Let Your Customers Tell Their Stories

When we talk about storytelling for your online business, you’re thinking about the different stories you can share with your audience. That’s great, but in this article let’s focus on a slightly different approach. Let your customers do the storytelling for you at least some of the time.

Of course this doesn’t mean you can’t share your own stories as well. Instead look at it as a way to get some powerful marketing materials. Your customers’ stories and testimonials can be some of the most powerful tools in your marketing toolbox.

Let’s start with some powerful stories your clients are already sharing with you – their testimonials. Share your customer’s testimonials anywhere you can. Work them into your sales pages, set up a dedicated page for testimonials and work them into your email messages. Sharing them on social media is another powerful strategy. If you have a decent client base and your product is good, you’ll likely see more and more testimonials as you start to use them, current customers read them and decide to share a story of their own.

Pay attention to the emails you receive. If your readers are anything like mine, they’ll write in explaining their situation and ask if the product or service is right for them. Use their stories and questions in your frequently asked questions. Even if the situations aren’t 100% the same, many others in your target audience will be in similar situations and have the same questions.

Encourage your customers to talk about how they feel about what you have to offer. Has the information been helpful? Has that course on writing and publishing kindle books inspired them to launch a series of how-to books for new homeowners? Showcase how your products and services are being used. They are some of the best stories you can share. They provide great social proof that what you have to offer actually works and is worth the money.

Don’t be afraid to ask your customers to share their stories. Ask them for feedback, see if you can make them a case story on your blog or use their testimonials and reviews. As you start to publish some of these stories, share them with your customer base and ask if anyone else would like to share. Before you know it, you’ll have a nice little collection of stories submitted by your customers that will not only help you market your products and services, but also show that you’re the real deal, the person that’s making a difference in other people’s lives.