Do you want to peer into the minds of your target audience? Then a customer advisory board (CAB) is the way to go. CABs are a cheat code for B2B marketers.
At Metadata, we run everything from website updates to campaigns past our CAB to get their take before we run with it. Needless to say, the results speak volumes.
But as it is with everything else in the marketing world, you’ve got to know how to use them right.
That’s why in this episode, Mark Huber, Head of Brand & Product Marketing, and Justin Simon, Senior Content Marketing Manager at Metadata, explore how they set up the CAB at Metadata and how you can build one at your company.
For more information on how to build your customer advisory board from the ground up, tune in to the full episode or read on for the key takeaways from this episode.
Watch the full episode
Three top takeaways:
Takeaway 1: Pick CAB members who are a truly representative sample of your customer base
When picking members for your CAB, there are lots of factors to consider.
Who can provide you with solid opinions? Who really gets what your launch or website update is really about? Who do you genuinely enjoy meeting with? And, who’s going to have the time to show up when they’re needed?
None of these questions are necessarily wrong to ask, but at the end of the day, the most important thing to consider is who really embodies your customer base.
Why? Well, let’s say you have people on your CAB who love using your tool but don’t quite match your A-tier target accounts. They may very well end up steering you in the wrong direction.
Bottom line, get people who best fit your average customers for your CAB.
Takeaway 2: CABs are built on relationships
Starting up a CAB isn’t typically a spur-of-the-moment thing. You need to start forming relationships way before you lay down the foundation for building one.
So, it’s a good idea to make a point to talk to your customers regularly and make a note of the people you’re chatting with. It’s from those interactions that you can compile a list of the eligible CAB members, and eventually, you can share that with your boss or CEO.
Consider this the first and most vital step of creating a CAB.
Takeaway 3: Remember, your relationship with your CAB is a two-way street
One of the initial mistakes we made at Metadata was using the CAB as an avenue to simply tell our customers what we were planning without listening to any feedback.
Sure, this goes against the very definition of CAB, but it’s an easy mistake to make.
At the end of the day, the members need to get as much out of the interaction as you do. So, don’t just think about what feels right for your company. Take some time to explore whether it’s a good fit for your customers too.
