But developing an effective success story is as much an art as it is a science.  At Juice Marketing, we’ve developed several best practices that enable us to deliver success stories to our clients that are compelling and resonate with their prospects.

So let’s take a look at 6 critical elements of an effective success story.

1 – Selecting the Right Customers

 There is a difference between a testimonial and a success story.  You may have a customer that absolutely loves working with you but has a difficult time articulating pains & benefits that were addressed or achieved with your solution.  If they simply say, “ABC Reseller is great to work with and the support has been wonderful,” you probably have the makings of a brief quote or testimonial that can complement your marketing collateral or grace your website.  On the other hand if your customer can articulate the efficiency gains and can quantify process improvements (i.e. Saved $$$, reduced labor by X%, etc.), you probably have the makings of an engaging story.

P.s. Shorter customer testimonials are a great marketing tool as well.  Check out our Customer Buzz program for VARs and channel partners.  It’s like a success story, but shorter.

2 – Conducting an Effective Interview

Asking the right questions during the customer interview is one of the most important elements of the process.  Remember that your customer is not in the business of providing success stories so they’ll need a lot of guidance in order to provide the ammunition you’ll need to develop an effective story.

Here are a few questions that we typically ask during an interview:

- Explain the challenges you faced using your old system?
- What are the business issues or pains that were addressed during the implementation?
- How have things improved today using the new system/solution?
- What benefits have been achieved?  How has it positively impacted your company?  Can you quantify those benefits?

3 – Quantify!!

Numbers (whether dollars, percentages or otherwise) are always compelling and lend credibility to claims being made in the story.  A statement such as “We saved money with our new system” is much less effective than “We eliminated $60,000 in legacy support costs of our old DOS-based system which resulted in a 7-month return on   investment.”  Getting your customer to quantify the benefits of your solution is probably the most challenging part of the interview process and is quite possibly an art form.

Rarely are efficiency gains and process improvements benchmarked before and after an implementation so it often requires a bit of creative thinking and resourceful questioning to extract the quantifiable data that will make the difference between a good and great success story.

4 – Creative Writing Skill

Here is where you make the interview come to life and add depth to the conversation.  Don’t look to your customers to provide you with eloquent quotes and statements that are absolute gems.  They are not in the business of marketing so most of the time you’ll have to take what they said during the interview and add a little character (also known as embellishment).  And don’t forget about the “story” part of the equation.  A boring statement of facts or something that reads like a transcript of the telephone interview probably won’t keep your readers engaged.  That’s where creative writing comes in!

5 – Format and Design

An appealing graphical layout will make the story more inviting to read.  Section headlines, featured customer quotes, and carefully placed graphical elements will also help break up text into “bite-sized” pieces and make it easy on the eye.  And while there is no standard length (it can be as short as 1-page, while others are 4+ pages), a 2-page format seems to provide enough space to convey important details without drawing the story out unnecessarily.

6 – Make it about YOU

Overall, the success story should convey YOUR capability as a technology solution provider and valued business advisor.  Avoid the temptation to focus on software and product features as this approach does very little to “brand” your company’s expertise nor differentiate your implementation technique from the reseller down the street.  If it’s all about the product, your solution becomes commoditized and the unique experience & implementation method that you bring to the table is devalued.

Success Stories that Sizzle

If you don’t have the time, resources, or are just too busy to develop success stories for your business, take a look at our Success Story program for Sage, Microsoft, and SAP channel partners.  Or mozy on over to our creative portfolio to check out a few sample success stories that we’ve created for VARs and technology providers just like you.

P.s. You might also be interested in reading “Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Existing Success Stories“

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6 Simple Steps to an Effective Success Story

This new Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 newsletter issue features:

- National Accounts … Managing Large Customers with Multiple Locations

- Is MAS 200 SQL Right for Me?

- FRx Data Conversion Utility… It’s Almost Ready for Primetime

- Building Customer Loyalty with Sage CRM

Click below to check out the sample issue

Be sure to contact us if you’d like a copy of this newsletter to send to YOUR customers and prospects. We’ll personalize it with your logo and company colors and provide you with a formatted PDF, HTML email, and article content with each issue.

Sample Issue (Click Image Below)

Sage ERP MAS 90 200 Newsletter

If your PDFs aren’t created properly, search engines will have a difficult time indexing the document which can render all that great content totally invisible (yes, PDFs can and DO show up in search results).

Here are 7 useful tips for optimizing PDFs to ensure SEO benefit and search engine visibility.

