treating b2b like bffs
TRANSCRIPT
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Treating B2B like BFFs
HOW ADVOCACY CAN TAKE YOUR MARKETING
FROM SECOND-RATE TO FIRST-CLASS
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Business is always personal.
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
A lifetime of memories…
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
A lifetime of memories…
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Even big business is personal.
• Human experiences are what sets companies apart. B2B buyers are people too!
• Engagement/advocacy goes beyond the brand relationship
• Companies can overcome the cold “virtual” relationship
• Engagement and advocacy can help you cut through the noise
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Who is Code42?
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
• Founded in 2001, HQ in Minneapolis, MN
• Offices in Denver, San Francisco, London and
Munich
• Enterprise SaaS company with 420+
employees
• Protect data on employee laptops and
desktops
• More than 39,000 business customers,
including HBO, Adobe, Salesforce, MIT,
Stanford University, National Geographic, etc.
• Poised for engagement/advocacy success
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
The dark ages
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Resulted in:
• Slow, manual process with many disparate
spreadsheets
• Unenthusiastic sales people
• Customers without an avenue for advocacy
• Lackluster case studies
• Frequent fliers
Securing customer references for sales and
marketing activities was a struggle.
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Reviews, please
The B2B tech buyer:
• Skeptical
• Suspicious of marketing, trusts peers
• Likes to share opinions and expertise
• Often cannot publicly endorse a product
60% of tech buyers look for reviews during the buying process.
Reviews allow customers to be honest
Reviews help companies overcome the testimonial problem
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Launching our engagement/advocacy program
Customer Validation
• Case studies/testimonials/logo usage
• Customer bylines/PR placements
• TechValidate—customer data points, identify
potential evangelists
Customer Engagement
• Code42 AdvocateHub (Influitive platform)
• Code42 user conference and user groups
• Customer Advisory Council
• Communications—newsletter, release/maintenance
notifications, nurturing programs
• Highlight the quality and breadth of Code42 customer base to prospects
• Keep current customers connected and engaged with Code42
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Enter Influitive
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Who are the Code42 advocates?
• IT manager, sys admin, desktop manager
• Enterprise or mid-market account
• Technical contact at organization
• Happy CrashPlan user
• Participated, or has shown interest in, engagement activities with
Code42
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Want reviews? Just ask!
Implemented a customer engagement platform
to create a community of engaged advocates
• Allow us to use gamification to make it fun and to
keep them coming back
• Issued challenges to advocates, pointing them to
review opportunities online
• Gave them points for their reviews, which they
could redeem for gift cards, Code42 swag, etc.
• Keep the ask simple – don’t lead advocates or
tell them what to say
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
ONLINE REVIEWS
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Engagement/advocacy program results
Code42 AdvocateHub
• 768 advocates from 350 companies
• Over 37,000 challenges completed
• 447 online reviews completed
• Customer contributions to blog posts,
presentations, news releases, bylines, etc.
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Beyond the numbers
Benefits we didn’t expect:
• Increased visibility in our organization
• Content/testimonials/challenges from our engagement programs have been used in executive
presentations, highlighted to the entire company and featured online
• An army to mobilize to combat online trolling or genuine questions
• Additional headcount for the advocacy/engagement team
• Personal career growth! “It’s possibly the best example I’ve seen of
a company engagement with its customers
in a way that is informative, fun and
rewarding for all parties involved.”
© 2016 Code42 Software Inc. All rights reserved.
Make it personal.