nurturing, you've got to define the reasons why your prospect's would rather be inert than active about solving the problem.

Resistance to change can be about:

• aversion to making a mistake
• uncertain about what to do
• concern about what they don't know
• lack of justification and/or validation for the change
• overwhelming complexity
• losing face and professional standing
• influence of bad past experiences
• and more...

Many of these ripple beneath the surface and are not obvious from an outside view, but that doesn't mean they don't count. The point is that when all these thoughts are going on inside your prospect's head, your content has to produce a pretty big shift in thinking—and potential opportunity—to outweigh all that internal chatter.

In order to sway tolerance for status quo you've got to build a story that helps portray the movement toward outcomes your prospects consider important, while addressing resistance factors at the same time.

Talk about a result you know your prospects are challenged to achieve and the problem that's causing it to persist.

• Faster time to market impacted by supply chain issues
• Better decisions for action ahead of your competitor's advances.

Let them know that they're not the only ones facing the problem and that they don't have to take it anymore.

• Related industry trends and research data used in support of urgency.
• Customers like them who've successfully dealt with the issue at hand.

Showcase the impact in a context they understand.

• A CFO will get the impact of percentages of improvement against margins.
• An LOB manager strapped for human resources will get the impact of more hours to apply to priority projects.

Using active words to simulate the impact of your ideas can help. Business impact is evaluated based on whether it makes something go up (e.g. revenues) or brings something down (e.g. expenses):

Up words: increase, accelerate, escalate, raise, grow, gain, add, boost, ramp, scale, extend, expand, improve, attain, acquire, amplify, win

Down words: decrease, minimize, reduce, diminish, lessen, shorten

Do not mistake active words for buzz words and product features. If you do this then you end up with a bunch of gobbledygook that has no meaning for your prospects.

Focus on helping your prospects visualize the impact of how your ideas and expertise (not your product alone) will position them for success. People buy outcomes, not widgets.

But the real trick in moving people from status quo is also in the size of the shift they'll experience if they listen to you and take action. You've got to do some research and discover what that means for them. Then quantify it through expanding the idea to get them to reach farther than just solving the current problem.

For example: It may be appealing for an LOB manager to gain 40 hours back each month in man hours, but to push them to actively explore change, consider addressing what that means in real terms. What could they do with that 40 hours that makes not taking action to get those hours back unthinkable?

To shift status quo, it's also helpful to focus on short term gains. Long-term goals are important, but if getting to the good stuff is too far out, it's harder to vote for change. They won't see the pain diminishing fast enough to take action. We live in an instant gratification world. It's wise not to forget that in your B2B marketing communications.

Are Your Prospects Getting Whiplash?

The ways marketers can interact with customers, connect with prospects and build awareness are growing every day. But, I'm concerned that the new stuff is pushing out the "old" stuff at a rate that's causing prospects to get whiplash.

In B2B marketing, lead nurturing takes time. Building relationships with your prospects is not just dependent upon relevance, but consistency. And, you have to be in it for as long as it takes your buyers to buy.

What I'm seeing is that marketers aren't sticking with their strategies long enough. They're jumping ship for the next new thing, leaving their "old" programs — and the leads generated from them — swinging in the breeze. One day the leads receive an email with a link to a thoughtful, compelling article. The next thing they know, your company communications have either disappeared, reverted to standard company-focused emails or you've launched a whole other story they don't care about and didn't opt in to receive.

How do I know this? Because research shows that marketers are sticking with marketing campaigns for less time than buyers spend buying. They quit too soon. [I've also seen it. And let me tell you the company lost more than their investment in nurturiing.]

Here's the real problem. Marketers are marketing from a tactical campaign mindset instead of an overarching strategic mindset. If some new idea comes along, they're willing to switch to the more exciting idea of something new. And, they do it without thinking about impact from the prospect's side of the exchange.

Or, they don't look far enough downstream. I've seen campaigns planned for three touches. Then there'll be some new effort coming down the pike with different creative, a new focus and a new story.

I've seen companies that have so many separate marketing campaigns going on in different areas of their companies that their prospects can't help but get whiplash from the conflicting messages coming at them due to the lack of visibility the company has across the programs that would enable any reasonable coordination.

B2B Marketing deserves to be executed as a long-term, customer-focused strategy tied to business objectives.

B2B marketing is NOT a series of campaigns with a "theme of the moment" approach. It's more of an intensive strategic marathon with a lot of parts that should all be related to the company's core storyline.

