The Human FactorPart 1: Turning Technology Case Studies

into Customer Stories

What is theHuman Factor?

It’s not this.

(Not this.)

Tech companies LOVE metrics!

Especially not this

(As in your products, your technology,

your solutions – Nope.)

Made you go “awwww”, didn’t we?

That “awwww” or “huh?” or “hmm” is what a journalist looks for – that’s the Human Factor.

The Human Factor changes a case study into something editorial – a story about YOUR customer.

We’ll showyou

what we mean.

Time for a little Case Study Alchemy…

(aka some UNSOLICTED but illustrative makeovers)

Real-Life Example: New Relic Case Study

Honest, this is a REAL case study!

(We found it online.)

Gosh tech companies LOVE

metrics (especially metrics

about products and solutions)

Typical Case Study Headline: NOT about the Customer

How Obama Changed Elections – and Possibly Politics – Forever

In 2012, Obama became the world’s first social media president—the winner in 2016 will be the second.

Four years ago, Obama’s campaign posted nearly four times as much content on social media sites and was active on nearly twice as many platforms as Romney’s campaign. Using new distribution channels, some of which had not even been in existence in the first election, the president was able to bypass traditional media and talk directly to voters, ultimately tapping into the power of grass-roots networking.

How New Relic helped OFA win the social media game

Now THAT’s a metric!

After: ALL about the customer

Breadcrumb in body of article

links to next part of story in

natural, editorial way.

Now we have a provocative, eye-catching,

Human Story:1. Engages on an emotional level2. Uses chapters and “get-the-rest-of-the-story” breadcrumbs to

deepen commitment and pull through(Just the behavior required to make

content marketing successful.)

Let’s try another one!

HeadlineALL about technology and what it does.

Blackberry Case Study

CLUES: Leisure tour operator High school/college students Adventure-themed destinations

How would you transform this case study into a Human Story?

Attention-grabbing visual, provocative headline, and ALL ABOUT THE CUSTOMER

Extreme Travel: Why Students Aren’t Behaving Like They Used To

In the olden days (1980), students’ idea of adventure travel was a couple of nights in Amsterdam’s red light district. Not anymore.

When Janet Reasler started thinking about where she’d like to travel before she started her first job after graduation, she considered her parents’ suggestion: All roads lead to Rome. But Reasler, 23, had a few other ideas on her mind.

She contacted a student travel company, Breakaway Tours, and asked about trekking in the Australian outback with skydiving and bungee jumping on the itinerary.

See how Blackberry put extreme travel management right into Breakaway Tours’ hands.

Based in Toronto and founded in 1984, Breakaway Tours has been forced to adapt to students’ changing appetite for extreme travel . . . .

Great breadcrumb that links the

emotional energy of extreme travel

back to Blackberry’s technology.

Almost every case study has a Human Story buried in it.

How do you find it?

HINT: If your headline

includes your company or

product name, you’re on the

WRONG TRACK!

So, what does this mean for us?

1.Editorial content decreases bounce rates by as much as 50%

2.Most importantly, a case study is a case study is a case study . . .

. . . but . . .

Content Marketing Strategy

Start with a case study . . .

. . . transform into a Human Story . . .

. . . NOW you have the requirements of a

Human, editorial stories can be a series of teasers and “get the rest of the story” chapters – and are optimal for linking

directly into lead capture and nurture automation tools.

The Human FactorHow I Learned to Stop

Talking about Products and

Focus on Customers

• Case studies don’t go away• You’re adding capability:

• Extending use of your content• Delivering strategy to your

organization• The value of your program is

measured differently

Case Studies -> Human Stories = Content Marketing Strategy

The Human FactorHow I Learned to Stop

Talking about Products and

Focus on Customers

Check out Part 2: The Human Factor in Action –

A Customer Content Marketing Demo

Part 2 live on SlideShare

May 6, 2015

That’s it for Part 1.

The Human FactorHow I Learned to Stop

Talking about Products and

Focus on Customers

info@eccolomedia.com

Can’t wait?Give us a shouttoday & we’ll

schedule a live, personal sneak

peak.

(Yes, click here)

(Yep, we went there.)

@eccolomedia

The Human FactorHow I Learned to Stop

Talking about Products and

Focus on Customers

Case Study Tip: Use chapters and “get-the-rest-of-the-story” breadcrumbs

to deepen commitment and pull through. #humancontent @eccolomedia

SO… Key Takeaways, Ready to Tweet.

Transforming case studies into human stories extends your content,

delivers strategy & modernizes metrics. #humancontent @eccolomedia

Writing human stories tip: If your headline includes your company or

product name, you’re on the wrong track. #humancontent @eccolomedia