It's no wonder that customer case studies are a staple in marketing and selling technology products and services. Technology is complex, pricey and usually requires decent time to ramp up. On top of that, it demands ongoing support when something goes awry. The customer case study uniquely demonstrates that a technology works well in a customer's environment and the experience has been positive. But what really needs to go into a technology case study to satisfy the audience's questions and concerns? Decision-makers have to know the details. What and who was involved? Was there training? MORE >>

" It’s a reminder of one of the most powerful marketing concepts around: Other peoples' ringing endorsements convince us to buy – better than just about anything else. (This week, we lost a treasured filmmaker, Nora Ephron. This post is a tribute to her.). If you've seen Ephron's classic '80s comedy, When Harry Met Sally , you know the most famous scene. Friends Sally (Meg Ryan) and Harry (Billy Crystal) are talking over sandwiches in a deli. To prove a point, Sally pretends – very loudly – to be experiencing a particularly, ahem, pleasurable human experience. MORE >>

Customer case studies pull major weight among your marketing and sales materials. But they are just one way that a customer can serve as a reference for a business. Customer stories fall under the bigger umbrella of customer reference activities, which can involve anything from taking a phone call from a prospect, speaking to an analyst or agreeing to a press release. Smart companies manage their customer references, and even smarter ones manage them well to ensure every reference is maximized – without overusing precious customer contacts. Good metrics can be hard to come by. MORE >>

For the past three years, the organization has spearheaded a B2B Technology Collateral Survey , basically asking buyers of B2B technology what marketing materials they consume during the decision-making process. Survey says… "In general, the larger the company, the longer they prefer their case studies to be, with the largest percentage of respondents from small companies (33 percent) preferring two-page case studies, the largest percentage from middle-market firms (40 percent) and large enterprises (39 percent) preferring four-page case studies." MORE >>

Each year, I look forward to The Eccolo Media B2B Technology Collateral Survey Report , which opens the lid on how B2B technology buyers consume marketing content. Eccolo and Global Marketing Insite collected responses from 501 participants, who were C-level execs, VPs, directors, managers, developers/programmers and technicians - all of which participate in technology purchase decisions in some way. That list alone shows the diversity of marketing content that buyers consume. Marketers, how does this information affect your content marketing plans moving forward? MORE >>