But here's the real disappointment. When prospects buy in to the story you're telling, you've got their attention and their permission to continue to communicate with them. Switching your story like you change your socks violates that agreement.

For example, if you opted in to a content series that promised thought leadership articles and after the 3rd one you start getting links to videos meant to entertain, instead of inform, are you still interested?

One thing you can do (although I still say your story has to be in alignment) is ask your prospects if they're interested in whatever your new focus is before you commit them to it. Don't promise one thing, deliver it for a while and then change on them without warning.

Instead of rinse and repeat, marketers are letting any momentum they've generated from past efforts go down the drain every time they flip their focus toward something new. Even worse, your prospects wonder what's up with you? Then they start wondering if your company will be like that in a working relationship...you know, when they're counting on your company to deliver as promised.

Ask yourself these basic questions:

How long is the buying cycle for your average prospect?

Then ask yourself how long your average nurturing campaign lasts.

Is there a disparity?

And, if so, when you string your campaigns together, do they tell a compelling story from start to finish?

Or do they give your prospects whiplash?

Don't speak AT me, speak WITH me

As e-marketing has made inroads with B2B marketers a lot has been said about the idea of online conversation. But, what does that mean from a marketing content perspective?

If you think of a conversation in the offline world it can be in the context of a chat with a friend — 1-on-1, an exchange in a meeting with a group of people, a discussion with your peers over lunch or witty repartee with your spouse during TV commercials in the evening.

When you transfer that idea online, how often do you "feel" any similarity to those above examples? How often do you make a connection with the content you see?

Part of this is because you're not really there. The people you're "conversing" with can't see you, your facial expressions or hear the tone of your voice as if you'd spoken aloud. Nor can you see them.

That means you have to think about the words you use and how they work together to convey your idea. Even more importantly, you need to think about how your idea will be perceived through those word choices.

Consider what you'd see if you lined up a bunch of B2B websites from companies that sell similar products and removed all the graphics, logos and design elements from them so you were only left with the text. Then eliminate product names from the text. Would you be able to tell them apart?

No, I didn't think so.

Do you know why?

Because B2B companies have a tendency to create content that's all about what they want to say—which is usually about how great their products are. Even most case studies talk more about the products than the customers. Not what the people who may be interested in figuring out how and why to solve a problem want to hear. At the risk of being repetitive, people want results, not widgets.

That's the speaking AT me part.

Here's the problem with speaking AT people. You've not given them an entry point.

Consider if a website visitor you're tracking starts clicking on a bunch of links and pages around your website. He tops out the scoring metric that says he's ready for sales. Yet, once you pass him to sales, he's a go-nowhere contact, not really a viable lead.

Could it be that he was clicking desperately in search of content that actually spoke with him? Content that answers questions he has or provides a way to learn about a problem he needs to solve. Something beyond the list of features, feeds and speeds that your company loves — but mean nothing to an early-stage buyer.

If your scoring process isn't delivering a lift to qualified leads that sales accepts as worthy of their attention, you might want to look at the impression your content is making. Of course, most people wouldn't work that hard to find engaging content, so this might not be the best test.

The thing I see happening is that everyone is fired up about technology. Don't get me wrong, I love technology. But technology is tactical. It enables us to create content quickly and launch it online even faster in a variety of formats. The problem is that B2B companies aren't making the development of content that buyers want, need and value their priority.

They're still stuck in tell, push and sell mode.

Where they ought to be is in helpful, inviting and generosity mode.

Which mode is poised for conversation?
Which mode inspires trust and empathy?

One "touch" does not make a conversation. You need to aim for more than one. And you need to have at least some of them be initiated by your leads because they see a reason to do so. This is also known as progressive lead nurturing.

The thing about most offline conversations is that they follow a theme, if you will. For example; I call and ask you a question about a project you're working on. We talk back and forth about that. Then, maybe the topic changes to something you want to know, or that conversation is over...until next time.

In a B2B world, often it's more like this:

• I send you an email to tell you about my latest white paper.
• You download the white paper.
• I follow up with a sales pitch.
• You ignore me.
• Next month I send an email to inform you of a product launch.
• You don't open it.
• Then I send you an invitation to a webinar about some benefit that new product we launched can deliver. You know, the product launch you didn't show any interest in.
• You ignore that too.
• So, I send you our company newsletter about our new office building and a customer success story about a company you can't even relate to.
• Say what? You're still not speaking with me?

Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

Would you expect that type of an exchange to work in person? You wouldn't dream of talking to someone that way, would you? It doesn't work online, either.

