4 Tips for Securing B2B PR's Holy Grail

For B2B PR pros, the customer case study is a bit like the Holy Grail - highly sought after but hard to find. As peer- and influencer-driven purchasing habits continue to rise, customer references are increasingly important to driving sales. And as PR pros know, customer references are usually a journalist's first request.

But getting customers to agree to provide a reference can be difficult for a number of reasons. Customers often cite the belief that your product or service offers them a competitive advantage, a desire to control how their brand is presented to the world or managing the volume of reference requests as factors preventing them for participating. For the individual who fields your reference request, it can also involve securing approvals from multiple layers within the company (departmental leads, the executive team, corporate communications, legal, etc.). At the end of the day, asking a customer to share their success story requires a significant effort and a whole lot of trust.

So, what can PR pros due to lower the barriers for the customer participation while establishing the strong relationship with the buyer necessary for securing a case study? By starting with small asks that are easier to fulfill, you can demonstrate your value while you build a relationship with them.

Here are 4 ways to get customers involved, starting with the ideas that take the least investment on their side:

1. Ask for customers to participate in social media - Social media remains a simple way to get customers engaged and offers many opportunities to build stronger relationships. Start by asking customers to share your news. Often times this type of request significantly lowers the internal barriers that your buyer faces. They can use their personal social media channels vs. the company channels to promote your product or service which reduces the internal approvals required. They can also support you without having to share details about their specific implementation. You can amplify that support on your social channels and point reporters to it. Once a level of trust and participation is established, you can
2. Write a guest blog post for them - This can be another easy ask of customers especially if you offer to ghost write it for them. If you make your buyer sound like an expert in their field while laying the foundation for future sales, you both benefit. Blog posts don't have to be about a customer's specific implementation, either. Your buyers can lend their credibility by establishing the need for your product or service; outlining key buying decision factors; or reviewing specific features and functionality.
3. Logo usage - Asking a new customer to use their logo on your website and press materials might seem pretty straightforward but starting here can be risky. What if the customer says "no?" A company's logo is an extension of their brand and many like to keep tight control over its usage. Being told you can't use the customer logo makes all future requests for support more difficult. Some vendors don't ask at all, either in their haste to take advantage of the new customer win or as a deliberate strategy to avoid being told "no." For PR pros trying to decide how to move forward, it comes down to your organization's level of comfort with asking forgiveness vs. asking permission. If you use a customer's logo in presentations to media without asking, your sales and executive teams may end up having an uncomfortable conversation later when your customer discovers the unauthorized use. Work with your sales leaders, customer relationship teams and executives to develop an approach that best fits your organization's relationship with customers and appetite for risk. The best path forward may be some hybrid approach.
4. Event participation - This can be a larger ask but if you are willing to invest to get the buyer to attend, it can yield tremendous benefits. Even if the customer doesn't participate directly in meetings with the press, video of stage presentations at the event can be repurposed with reporters without requiring additional participation of your buyer.

While it may take time to secure a full blown customer reference, this approach offers PR teams with numerous opportunities to take advantage of that new customer win. For more reading on how to create willing customer advocates, check out this great piece.