There have been a couple of instances in the last month where I have been stuck for words. As someone who makes a living writing 1,000 words a day, this might have been a problem. Fortunately, the blockage occurred outside of work. I was trying to describe two pieces of culture: a book, and a dance piece.

Wellness by Nathan Hill and Cycles by Blue Boy are not indescribably complex, but there is a lot going on in both. Wellness covers a huge range of topics – placebos, farming in the Midwest, postmodern photography, gentrification, and much more; Blue Boy are a hip hop dance collective. I didn’t know where to start.

What I was clear on, was how both made me feel. I found it very easy to enthuse about both. I was also, in marketing terms, compelled towards action. I immediately reserved Hill’s first book (The Nix) from the library, and bought tickets for another dance event at Manchester International Festival.

Action and enthusiastic word-of-mouth. We can only hope for such a response from most content. With that in mind, here’s what you might to consider with your customer stories:

• Find and develop stories that have an emotional resonance: adversity overcome, underdogs, positive change to seemingly intractable problems
• Give a platform to new voices
• Favour fresh perspectives on big topics
• Go big on facts or anecdote that are remarkable and easy to share

Or, looking at it from the other end of the pipe: avoid familiar voices with nothing to say.

Customer references must be purposeful content. What do you want a consumer to do having read/watched/listened to your customers’ story? Ultimately, you want them to buy something. I’d suggest you also want them to share what they’ve learned.

Most of all, you want them to have felt something.