The thing is you need to think strategically about your content, the context it's designed for and the invitation for interaction it extends. Ongoing interaction won't happen, at least not consistently, without paying attention to how you design the content you put into your technology.

The more interactions your content generates, the higher likelihood that a true conversation will develop. And, if you pay attention to how the dialogue takes form, I'll bet you'll begin to see a connection from one interaction to another. Similar to how an offline conversation happens.

Customer Nurturing for Up and Cross Sell

Nurturing isn't just for leads. It's also for customers. It's time marketing started reaching beyond lead generation and customer acquisition to play an active role in strengthening and extending customer relationships.

Often, once a company has acquired a customer, the only communication the customer receives is the company-focused newsletter, support exchanges and new product launch and update notices.

If your customers are only hearing from you when it's time to renew a license, upgrade the solution they just finished implementing or for problem resolution, you're letting them down.

Today's customers are selecting vendors for complex solutions based on their interpretation that the vendor will be a trusted advisor and partner—for the long term. Just because you've got them now, doesn't mean they're yours for the duration of however you defined a customer life cycle.

One of the things that bugs me about the whole life cycle discussion is that many of them fully expect their customers to leave after a certain period of time. The life cycle for solutions seems to run about 3 years. Probably less now given the rate of innovation.

I can't help but think this "life cycle" mindset is often caused by the idea itself, as well as the forecasts that lock this thinking in place. If the trend shows that customers leave after 3 years, on average, then companies project that thinking into their plans and forecasts.

I say this is a bunch of...well, bull pucky.

It's been proven time, and time again, that existing customers are more valuable to companies—and easier to re-sell—than acquiring new customers. So, why the resignation? Why are companies letting their customer relationships languish?

I think it's because that's the norm. A grass is greener kind of thing that points attention to new customer acquisition as more important. The prevalent idea that a customer is a foregone conclusion. [we know we have them for a year - they just signed a contract]

Accepting the norm is lazy and short sighted.

First of all, it's hard to change vendors. Change is hard, regardless of the reason. You get reminded of that every time you try to break in to a new account and wrangle with the status quo.

Well, when you're the status quo, what are you doing to keep it that way?

One of the best things you can do is get a strategy in place for customer nurturing. And, it should be easier because you "know" these people. Produce custom content for them that helps them proactively evolve the relationship they have with your company.

They likely chose you for the ideas you shared in the beginning. Don't you think they'd keep choosing to do business with you if the ideas keep flowing? Who the heck is going to switch vendors when that vendor is a valuable asset to growing and improving their business?

Flip the way you focus your customer content:

• Got a product launch coming up? Start telling the story to your customers now about how this new product will help them get even better outcomes in conjunction with your products and services they're already using. Stop thinking about it as a product launch and start thinking about it in terms of a customer priority resolution opportunity—from their perspective.


• See an industry trend coming? Get some thought leadership about it out the door to help position how your customers think about managing that change when it gets here. Regardless of whether or not your products actually address it. Become the anchor they turn to when they need advice and insight. Become indispensable.


• Discover new ways customers are using your products to get outcomes different than what you thought? Educate your other customers about how to use your products to get different and more benefit than they originally thought possible. Doe this new use reveal new ways to combine products to extend that value farther?

These are only a few ideas to get you started. Regardless of what else you do, start nurturing your customers. For all the marketers who need to prove measurable value delivery to the business—this is one sure way to show payoffs in higher up and cross sells. Not to mention the impact you can have on lengthening the customer life cycle.

If Your B2B Emails Could Talk

This is an absolutely hilarious video about how bad emails that fail to engage might sound if they could talk. As you listen from the customer perspective, think about how you're reacting. Is what you're saying to your prospects coming off like this?

The video is one of the best ways I can think of for marketers to actually put themselves in their customer's perspective. So, while you're laughing, don't miss the point. Thanks to EMReports! Truly well done.

What would your marketing emails sound like if they could talk?

Customers are Looking for Yes!

Marketing content that works changes the way your prospects feel. It's that internal fist-pump of a YES! that happens when someone trying to solve a complex problem finds that light shining at the end of a tunnel due to the story you're sharing.

This kind of storytelling is engaging because it meets the urgent—and often complex—needs of today's prospects.

Let's face it. Complexity is escalating. Not much is really simple, unless you already know the answer. And, if it's too simple, people think it's not possibly comprehensive enough to deal with everything they need it to do. Then again, if it's got too many moving parts, it seems overwhelming.

Kind of a conundrum, don't you think? Plus, this makes it really hard to get to YES!

