Fact: marketing is hard for early stage companies. Also a fact: It’s a function that makes founders’ heads spin. So how do you know where to invest your time and money?
The answer is the customer.
One of the best things founders can do is spend time with customers. So use that time to feed your marketing engine! Here are three ways you can leverage time spent with your customers to uplevel your marketing game.
Tap Into Customer Stories for Sales
Most founders are well aware of the value of case studies in business. It’s not hard to see why having some customer successes on hand to publicize and share with other potential customers can offer social proof, validation of your value propositions and a host of other benefits. But, there’s more to this than meets the eye. Case studies on their own aren’t enough.
Instead, you must get deep into the day-to-day lives of the people you’re talking to in a given buying committee. When you do, you’ll not only absorb more of what keeps them up at night, but you’ll also end up getting a repository of stories you can draw upon later. It’s also important to analyze the entire backstory of a successful customer. It just might reveal some of the messaging or strategies that resonated particularly well, which you can use again.
Once you have these, you can use them to train your sales team with them, giving them ways to handle objections and show empathy for the buyer. For example, if a potential customer objects to buying your solution because they’re worried their team isn’t tech-savvy enough to use it, maybe you’ve just finished working with another customer who had the same fears. You found a way to work through it with them, and are confident you can do the same with this other buyer.
Such a customer story might not come in the form of a fully fleshed out case study, but that doesn’t dilute its importance. It just might be what your other potential customer needs to get past their obstacle or doubt.
When you discover a story and messaging that work, try using it again. If it keeps working, keep using it. If it doesn’t, iterate on it and try something else. Learning from past customers and adjusting your content and approach as you go is critical to growth.
Create Advocacy Groups & Masterminds
Customers can also be a source of influence within your industry; banding together with them can raise your startup’s profile, get you credibility with other potential buyers and speed up your sales process. You can start putting together an advocacy group in your specific industry by focusing on building relationships, showing how your offering aligns with their interests and encouraging customers to spread the word about your product or service. By doing this, you tap into their networks, gain credibility, and speed up your sales process.
B2B startups can also make masterminds work wonders for their sales game. These groups are basically gatherings of like-minded folks who come together to swap ideas, give advice and help each other grow. For startups, being part of – or forming – mastermind groups that include potential or current buyers can be a goldmine for getting fresh insights, refining sales strategies and staying motivated.
Increase Social Influence
B2B startups can also leverage social influence with their buyers through webinars and videos. Webinars offer a dynamic platform to showcase expertise, engage with potential clients and demonstrate the value of your product or service in real-time. By hosting informative and interactive webinars on topics relevant to your target audience, startups can position themselves as industry leaders and build trust, ultimately driving leads and conversions.
Videos, for their part, provide a versatile medium to communicate complex ideas in a digestible format. From product demos and customer testimonials to thought leadership content, videos can captivate audiences and effectively convey key messages. Startups can use platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn to share engaging video content that resonates with their audience, sparking interest, fostering trust and driving sales.
Your customers are the backbone of your startup, but they’re also so much more. Make sure you’re not missing out on great opportunities to leverage your customers as a content engine and, in doing so, gain credibility, exposure and, ultimately, even more customers.
