If you're in business to business communications, you can empathize with the bane of my career's existence...client/customer approvals to tell their story, more commonly known as a case history. If you're in business to consumer communications, there's a lesson here for you also.
For those who don't know, case histories are simple stories stating the problem, your client's solution and the results it brought their customer. This informational overview is the oil that helps the btob media relations machine operate seamlessly. Consider that the story is told by the media, from the customer's perspective. If your client's customer is a known brand, case histories turn into earned media more often than not.
The biggest issue in mining this black gold is usually customer approvals. But before we give you some tips on how to get that approval, here's an example of why you shouldn't let customer approval stop you from telling the story.
Take No For An Answer
Years ago, my agency turned a client's issue with getting customer approvals to discuss case studies into an ad campaign. They designed brief case studies to resemble classified documents like the one above.
With details like the customer's brand and other particulars blacked out, it eliminated the need for customer approval, it attracted the reader and made the ad even shorter to read. The only way it could have been a better campaign would be if I could take credit for it.
Creativity is a Universal Opportunity
This need for creativity applies to the business to consumer segment as well. Consider what the adult video website, Pornhub, is doing for a pending ad campaign. It's asking the ad community to submit designs for a national, safe for work (SFW) ad campaign touting the site.
We've received porn-related pitches before. One of them ranks (literally and figuratively) as one of our worst pitches EVER. But the initial success of Pornhub's approach, regardless of how we feel about the topic, is a reminder that PR people can talk about anything.
Five Tips to Get the Story Told
So here are some tips to keep in mind about getting your client/customer story told.
1) You Don't Know Unless You Ask: The one time you don't ask to tell the story is inevitably going to be the one time you'd be allowed to do so. Never skip asking.
2) It's How You Ask: I start by telling my client's customer what a case history is NOT. It's not an ad or a testimonial, it is an informational overview of the project. And they get to see and approve everything before we pitch the media.
3) Mutual Benefit: How is a Fortune 100 brand going to benefit from a story about how it's new toilet paper dispensers saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars? It's probably not. But the person most closely connected with the story, the person approving your request, will benefit. It can be used internally to remind management this person did a good thing, it can be used to remind this person's team they did a good thing and it can help their personal brand. It doesn't hurt to tell them this as part of the ask.
4) It's Who Asks: Who owns the relationship with the client or customer approving your request? This person can help you assess if it's better for them to ask (with your guidance) or for you to ask or someone else entirely. If the relationship owner is worried it'll have a negative impact, they either don't understand what you're asking or they have other issues in play with the relationship.
5) Ask Once: If this single approval will launch a tide of thought leadership, uh, ships, make that clear. If you ask to pitch the media, then ask to submit it in an awards competition, then ask to put it on your website, right before you ask to use it in a speaker's proposal....yeah, you wear out your welcome.
Much like baseball, if you average .300, you'll be a pro -- and you'll probably have enough stories to reach your broader goals.
:: Kevin Dugan, @prblog
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