Ardath, I appreciate this post. I had an a-ha! I'm making some changes to my site and was not approaching it from the full lifecycle perspective. So, thank you! Casey

Sean, thanks for the opportunity to discuss the "stories are mainly dead in marketing" debate! I'll bite. Maybe I'm constantly looking, but I see stories everywhere in marketing: GEICO, eHarmony.com, Visa, HP, Ford, Pfizer, SAP, The Humane Society, and the list goes on. From small to global, companies are telling stories in print, online, on the radio, and on TV. But what's changed is who's telling the stories. It's now not so much stories crafted by creative marketers and advertisers as it is authentic, customer-told stories. Consumers are more skeptical than ever, and companies realize the power of organizing happy customers to tell their stories for them. So less polish, more authenticity. Watch, look and listen and you'll see storytelling everywhere. Casey

Drew, Thanks for the nudge today. It was much needed. I particularly like the quote! Best, Casey

Excellent points! Customer stories play 3 important roles for startups, or any company for that matter. They provide credibility (real customers that are happy), education (here's how it works) and validation (show a specific impact). Thanks for the related links too. Casey Hibbard