This is why marketing content needs to tell a story over time that your customers can relate to. Here are a few reasons why storytelling in marketing content can get you to YES!

• Stories enable people to visualize solving their problems successfully.


• Stories engage people for the duration—meaning once they're engaged, they'll actually read your content, not just scan it and move on.


• Stories evoke emotion. Emotion is an element you need to get to YES!


• Stories provide a way for your customers to re-tell them in meaningful ways to the other stakeholders involved in the purchase decision.


• Stories humanize your company in the eyes of your customers. They've got meat, substance and they're seen as more personal. People can step inside of them and will experience them based on their individual perspectives.

Getting your customers to YES! increases in difficulty when you try to cover too much at once. This is why it's important to focus stories on one objective at a time. When you have a goal for each content resource, it's easier to get the reaction you want because the idea you're sharing is purposeful.

When you try to go for the whole enchilada with one content piece, it's easier to wander off on tangents or include things that dilute the value delivery that gets the YES! response. Plus, people are busy. They don't have time for epics.

In a complex sale, you've got an extended gestation period for nurturing. Use your time wisely and focus on having each experience with your content increase the velocity of that YES!

Focus on giving your customers that opportunity for buy-in. Once you've engaged them, keep them coming back for more. That's why it's important to map your strategy before you start.

Connect your stories in a way that makes sense to your customers. Consider the ways they'll experience it and focus on enhancing those interactions for specific segments. The same story won't influence that YES! from everyone.

Think of marketing content as a gourmet meal where each bite is savored with a sip of extremely good wine, instead of a 12-course meal served up as fast food with a soda pop chaser. 

What are you doing to get your customers to YES! ???

Thanks to Seth Godin's post, Looking for Yes, for inspiring this tangent on the idea.

Linear vs. Holistic B2B Marketing Stories

Most of us have been brought up thinking about stories as structured with a beginning, middle and end. Most of them tend to unfold chronologically. If you miss the beginning, you have to work pretty hard to catch up with the middle.

The Internet has changed this experience. Information comes at your prospects from a variety of angles, viewpoints and places within the traditional linear structure. No longer must they start at the beginning.

Consider that the beginning a prospect starts with may not be yours. Does that mean you're not prepared to help them step into your story from the point at which they leaped away from your competitor's story?

The point I'm making here is that the availability of information online coupled with the rise in social media participation has altered the way stories get heard.

Another factor that influences the way stories get heard is the speed of change in business priorities. Due to shifts, a prospect may have to leap from initial research to constructing a short list faster than they thought, or they may have to abandon your story altogether, for now, to focus on some other priority that's gained prominence.

Do you make these shifts easy for them? Can your prospects effortlessly step back into your story when the time comes to resume consideration?

Have you left flexibility in your story lines to incorporate new information that comes along as business evolves? Or have you painted yourself into a corner without room for expansion that demonstrates your company's ability to adapt?

I've talked about mapping content to buying stages based on business scenarios your prospects are facing. Although you may originally construct these in a linear format, breaking down the steps into relevant and valuable, related stories provides flexibility for your prospects to choose what they need at the time they need that information.

When you enable that, you also add the ability to discover where prospects are in their buying process.

But here's the really cool thing. You've got openings to evolve your stories without interrupting the flow. When new things happen that affect your market, you can insert new content right into your story, honoring the theme, but updating the dialogue to stay relevant. Engagement levels will grow in response.

You may need to tweak a bit of the surrounding content to accommodate the additional story elements, but, if your story line started out oriented to your prospect's perspective, that shouldn't be hard to do.

As marketers telling our company's story, we have to become adept at weaving together the influence of newly available information and perspectives regarding their needs and problems.

The combination of blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, industry portals, analyst forecasts and reports, customer reviews, user groups and any number of other media sources are continuously updating the stories your prospects are telling themselves—and each other. If you're not keeping up, incorporating these changes of viewpoints into your stories, you're likely losing engagement to someone who is.

This doesn't mean you have to go nuts with every nuance you see under discussion. What it does mean is that you need to be out there listening. When you see something taking hold, consider whether it makes sense to incorporate that idea into your story line.

Even better, listen for ideas you can claim first and expand them to address your audience in a compelling, thought-leading way. Become their anchor of preference that everyone else must surpass to regain their attention.

What are you doing to keep your marketing stories holistic?

Hat tip to Kathy Hansen's blog post Are We Now in the New Storytelling Economy? for planting the seed for this post. It's a good one, go read it.