Savvy start-ups know that the most efficient way for them to acquire customers is through inbound marketing. Getting eyeballs to your web site and presenting compelling content for prospects to engage with is a sure fire way to build pipeline. But, while we intellectually know this is true, it’s frequently challenging to generate enough content to feed the demand gen beast.
So, what’s a savvy start-up to do? Leverage your beta testers to build the content for you.
I’m currently working with a couple of start-ups who are bringing their products to market. They each have a handful of beta testers who will shortly begin testing their products. They also need to build their web sites as part of the product launch process.
Using these beta testers to help generate web site content is a smart move. It can not only save you time and money if you planned to outsource content creation, but user generated content is a much more powerful selling tool than anything you could write on your own.
Consider how you shop when making personal purchases. If I’m shopping for a new refrigerator, I might go to Consumer Reports to check on which models are most highly rated. I’ll then go to Sears.com and view the models and pricing. But, what I’m most interested in reading on the Sears web site is what other users like me think of the product. I’ll scan the reviews to see if they jive with the research I did on Consumer Reports, and then make my decision. The feedback from users is key to my decision making process.
Now, think about how your customers make technology purchases. They are likely to visit your web site to look for information about your product, Google your product to see what other users think, and check with an analyst firm to get another opinion. They may even ask you if they can speak to some of your customers.
Instead of waiting for them to reach out for the reference request, why not proactively present them with feedback and testimonials from your users while you have them on your web site? Let these users sing your praises – it’s a far more persuasive hook for your prospects.
So, how can your beta testers help you do this?
The whole point of a beta program is to generate meaningful feedback to help you build a better product. Frequently, though, companies miss an opportunity to use this feedback exercise to help them on the marketing front.
Be sure to consider the following tips:
- Understand how testers really use your product. It may be that they identify use cases that you haven’t thought about. Ask the user to write a short blog post or participate in a video where you document their use case.
- Quantify the benefits received from your product. This data can be used to build ROI numbers or an ROI calculator, and can provide hard hitting statistics, i.e. 89% of customers saw a reduction in employee attrition by using your solution, that can be used in call-out boxes on your web site and in press releases.
- Document success stories. Ask each of your beta testers to participate in a success story and agree to have their logo posted on your web site. Even if the company cannot be publically referenced, you can still white label their success story and post it to your web site. The value is in the story, not necessarily the name.
- Pepper quotes throughout your web site. Nothing builds credibility more than seeing what your users think of your product. So, don’t be afraid to post quotes throughout your web site.
- Create a user forum open to the public where beta testers can share information and ideas. Google will index these forum pages and help you get found. Prospects love getting a behind the scenes view of your product and what your users really think about it. Don’t worry about illuminating the warts in your product – show your prospects that you really listen to their input. Show them how you respond to feedback and roll that into the product.
What do you think? Are there other ways a company can leverage its beta testers to generate marketing content?
Speak Your Mind