willing to talk to reporters? (This is The best stories incorporate actual important if you plan to use the story quotes in a customer’s real voice, in a media campaign.) Is the client and possibly your team members’ Good customer someone prospects will relate to? Is voices. Customer stories may even stories aren’t their business representative of your recount a stumble or two on the way just about good market or a segment of it? to success. customers, or 2. A propulsive story. A good story 4. Results. The more specific you about how good draws readers in and pulls them can be about the benefits you you are to them. through to the end. And while it delivered, the better. At the same needs a beginning, middle and end, time, it’s smart to think broadly it often shouldn’t start at what you about what constitutes a result— think of as the beginning. Why? quantitative measures aren’t The beginning is usually boring. everything. What did your work (I got up this morning and made enable the customer to do that they coffee. Then blah, blah, blah.) The couldn’t have done otherwise? Are classic case study format—challenge, there benefits for the customer’s solution, results—is classic for a community? Did you help the reason. Even if you don’t follow it customer do something innovative? literally, it’s a good touchstone: the Did you do something innovative? customer’s challenge is likely to be Get all these elements right, and an intriguing starting point. you’ll have a customer story with 3. Personality. Canned, generic true value all around—a marketing quotes make for bland, unmemorable Swiss Army knife (even if you can’t stories. And the less genuine a open a bottle of wine with it). story sounds, the less credible it is. October 2013 thinkshiftcom.com | Content marketing manifesto | 11