1) Add Document Properties and Metadata

Document Properties act like a table of contents, providing search engines with the title, subject, and keywords within a PDF.  Search engines use this information to quickly asses how strongly a PDF relates to a queried keyword without having to scan the entire document.

To assign document properties, go to File >> Document Properties and the following window pops up:

In this example, one of our keywords is “Sage ERP Support” which is included in the title, file name, and listing of keywords.

Things to Note:

The Title you specify in the Document Properties will displayed as the heading of a search result.  Be sure to include your primary keyword phrase in the title.

The Subject field acts like a meta description in search results. So create something description and compelling which will improve click through / conversion.

2) Keywords in Your File Name

As you can see in the example above, your file name should also include keywords.  In this case, the file name is “Sage-ERP-Customer-Support.pdf”

3) Use Hyperlinks and Anchor Text

Web crawlers can read the hyperlinks within your PDF document so be sure to include links to other pages of your website, your blog, other PDFs, etc.  Ideally, these hyperlinks also contain keyword anchor text.  In other words, use “Sage ERP Support” as clickable anchor text within the document rather than “Click Here” for more info.

These links also create more dynamic PDF documents.  After all, don’t forget that your PDF may be passed on to someone else who is not familiar with your company. Embedded links will make it easier for this unexpected reader to find their way to your website.

4) Use Text-Based Program to Create the PDF

Your PDF should originate from a text-based application like MS Word or other text-based publishing software. Using something like Photoshop (image-based) or scanning a printed document and then converting to PDF actually creates a big image file (not a true “readable” PDF) … that means there is no text for a search engine to “read.”

5) Make Sure Your Sitemap Includes PDFs

It’s a good idea to include links to PDF documents on your Sitemap page.

6) Size Matters

Do what you can to keep the PDF file size on the smaller side to minimize download time.  Not only has Google incorporated site speed in the SEO equation, it also spares your website visitors the hassle of lengthy downloads.  In fact if your PDF takes a while to download, a web crawler may just quit and move on to the next job.

Adobe provides a PDF Optimizer tool that allows you to “Optimize for Fast Web View” (as opposed to a “Print Quality” high resolution PDF that’s larger and takes longer to load).

7) Follow the Same Rules as Web Page Optimization

At the end of the day, here’s the thing to remember … when creating PDF documents, you should follow the same SEO Best Practices that you would in creating any other content in a web page.  That means using relevant keywords in the title tags, H1 headers, and body text along with many of the tips discussed above related to file size, links, and anchor text.

By creating better PDFs and implementing a few SEO best practices, you can improve organic search results and get better mileage out of all the content that’s on your website in PDF format.

Let’s hear your feedback … do you take the time to optimize PDF documents for search visibility?

The reason they don’t see value, they say, ranges from “it’s a silly fad for teenagers” and “I don’t care what someone had for breakfast this morning” to “I don’t know anybody that’s made money or closed a deal through social media.”

But there’s one elusive secret about social media that most of those same folks are missing – something you need to understand in order for social media to work for you.  And that simple secret is this …

You’re NOT Connected with the Right People!

Here’s what I’m talking about …

It’s Time to Connect with Customers, Not Colleagues

Too many of those same folks who “don’t see the value in social media” are connected to other technology providers. So if you’re a Sage partner and your network on LinkedIn or Twitter is primarily made up of other Sage partners, it’s no wonder you’re not closing deals through social media.

You’re networking with people who are selling and implementing the same solutions you offer! Other Sage partners aren’t going to buy your products and services. Makes sense, right? (If not, close your browser and back away from the laptop … there’s nothing to see here).

Don’t get me wrong … there’s value in networking with colleagues to keep your finger on the pulse of the channel and share business-building strategies. But a majority of your social network should be made up of customers and prospects.

Using myself as an example, I’m connected with a handful of other marketing professionals as a source of new ideas and to see what my peers are up to. But 90% of my network on LinkedIn and Twitter are made up of Sage, Microsoft, and SAP partners … so when I post updates, share information, and network via social media, I’m talking directly to the folks we work with and develop marketing programs for!

Think of Social Media Like Email Marketing

When talking to our clients, we find it helpful to compare your social media network to an email distribution list. Just like you send regular newsletters to an email list, social media is an opportunity for you to stay top of mind with customers and prospects. If you’re email list is comprised of friends, family, and other Sage partners, your ERP or CRM newsletter is falling on deaf ears and probably isn’t worth the time and effort.

The same goes for social media … you need to build the right network (email list) first. Once you’ve got the right network of customers and prospects, I guarantee you’ll start to see the value in social media.

