October 24, 2016
One of the most consistently challenging aspects of executing a successful B2B PR program is engaging customers to participate. Customers are gold when it comes to PR and are essential to the success of a number of initiatives that are mainstays of a successful program, including:
- Case studies
- Thought leadership articles
- Media interviews
- Speaking submissions
- Awards submissions
- Quotes for press releases
- Blog content
- Analyst research
Organizations of all sizes struggle to get their clients engaged in their PR programs. It seems like, for one reason or another, it’s always a bad time to ask or the client has a policy against endorsing vendors or their legal or marketing teams won’t play ball – the reasons (and excuses) are endless. Yet, in the end, there are an awful lot of case studies and customer presentations at trade shows out there, so what is the key to success? Well, in our experience, there is no one silver bullet, but we have identified eight great tips for engaging your clients in your B2B PR program:
- Put it in the contract. Having contract language that requires clients to participate in specific PR activities (usually a press release announcing the new customer at a minimum) is a pretty standard practice in healthcare and other industries. Good lawyers often try to strike it and good negotiators always try to get something for it, but it’s definitely worth a try. Remember though, that just because you have it in the contract doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. This is your client you are talking about and if they really don’t want to do a press release or a case study, it’s going to be pretty awkward to try and force the issue. The real obstacle to customer participation, however, is usually marketing or legal folks that have no mandate to do vendor PR and will avoid the work if at all possible. Contract language is pretty effective at overcoming that kind of inertia.
- Get sales on board. Your salespeople typically own the client relationship, and for them there is often little upside to begging a customer to do a case study. They are much more worried about closing the customer’s next deal and keeping them happy on the current implementation. There are a few ways to get the sales folks working with you not against you on this, like incenting them with bonuses for customer marketing participation or making it part of their review process.
- Make it an offer not ‘an ask.’ PR is good for customers too, so don’t grovel with your hat in hand. Instead, tell them you have a great opportunity to get some attention for one of your customers and you think their amazing initiative makes them the best choice for the interview/article/speaking slot/award. Explain to them that this is a great opportunity to raise the profile of their organization!
- Appeal to ego. On a related note, don’t forget to mention that this speaking slot or interview will look great on their CV/resume.
Read any tips you like? While you test these out with your customer base, we will get started on the next four tips for getting your customers to support your B2B PR program. Check back later this week for more, or email me directly at scollins@ariamarketing.com if you want additional advice for launching a successful PR program.
