Lessons from Skype: Let Your Story Be About Your People

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KEcoi4rvybCGz8oMwzx3e9osXSZYRSjBmvcQOLLp_GCkiI_62iilSF3JbK8nfqhsOyiy-tbwBWa1k2j8SGZ4jTOfzJrytVKHL1yWIhlF7lef-yr9MFyyv5TJnMQ56pe783y-I7X_0x0/s1600/Lessons+from+Skype+Let+Your+Story+Be+About+Your+People.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KEcoi4rvybCGz8oMwzx3e9osXSZYRSjBmvcQOLLp_GCkiI_62iilSF3JbK8nfqhsOyiy-tbwBWa1k2j8SGZ4jTOfzJrytVKHL1yWIhlF7lef-yr9MFyyv5TJnMQ56pe783y-I7X_0x0/s1600/Lessons+from+Skype+Let+Your+Story+Be+About+Your+People.png" /></a></div> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Regardless of what you are selling, your marketing strategy should always focus on people. If you have your customers at the heart of your marketing content, you will have no trouble creating engagement. Your products are important, but they are not as important as the people you are trying to sell them to.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You may have produced a revolutionary product, but that is not what you should tell people about. It is not about your products; instead, it is about what you can do for others. Do you think that your products will solve the problems of your customers? Will it make their lives any better?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is only a subtle difference between a product centric and a customer centric marketing strategy. But when you focus on how you connect with your customers your content becomes instantly interesting. So the next time you launch a marketing campaign, make the customer the hero of the story.</span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is this customer-centric approach that made this Skype video hugely popular. It tells the moving story of two girls. The only bond that connects them is the disability they both share. They were both born without a left arm. They first talked to each other over Skype some eight years ago and have been best friends since then. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They, however, never got an opportunity to meet… until… Well, we suggest you watch this touching video titled <em>Born Friends:</em> (</span></span><a href="http://blogs.skype.com/2013/11/08/born-friends-the-story-of-sarah-and-paige/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://blogs.skype.com/2013/11/08/born-friends-the-story-of-sarah-and-paige/</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here's why this approach works:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tell a great story. Skype is an internet company that allows people to make video calls over the internet. It has been one of the most popular internet success stories. And thanks to its huge popularity, Microsoft acquired it in 2011. But this video is neither about their call quality nor about their global outreach. It doesn't show why VoIP is a better alternative to other means of telephone communication. Instead, in a subtle manner, this video tells how Skype's advanced technology helps people connect with one another.</span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This story is Skype's attempt at redefining its role in people's lives. After all, Skype has to retain its space in a world where new means of communication become available almost every day. Think about tweets, status updates, likes, texts, friends, followers, fans, circles and plus ones. Now you should have a clear picture.</span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Skype just wanted to show that although several communication tools are available at the moment, it is still the leader when it comes to connecting people. It should be noted that in this video the company isn't just presenting itself as a video and chatting company. It is talking about communication. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here, the story is 100% true and authentic and that is the reason it works. </span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The story of these two girls was one of the many stories submitted in June and July through a Skype microsite. The winning story had a chance to win a $10,000 travel voucher. Part of the popularity of this contest can be attributed to the fact that Skype made it quite easy for participants to share and contribute. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Four of the stories thus submitted have been released by Skype and one of these stories won the contest. What marketers running similar contests can learn from this Skype lesson is that unless they make the submission process easy they can't expect to have much success.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">               </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Content begets more content. While you are launching a video to connect with your customers, keep it tight. Understand that people are busy. You can't expect them to spend more than 60 or 90 minutes to watch your video. Respect their time.</span></span></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The bottom line<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tell and great story and you will win hands down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>

Lessons from Skype: Let Your Story Be About Your People

Regardless of what you are selling, your marketing strategy should always focus on people. If you have your customers at the heart of your...

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