Getting Started

Not sure how to go about building a network of customers and prospects? Then it might be time to contact us or register for one of our web-based Social Media Workshops – we’ll provide you with the tools and tactics to effectively grow your network and start connecting with the right people.

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4 Things Every Business Should Know about Marketing in 2012

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1. Launch a Separate Window for External Links

Ok, this one is really simple and probably obvious.  Even still, there are plenty of websites that make this mistake which is this:

Linking to an external website and launching that website OVER your current browser window.

For instance, plenty of Sage partners link to the Sage website for more product info.  But too often that link launches in the same window essentially redirecting me from the Partner website to Sage.  If I don’t find what I’m looking for there, I’ll probably close the window.  To get back to YOUR site, I would have to launch the browser again and retype your URL.  Something many prospects won’t take time to do.  They just move on.

So always always always make sure any external links launch a separate window/tab (like this).  If the prospect closes that window, they’re still on your website and can continue browsing.

2. Put Social Media in Its Place

This is a trend I’m seeing far more often these days and it relates to #1 above which is this … I arrive at a channel partner website and the first thing I see, front and center, are a bunch of very prominent links to Facebook, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn.  I’ve just arrived and you’re already redirecting me away from your domain?  Big mistake.  Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn do a pretty good job of attracting traffic…they don’t need your help too.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t make it clear that you have a social presence AND make it easy for prospects to engage and follow you on social media.  But I AM saying 2 things:

Ideally, the traffic is going the OTHER way … FROM Twitter and LinkedIn TO your website/domain.

Include social media links on your website where they make the most sense…certainly on your blog (if you have one) and probably in the header, footer, or margin of other pages.  But don’t drive traffic away from your site with a giant “Like Us on Facebook” graphic or Twitter logo smack dab in the middle of your home page.

Let’s hear your feedback.  Agree or disagree?

So, what is syndicated content?

In a nutshell, it’s ready-made blocks of content that you plug in to your website.

But here’s the problem …

Google Hates Duplicate Content

You can think of “syndicated” as synonymous with duplicate … and Google penalizes duplicate content.  What’s the penalty? Crappy search results … not good for business.

So what’s the deal with the push to syndication?

Is Sage collectively unimpressed with channel partner websites?  Is it a “Big Brother” effort to control the messaging and content in order to protect the brand (in light of the tremendous Sage rebranding effort underway)?  Is it because they realize that Sage partners are accountants and IT guys at heart and creative writing just isn’t their bag?

Or maybe at the end of the day, it’s a simple matter of good intentions (easy website updates) gone bad via unintended consequences?

Unintended Consequences

What are those unintended consequences?  Here are three that come to mind:

1. Your Search Results Suffer – duplicate content is a sure way to lose search engine ranking fast (or bury your website even further in search results).  In fact, you’ll probably never outrank your competitor that has original, compelling, and keyword-optimized content on their website.

2. No Differentiation – Every once in a while, it seems that Sage promotes a book that they feel offers a good message to channel partners … a few that come to mind are Good to Great, Solution Selling, and Duct Tape Marketing.

Another Sage-recommended book that comes to mind is “Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition.”

If your copy and paste content is the same stuff your prospect is seeing on 4 other Sage partner websites, what does that say about your unique value proposition as a Value Added Reseller?

Where’s the differentiation?  If your message isn’t clear, here’s how the prospect will define your value … what’s your rate and how big of a discount can you offer?  Can you beat the competitor down the street who sells the same accounting software product?

3. It’s boring and full of gibberish – This probably isn’t as detrimental to your business … but all that syndicated content is boring.  It’s full of industry-specific jargon that says a whole lot of nothing.  A bunch of $60,000 dollar words where a $5 dollar word would have been more effective.

You know, all that stuff like “a comprehensive, best of breed, and world-class enterprise-level solution for your mission-critical applications that’s integrated, scalable, and user-friendly” … Huh?

How to Make Syndicated Content Work

Let’s be clear, syndicated content can play a role in your overall website strategy.

But you better have some high quality, original content elsewhere on your website that complements that plug-and-play syndicated stuff.

It also helps if you surround the syndicated content with common on-page SEO techniques like keywords in your title tags, URLs, and H1 Headers.

Lastly, you have the ability to customize the syndicated content a bit.  Do it!  You don’t want to recreate the wheel … but don’t just slap the out-of-the-box content on your website.  Tweak it a bit, give it some flair, and make it your own.

There’s no Shortcut to Success

Don’t give in to syndicated mediocrity.  Let the channel marketing experts at Juice Marketing develop content for your website or blog that’s creative, compelling, original, and keyword-optimized.

