As a business owner, you know the value of sharing your brand story with your audience. But other crucial narratives you should also always be putting out into the world are your customer stories.

When it comes to proving that your services or products are valuable to new potential clients, yes, it is powerful to feature case studies and numbers-driven data. However, just like the rest of your marketing, telling an engaging, powerful story will always draw in more people.

Customer stories bring personality, depth, and concrete examples of what your business can do for your clients. They also showcase your credibility and can shorten the overall sales process.

According to Nielsen research, “92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer. 70% of people will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know.”

I know personally when I go to purchase almost any product or service, the first place I turn when evaluating whether or not to click that buy or inquiry button is the reviews. I want to know what real people have experienced and to see their customer stories.

So, how do you tell your customer stories without appearing trite or bragging? How do you keep it interesting?

Here are 7 creative ways to share your customer stories (and get more clients in return!).

#1 Share Customer Stories Through Video Testimonials or Reviews

Although not everyone you provide services or products to will be quick to jump at the idea of being on camera, many of them are more than happy to create a short video testimonial or review. Especially if you provide easy guidelines for them to follow. If you host an in-person event or work with your customers face-to-face, you can always offer to video them yourself and do the editing, so their part is as simple and painless as possible.

#2 Share Customer Stories Through Interviews

If you host a podcast or webinar, invite your clients or customers to join you and share their experiences there. Depending on the platform and what your client’s business is, this could also serve as a fantastic opportunity for them to plug their own services or products as well and shine a light on their work – a win-win!

#3 Share Customer Stories Through a Guest Blog or Feature

If your client isn’t too enthusiastic about the idea of getting on-screen or stepping up to the mic, but writing is more in their comfort zone, offer to let them create a guest blog post for your site. Again, depending on their own business, this could also be a wonderful opportunity for them to share what they are doing in the world, too. If they aren’t a writer themselves, you could always write the blog post yourself as a client feature.

#4 Share Customer Stories Through Written Testimonials

Maybe writing a whole blog is too much for your clients. (Hey, they have a life, family, and job to balance, too). That’s no big deal! There is always room for more written testimonials on your website, your social media feed, or in other marketing materials. Never underestimate the power of this tried and true form of sharing your customer stories.

#5 Share Customer Stories Through a Library or Collection

To make sharing client stories even easier, create an eye-catching, simple-to-use template. Plug in all of your customer reviews and features in the same format. This makes it easy to highlight more in-depth customer stories without taking up a ton of time. Plus, this cohesive library of stories can be put on your website or shared with potential clients upon request. It elevates your expertise and showcases a range of client experiences all in one, easy-to-digest place.

#6 Share Customer Stories Through Your Pitch or Sample Onboarding Process

After an inquiry or discovery call, if you provide potential clients with a template or proposal for what beginning to work with you will look like, it’s okay to add in client reviews and experiences throughout. This can work especially well if you have specific reviews on what it was like when these clients started their journeys with you.

#7 Share Customer Stories Through Your Regular Emails

Create a template in your weekly (or monthly) emails to feature a client and their testimonial at the bottom (or in the middle) of each email. This minimal amount of effort can have a big payoff in moving potential clients forward on their customer journey and turning them into actual clients. Be sure to also pay-it-forward for your current clients and include links to the featured client’s website and social media channels.

If you need help showcasing your incredible customer stories in your marketing, the team at Amazing OBM would love to connect. You can start by scheduling a FREE 30-minute consultation. We are happy to chat, offer you some valuable tips, and determine if we are a good fit for one another in future endeavors!