I recently had a baby and was thrown, bump first, into the minefield of prams, cots, car seats and all the other paraphernalia of a newborn. As a new parent, I wanted to buy the safest, best quality products I could find without breaking the bank. It was hard to make the ‘right’ decision. So how did I make a choice? I asked the greatest of all resources. No, not Google – other people.
Recommendations from other people are marketing gold. After years of big-budget advertising from brands, we’ve become suspicious of it. We’re aware that brands have a vested interest in telling us how amazing their products are and have realised that advertising may not have our best interests at heart.
But if recommendations about a product come from someone not involved in the company, we’re more likely to take notice. We believe they’re telling us the truth and trust matters to consumers.
Happy customers talk
Brands can no longer throw money into advertising and expect sales – they have to earn ‘social proof’ to become a trusted brand. The ultimate goal is for the majority of customers to happily share their satisfaction in person and online – happy customers will do your marketing for you.
So how can a brand or business harness this goodwill? One way is through the use of case studies as part of your marketing. Telling the story of how a client has benefitted from your products and services is a great way to build trust with the next client. As a bonus, it’s also great content marketing.
Just in case
Colourworks is one of TCC’s loyal clients. Together, we created a content strategy based on case studies featuring happy customers using its products.
Colourworks has delivered a managed document solution to customers for over 30 years and is Canon Australia’s largest regional partner. It helps businesses, schools and institutions digitise their workflow and dump the filing cabinets – a big change that can be daunting for an established organisation.
Colourworks clients tell the story of how shifting to digital has been a cost-effective and efficient change for them. Although the stories are all different, the point of the case studies is always the same: working with Colourworks will improve your business.
The strategy has been a great way to address the fears of business owners thinking about workflow changes and has positioned Colourworks as a trusted brand.
A flexible strategy
Another benefit is flexibility. You can tweak the medium to suit all your marketing channels. Using the same case study material, you can produce:
- Blog posts
- Videos
- Podcasts
- PDF or print brochures
All the case study content will sit on your website and can be modified for your social channels. For example, while the full-length video is on your website, you could edit a 15-second version for a Facebook and Instagram video.
First-person client recommendations are an authentic and powerful way to increase the trust in your brand. By using a variety of methods to maximise your marketing channels, your content will be more effective.
Share the love
When I found the perfect pram for my baby, I couldn’t wait to share the benefits with other new parents, on and offline. Honestly, I was probably pretty annoying.
One of your most powerful marketing tools is your satisfied customers and happy customers like sharing their experiences. Could content marketing help you to maximise your brand trust?