And if you’ve already got Zift Syndicated Content on your website, let us take a crack at helping you get the most out of that investment.  Hit us up via email – it’s time to put some JUICE in your MARKETING!

But the introduction of Business Pages, Google+ has drawn a larger crowd of folks looking to grow their social network, connect with prospects, and quite possibly improve search results in the process.

Here’s a handy guide from the guys over at Hubspot that shows you how to set up and use Google+ pages for business.

Click below to download the guide (PDF)

How to Set Up a Google+ Business Page >>>

Google+ for Business

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of debate on various discussion boards about what Sage Software’s plans will be when they announce their new pricing model and how it will affect their Value Added Resellers (VAR’s) and the Businesses that purchase their software.

Traditionally software has been purchased and implemented on-premise (i.e. at a customer’s place of work) where it is often maintained by an internal IT person, with a VAR offering additional support.  But with the advent of Software as a Service (SAAS), many businesses have been taking their traditional on-premise technology to the ‘cloud.’

The cloud is not a soft wooly place high in the sky – it’s where applications are run and managed on a server at a hosting company. Businesses using the ‘cloud’ don’t need to worry about internal IT staff since the hosting company typically maintains the IT infrastructure for them.  All the business needs is a fast and reliable internet connection.

These fundamental changes are forcing a shift in how software is being sold by all major vendors.  It’s not just Sage, but also Microsoft and SAP as well as many smaller software vendors.  In the past, software Vendors have sold a full license up front which, for the business owner, meant a large initial expenditure and an ongoing yearly maintenance fee (which many businesses chose NOT to continue renewing in subsequent years).

So how will these changes affect software sales, the customers, the VAR’s and the software vendor?

The Customers

From a customer perspective, a monthly subscription appears to be a good thing. And many businesses like this way of purchasing. First, they do not have to fund a large initial outlay for new software. They can just pay a monthly subscription for the applications they need. Plus, their monthly costs are predictable and they would always be on the latest edition of the software as the subscription usually includes upgrades.

However the downside is that over a 2 or 3 year period, the business could end up spending more money than if they had purchased the software outright. But many businesses are not worried about that aspect as they might buy a new system after a couple of years anyway as the original application may not suit their changing requirements.

The VAR

The main issue for the VAR channel with a cloud-based subscription model is their revenue stream. When they sell a software license, they earn a % from the software vendor. If the customers are paying a monthly subscription for the license rather than a one of large fee, VAR’s revenue from License sales will be drastically cut. And they would have to greatly increase the amount of customers they have on subscriptions in the short term to make up the revenue shortfall.

For smaller VAR’s who don’t have the resources to quickly increase their customer base, this could be a huge challenge. All VAR’s would need to change their business model to incorporate more service revenue or even perhaps align themselves to a niche so that they can differentiate themselves from the pack.

There is a big unknown and fear amongst the channel of how many VAR’s could survive these changes to a subscription-based pricing model. Not only could channels that have been built over many years be decimated, but all the wealth of experience from employees in these channels could be lost to the detriment of business customers and the software vendor themselves.

The Software Vendor

As is the case for the VAR, changing to a subscription only pricing model could have a huge economic impact for the Software Vendor. It can take at least 2- 3 years to get the same revenue from subscription-based licensing as they can from the traditional license model.

Additionally if it takes the vendor too long to make up revenues, it can cause serious cash flow issues for the company. Without their usual revenue stream, they would be unable to pay their staff and, in particular, their developers. Without good developers, their product and the product roadmap could seriously suffer.

They would also have to reduce the margins they offer to their VAR channels. Above, I mentioned some of the potential ramifications with that scenario. But for the vendor, they also risk losing their channel which they’ve have spent years building and cultivating.

An advantage for vendors, however, could be that they are dealing directly with their customer which offers better control of the sales cycle. In addition, they won’t have to share as much revenue with VAR’s. But with subscription only pricing, the vendor would need many more customers to keep their revenues at the same levels.  If the economy remains weak, this could pose some big challenges – especially if all the software vendors take the same route.

In Summary

I don’t have a crystal ball.  But I do believe that with our fast changing world, there will be a move towards subscription pricing. Any vendor that does not find a way to adopt this model could be as badly hurt as the short term loses they make in adapting to this pricing.

Perhaps the answer for customers, VARs, and software vendors would be to have some type of hybrid of both outright purchase and subscription options. In that way, businesses will have a choice of buying in the way they want. Software vendors won’t have revenues drastically cut and be able to retain their VARs.  And VAR’s will be able to offer the same level of skilled consultancy without being squeezed so hard they can’t survive.

