HANDLING LENGTHY APPROVAL PROCESSES
Summary:
- Start early. The bigger the brand, the earlier you’ll want to get going – see if you can write in a case study into the contract when signing the customer
- Make your request as clear as possible – which quotes and images will you need, where will it be shown to the public?
- While still being honest, make any brand usage seem as low-key as you can. Reference contract verbiage around mutual logo usage, or cite previous engagements
- Stay on top of it! These kinds of requests can linger in approval limbo forever, so stay on top of your point of contact to see if you can get an answer as quick as possible
Worth the Wait
Picture this: You’ve got your customer bought in and he or she would love to help you put together a joint case study on your mutual success. Unfortunately for many, the hard part is yet to come.
Many companies, especially at the enterprise level, require that any public-facing material containing their brand or likeness get approval from their PR or marketing team. Knowing how to navigate, and even get ahead of, this process is going to be crucial to making your customer story public.
The key here is to, oddly enough, downplay your use of the brand. Having their name in the title is often enough to turn heads, but splashy uses of the logo and direct bold quotes might get flagged by corporate PR.
Beyond usage, it’s important to stay on top of the process as much as you can. Without being annoying or intrusive, check in with your contact to see how approval is going – the squeaky wheel does get the oil!
