Are your internal stakeholders using the content you produce? Do they even know what's available? Or do individuals outside your reference program contact customers directly for marketing activities?

To increase the visibility - and, thus, the value - of your reference program, develop a weekly email highlighting your latest reference success and send it to sales, marketing, and your company executives. Successes may include new content you've developed, activities for which you've secured a reference, and press that includes reference quotes (these could be press releases, but better if they're press clips).

Keep your communication brief - just a few lines for each item and a link to the actual item. Three or four items per communication will keep your program in the limelight.

If you do not have the bandwidth to develop a new reference communication, take advantage of an existing ongoing internal vehicle to tell your story. Does your sales team put out a weekly newsletter or report? If not, how about your company's employee newsletter? Speak with the editor about including a "reference corner." And be sure to link the communication back to your program, inviting s sales and marketing to contact your program for any reference needs.

Lucy Sanna, Consultant lucy.sanna@phelongroup.com