Do you agree with my conclusions? Where do you think the future of Software pricing is going and do you think there will be winners and losers?

It seems that each year brings a flurry of predictions (like ‘the death of email’) and cutting-edge marketing tactics (you know, anything associated with social media) that are going to drive customers to your door by the thousands.  And while new marketing tools seem to crop up daily, the most important thing to keep in mind is this …

The basics of good marketing haven’t changed – timeless best practices like defining your target market, identifying your competitive differentiators, nurturing leads, and staying top of mind …

But the way people EVALUATE and BUY products and services has DEFINITELY changed.

Here are four things you should know about marketing in 2012 that can help you find new customers in this brave new socially-aware, Google-dominated world we do business in.

A Healthy Dose of Keywords

Keywords are paramount to everything you do.

Why?  Because search – and specifically, Google search visibility – is still top dog in marketing.  But if the content on your website isn’t optimized around important keyword phrases, Google is going to have a tough time finding you.  So, too, will the people searching for solutions to the problems that your products and services can solve.

Keywords should be strategically included on your website, blog entries, press releases, and everywhere else you’re posting content online.  The Google Keyword Estimator (www.GoogleKeywordTool.com) is a free tool that can be helpful in determining the relevance and search volume of keywords in your industry.

Social Media is More Than a Fad

In the past, the ability to build your brand, generate awareness, and stay top of mind was limited to costly tactics like direct mail and dreaded cold calls.  But social media changed all that.  No longer just a fun way to kill time, social media has become a legitimate way of building your business. It’s time to make 2012 the year you suit up and jump in to the deep end of the social pool.

Not sure where to start?  Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are the largest and most widely used social networks out there.  If you aren’t already active on one or all three of them, it’s a good place to start.

It’s worth noting that Google and other search engines are now heavily influenced by activity on social networks. The more people that like, share, tweet, and link to your website, the better your search results are going to be.

Email is Still Highly Effective

While social media is the shiny new object attracting a huge audience, email hasn’t lost its luster.  Despite predictions of the death of email marketing, it’s still one of the most effective tools for converting prospects into customers.

“Conversion” is the operative term here.  Sure, social media is great for generating awareness and building an audience that recognizes your brand.  But when it comes to motivating that audience to reach into their wallets and become paying customers, nothing beats timely and targeted email communication.

Go Blog Wild

For many companies, blogging is the hub of their marketing communication … and for good reason.

First, Google loves the frequently-updated, fresh content of a blog so your search engine results will probably improve.

Plus, blogging is a great way to express your unique voice, personality, and thought leadership as a business … in a way that stodgy old, brochure-style corporate websites can’t.

Last, a blog can be dynamic and engaging because your readers can leave comments and contribute to the conversation.  Something a traditional newsletter and other one-way marketing communication can’t support.

A blog is also a cohesive way to implement the 3 marketing tips discussed above.  For instance, your blog entries can incorporate keywords to improve search visibility, you can share new blog entries with your social network and drive traffic to your website, and you can link to your blog from email communication which can improve readership.

Wordpress (www.wordpress.org) is one of the most popular blogging platforms because it’s easy to use and offers a huge variety of free design templates.

Don’t Forget About the Basics

As you look out into 2012 and decide which social media platform, marketing automation technology, or collection of marketing techniques is right for you, don’t forget about the timeless best practices that are critical in making any of those fancy new marketing tools work effectively.

Did We Miss Anything? What other marketing techniques do YOU think need to be considered in 2012?

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It’s called Jump Start Marketing.  Here’s the deal …

The Sage Fast Track program lays a great foundation of marketing knowledge and best practices. But once the coaching and curriculum is complete, many Sage Resellers have trouble finding the time and resources to implement what they’ve learned.

Stuff like creating blog content, developing customer success stories, improving Google search visibility, and figuring out which social media tools and platforms are worthwhile and which are a tremendous waste of time.

Turn Ideas Into Action

The Jump Start marketing program consists of tangible deliverables, content, and marketing pieces that help Sage partners turn new ideas gained in the Fast Track program into action.  It covers a wide range of effective marketing tactics – both inbound and outbound – that will keep Sage partners top of mind with customers and prospects and ultimately drive more business.

Because new ideas and strategy are great, but action is what makes it all work.

Is Your Business Ready for a Jump Start?

Get a copy of the Jump Start Marketing Brochure (PDF download) for pricing and program details.