Your customers are your biggest asset. After all, the whole reason your business exists is because of them. Who better to vouch for your platform publicly?
Sure, you’re probably doing just fine without customers quoted in the media. But do you know the true cost of not having customer references for your PR program?
Advantages that references can bring to your business
Below is a list of advantages that building customers references can bring to your business.
- Adding third-party validation for media
Every SaaS PR program’s success revolves around getting your story in front of the right media. Especially for national outlets focused on large-scale trends and business impact angles, having third-party validation from customer references to corroborate your story adds that extra layer of impact. Just like we all learned about writing narratives in 9th grade English class: show, don’t tell.
- Creating sales enablement content for your business
Reporters aren’t the only ones who can benefit from visibility into a real-life application of your product — your prospects can, too. Just like having customers who will take reference calls for you or provide a quote for your website, customer-focused coverage can act as an easily-referencable asset to move prospects down your funnel. Whether it’s referencing a story in initial outreach to a prospect in a similar industry or following up on a great conversation with an article, having customer-focused coverage to share can add brand credibility and validate your value.
- Building free promotion for your customer
Last but definitely not least, tapping customers for your PR program also builds their brand. As they talk about the ways they’ve used your tech to improve processes, it’ll increase their standing as a tech innovator and problem-solver in their space. Not to mention, serving as a reliable source will solidify their relationships with reporters for possible future stories.
If you’re saying, “This all sounds great, but I don’t even know where to start,” we’ve got you covered. Check out our guide on how to build customer references to complement your PR program!