“You help us make miracles happen”: using a customer video story to connect
Here’s a great example from a wonderful organization about how you can use customer stories to make all of the following more interesting and memorable:
1. Employer Branding
2. Corporate Branding
3. New Employee Orientation
4. Volunteer Recruitment (if you’re a non-profit)
5. Donor solicitation (again…if you’re a non-profit)
At the end of this post, you’ll find more about the power of customer stories to give you a sense of why you want to be capturing and sharing them. But for now…let’s get to this story…
The story you are about to hear is designed to connect with:
1. The most desirable job applicants
2. Potential volunteers who have an endless number of non-profits to choose from.
3. Potential donors who want to feel like their donations are serving a great cause and making a big difference.
The Back Story…
I first met Patsy Murphy, the Executive Director from the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland as part of my work on how businesses can capture client stories on video and use them in their marketing efforts.
I was so taken by her and what she’s done with the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, and with their wonderful stories, that I ended up doing a series of interviews with her and her staff. (in a previous post “For Better Employee Testimonial Videos, Don’t Spout Platitudes, Tell Stories”, you can see another video I shot for them).
A Somewhat Different Kind of Customer Story Video
This video is a somewhat different twist to the “Customer Story” video genre in that:
1. The Customer is not telling the story, instead someone from the business/organization tells the story
2. The Customer is a dog–actually two dogs (well, actually the Customer is also their new parents)
Customer Stories That Speak to What Employees Want in a Work Experience
As you watch this video and take in the charming story, notice the psychology behind it. More specifically, notice what human needs it taps into. Notice how it addresses what today’s employees want in an employer and work experience. Notice especially how it speaks to the caring, idealistic individual who would be drawn to non-profit work.
These core human needs include:
1. The need to know you can make a difference
2. The need to know you are doing good in the world
3. Feeling like you’re part of something greater than yourself
4. Being part of a group that makes you feel good about yourself
5. Getting to work with people you enjoy seeing everyday
6. Working in an organization where fun is on the menu
Using a Story to Subtly Overcome Potential Objections
Also, you will notice that the story subtly addresses a potential obstacle to a tenderhearted person–the kind ARLGP wants to hire–from applying. Notice how it challenges the perception that working at a shelter might be a “downer” because the story involves what people might imagine would be impossible-to-place animals.
Also notice that the theme of the video isn’t “Aren’t we awesome”…it’s “Because of you, we can do wonderful things”.
It’s Not “All About Me”
This is actually a nuance I learned from Ritz Carlton years ago, when I saw Diana Oreck, their VP of Leadership Development, present at the first ever onboarding conference (I wrote about this in ” Onboarding That Welcomes and Inspires”).
I was impressed by the video Ritz Carlton had created for their new hire orientation because it combined the message “When you join the Ritz Carlton, you have joined the top 1% of people in the hospitality industry” with “We are so thrilled to have you join us”. They very artfully framed this new employer-employee relationship in a way that communicates “We’re both lucky” vs. a one-sided “We rock…you’re lucky to be working here” or “We’re so very thankful you chose to work here…”–neither of which sends a desirable message on its own.
While the story in this video communicates that ARLGP does great things, it is framed in a “You-centric” way, rather than in a “We-centric” manner.
So…while I know you will enjoy the video and the story (especially if you are an animal lover), let it be a catalyst for you to gather and tell your own customer stories.
In an article I wrote called The Power of Customer Stories and Testimonials to Engage Employees , I cited the fascinating research conducted by Dr. Adam Grant, management professor at Wharton, (and author of the new book Give and Take). His research reveals the power of customer stories on employee engagement. Here’s an example of what his research found:
Dr. Grant and his team have conducted multiple studies involving university fundraisers who call alumni seeking contributions for university scholarship funds. In one study, a scholarship recipient visited a group of fundraisers and shared their story about the difference the scholarship made in their ability to attend the university and in their lives. In the control group, no such story was shared.
A month later, the performance of both groups was measured. The control group showed no increase, not surprisingly. The callers who had listened to the story about how their difficult work made a difference in the world, averaged twice as many calls per hour. Not only did they work twice as hard, they also produced exponentially better results.
Their average weekly revenue increased from $411.74 to $2,083.52 — an increase of over 400 percent.
That gives you an idea of the power of customer stories for just ONE of their uses.
So…go out and collect and share those customer stories!
