Good customer evidence tells an interesting story.

It can be a short clip, a written story or anything in between. But one thing these all have in common is that they tell a story about your customer. A story so gripping that you want to watch or read till the very end. One that won’t see you skipping to the end because you don’t want to miss any ounce of the information right at the very the middle.

In my experience, one of the questions regularly posed by organizations and teams is “How do I get customers to engage in reference activities?” And it is a very valid one that begs to be answered, in full, by anyone considering a deeper dive into a customer evidence program.

Indeed, for those in sales and marketing responsible for getting customer references, it’s a question that doesn’t ever really go away.  And, with no simple answer to solve this predicament forever, it’s no surprise that collecting customer references becomes an ongoing challenge.

Why is this? Because each customer is different, your organization is different and everyone has different and often conflicting incentives and priorities.

The approach taken varies because each customer is different and each organization is different. However, from my experience working with organizations creating amazing customer evidence there are best practices you can follow to reach your customers and get their buy-in to your own evidence program.

I hope the following recommendations are the start to customer relationships that quickly transform into true partnerships -  for you and your organization.

You may have heard about customer evidence; stories told from the perspective of satisfied customer that talk about how your solution helped them overcome a challenge they were facing. But what you may not know is how these stories can be beneficial to many different departments within your business - making the time and effort necessary to create them well worth it.

Customer evidence programs are gaining popularity in industries and markets around the world with their ability to demonstrate the value of products and solutions. However, for brands to get the most out of these assets, it is important that they are in the right format for the audience and situation. We outline three situations below where customer evidence can be useful and a few ideas for how it can be used.

Today, the most important person selling your product or service is no longer you—it’s your customer. This means it’s all about customer engagement and how it can be beneficial for you, your customer, and your prospects. It is important to keep in mind that though the names Customer Advocacy, Customer Evidence and Customer Reference may sound similar, they are different terms - which we will cover in more depth next.

The game has changed when it comes effective marketing for B2B businesses. It’s no longer enough to make branded content that speaks about your solution and its benefits, now, to be truly effective, businesses need content that speaks from experience. Your customer’s experience.

The journey from prospect to satisfied customer has evolved. There used to be greater need for salespeople to get involved earlier in the process in a more consultative and educational purpose. Now, with the integration of internet in every part of our lives, it’s no surprise that buying has changed too. And when it comes to marketing and selling and the volume of content (branded and otherwise) on the internet, brands need to find new ways to stand out.

With today’s environment of social media and ongoing communication between consumers and brands, our entire buying process has evolved dramatically. It's normal practice for people to research both their challenges and potential solutions before even beginning to engage with a company or a salesperson. This trend has been further supported by extensive content marketing carried out by brands and marketers alike; leading to more and more content about their solutions - and the situations that may necessitate them. 

Keep reading to find out why businesses need to adjust their marketing to get the most from the trend that is here to stay: customer evidence.