Breathing Life Into Your Brand Strategy

Humanizing Your Brand In The Digital Era

How to get closer when we are distant? In the digital world we live in, we all know too well the importance of data when it comes to online marketing. This invaluable information gives us access to the emotions, thoughts, preferences, concerns and ever-changing needs of our target audience. However, while these insights are inherent to the success of our digital marketing campaigns, the risk of being submerged by data could lead to forgetting one fundamental element which is the human touch.  Some surveys show that individuals are 53% more likely to engage with companies with which they can get in touch with in real-time. That only highlights that businesses must be reactive and incorporate elements of personalisation into their communication to build brand affinity. However, responding to requests for interaction is one thing, demanding people’s attention without their permission is another thing entirely. So, let’s discuss a few ideas and actionable tips that will add some humanity to our marketing recipe.

• INSPIRE EMOTIONS:

When asking ourselves what makes us human, words like empathy, humour, care and love should naturally come to mind (maybe not in that order!). Well, to humanize a brand, the same logic applies. When communicating with your audience, ask yourself if your brand voice appeals emotionally. Is your tone conveying sympathy? By leveraging key data and understanding buyer characteristics while using social listening, you can create content that evokes the emotions you want to spark. To appeal to emotions, the cosmetics brand Lush, created some mini-series called ‘How It’s Made’ to show the making of some of their best-sellers. As a result, while being educational, the campaign offered some transparency allowing customers to empathise with the brand as well as strengthening their connection with it.

• TELL YOUR STORY

Brand storytelling is an invaluable marketing tool which allows a deeper level of connections, as customers respond to a strong narrative. Throughout human history, stories have been told to share wisdom, counsel, communicate and build relationships. This method still remains very effective to tell the world about your business. Your brand is the reflection of your work, what you say you do, how you talk about it and how you do it, so make sure you capitalize on telling your story to engage with your audience in a way that they can relate to and ultimately connect with your organization. Given that 54% of people don’t trust brands and 83% don’t trust advertising, mostly because broken promises or dishonest marketing, enhancing your storytelling can help your brand build trust and brand reputation.

• BE REACTIVE AND AGILE

According to a study,  77% of people won’t make a purchase on a website if there’s no live chat option. Striking right? In a fast-paced and digitally connected world, where information is available at our fingertips in one click, customers and prospects alike are expecting rapid answers to their queries. Being able to engage in those discussions in real-time is a great way of showing the human aspect of your brand and capture potential leads. Making sure that the human faces behind your business are responsive and communicate in a way that is aligned to your audience specificities will add authenticity to your brand. Moreover, ensuring that this is happening consistently will not only build relationships but also add value and help your brand grow. While it may seem contradictory, considering investing in chatbots to humanize your brand can be very useful in that regard. AI has the ability to filter and answer generic questions, and then redistribute specific queries to the teams for them to treat the queries in a more personalised way.

• HAVE BRAND AMBASSADORS

To add a human touch to your digital marketing, you can leverage the power of brand advocacy. Having brand ambassadors is a great way to inspire and gain trust as 85% of people trust the judgement of their counterparts as much as personal recommendations. Another interesting point is that consumers are 24 times more likely to share content if it comes from an employee rather than the company itself. So, don’t miss out on the opportunity to harness the social influence of your employees! It is fundamental that brands take advantage of social media platforms to interact with their audience. You can do this by asking direct questions, launching challenges, quizzes. By being socially active, you’ll reach a deeper level of connection with your community and ultimately boost engagement. Creating interactive pieces of content, or using gamification will prove itself to be more effective than traditional content as 45% of B2B buyers say interactive content is amongst their favourite ones. In a nutshell, there are countless ways for businesses to humanize their approach. From taking concrete actions regarding social matters such as inclusivity or sustainability through putting faces behind your brand using video content to adopting a specific tone of voice when communicating, the list is endless. Furthermore, as we live in an age of conscious consumerism, it is crucial that marketers incorporate human elements into their strategy to be relevant. As the world becomes more and more digital, companies must make efforts to be as human as possible whether in form or in content to stay profitable and to expand.