The BV Blog

Everyone in marketing knows that “word of mouth” is the best way to generate maximum awareness for a product, service or campaign. What most of us don’t realize is that we have a veritable cornucopia of opportunity for this kind of viral marketing– our customers. Happy customers are the biggest champions of your business. If you wow them, they will tell others. And just as their words are a powerful marketing tool, so are their success stories.

Case studies not only help your business learn what works, but when published, they let everyone know you figured it out.

Companies get lost in the glitz and gloss of traditional marketing efforts like television and print ad campaigns. The truth is those mediums are very expensive and oversaturated. Case studies are a much more reliable representation of the successes of your company and your clients.

Perform case studies regularly and submit them to the trade publications of relevant industries. You’ll be amazed at the response you get.

Marsha Yudkin is a marketing consultant who has mentored hundreds of people over the years. In her October 10th newsletter she writes:

“Some mentorees assume that serving clients means being subservient. They’re surprised to learn that as a consultant, you don’t have to accept the client’s definition of the problem. Indeed, fulfilling the client’s request may lead them to a dead end. Instead, explain why they’d reach their goal faster by taking a different route.”

Do you bill yourself as a consultant? If so, do you have enough confidence in your abilities to proactively lead your clients in a specific direction, or are you just reacting to suggestions they make?

Here’s one example of how BusinessVoice serves clients in a consultative manner. We’re just shy of insistent when it comes to updating our clients’ On Hold Messaging productions because we know that, as with stagnant online and broadcast copy, stale on hold content loses its ability to engage callers and elicit a specific response. This is why we contact clients proactively about updates. It’s why we bring copy points and marketing ideas to the table. It’s why we monitor our key and major clients online to stay aware of news and changes within their companies and industries. It’s one of the ways we serve our clients as a consultant, not just a vendor.

So, are you consulting and leading your clients to success…or merely reacting to their phone calls?

These days, there aren’t many jobs more difficult than doing PR for an oil company. (Now that the tobacco companies are down for the count, these are the folks we really love to hate.) So hats off to Chevron and their new “Human Energy” campaign. It’s subtle yet thought-provoking and re-frames the debate while clearly stating their mission and why we need them. And those are elements that can be put to work with any product. Check it out and see if your attitude doesn’t change a bit, even for only a moment. That’s the power of effective marketing.