PwC’s Global Consumer Insights Survey results in 2018 showed that more than one out of every three consumers identified “confidence in brand” as one of the top three reasons influencing their decision to shop at a particular retailer, aside from price.
This demonstrates that customers are wary of brands, and most people believe they are only trying to make money.
So, if you want more customers, you must gain their trust in your company or brand.
This article will help you understand why humanising your brand is essential and how you can do it.
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Why is humanising your brand essential for your business?
We, humans, are innately social beings. We yearn for connection and interaction with other people.
Because of this, a customer will choose to interact with a human rather than a cold, corporate entity. Consumers find it difficult to relate to or care about a company if they don’t sense a human element.
This is mostly true for small businesses and startups, which must typically engage with their customers deeper to gain their loyalty.
Putting faces and names to your brand and marketing campaigns is essential in demonstrating that it’s more than just a money-making machine. Some companies thrive in connecting their brand to the people who created it, making it more relatable and memorable to the public.
Brands establish better ties with consumers when they act more like humans, with appropriate intent, demonstration of value, relevance, good timing, and emotion.
Successful brands humanise their brands in ways that make their marketing more approachable and compelling – and you can, too.
Ways to humanise your brand and marketing campaigns
1. Be Yourself
This is an important way if you want to humanise your brand and marketing campaigns.
Imagine speaking with a family member interested in purchasing your product and wording your messages based on that.
Tell true stories
Running a successful business requires a high level of authenticity.
The goal of humanising your brand and marketing campaigns is to be recognised as a person rather than a company.
People connect with people, not companies, so demonstrate your company’s personality by presenting a lighter side and telling authentic stories to communicate with your target audience.
Create stories that your target audience can identify with.
You might also offer success tales of your clients who suffered in the past but were able to overcome their obstacles with the support of your company/product. This will not only humanise your brand but will also increase sales.
Show off your sense of humour
Humour is essential; all you have to do is know when and where to apply it.
According to experts from the Turku PET Centre, Oxford University, and Aalto University, social laughter causes a release of endorphins in the brain, which may aid in forming social bonds.
Since laughter can make us feel good and inspire others to interact, consider harnessing it to achieve the same outcomes for your business.
Showing your playful side will show customers that you’re more than focused on selling your product or service; you’re a person who can have fun.
However, make sure that what you’re showing is appropriate and relevant to your brand and marketing campaigns. Otherwise, your customers may be perplexed.
Share your stories of failure
Often, your audience is going to relate when you share your failures over your accomplishments.
Research suggests that shared pain may have positive social consequences, acting as a “social glue” to foster group unity and togetherness between groups.
So share your failures, challenges, and lessons learned. You can also show how your company helped a customer overcome failure.
2. Show Off Your Team Members
Showing your customers the people behind your company is a great approach to humanise your brand.
Customers may not perceive your brand as human if they only see your logo all of the time. As a result, make your team members the centre of attention.
Use actual photos of your employees
Shoot some high-quality images of your employees and post them on your website (such as the About Us and Careers sections) and your social media accounts.
Seeing the fantastic people behind your company will help your customers put a face to the brand name.
Turn them into your business’ brand promoters
Most of your employees would probably have Facebook, Twitter or Instagram social media accounts. This implies that they have connections, whether their friends, family, or total strangers. You can use your employees’ networks to spread the word about your brand and demonstrate that your employees are proud to serve and represent its faces.
However, not every employee will feel comfortable working as a brand promoter, but sending out emails encouraging your employees to share certain content about your company can help humanise your brand powerfully and positively.
When employees make social media updates about or on behalf of their company, it accomplishes a few things:
- It shows that they care about the company for which they work.
- It lets people become acquainted with the names, faces, and personalities of your company.
- It expands the reach of your company’s content.
Most companies would greatly benefit from encouraging employees to publish company material on their social media sites.
3. Hire a Social Media Manager
The brands that excel in humanising have a dedicated person or team working together to develop that aspect of the business. Your social media manager should be able to listen, interact, and react. They should also be creative, social, and a natural problem-solver who desires to help others.
Share user-generated content
This humanises your brand and marketing campaigns and gets your customers excited.
It also demonstrates to other customers that you have strong ties with their peers and already love your items.
Instead of being expected to believe a company’s promises at face value, customers will watch actual individuals falling in love with your products, promoting brand trust.
4. Educate Your Customers
Consider your online audience as friends.
Delivering an infomercial is not a good idea. Instead, concentrate on educating them.
Bring up their challenges, acknowledge the problem they’re experiencing, and gently offer how your products can help them.
Focus on solutions rather than features when discussing your products. Explain what solution your product offers and why your product is better than others.
5. Use Original Images
Your customers want to see the people behind your brand.
Make sure your social media accounts aren’t only composed of product photos and graphics. Include behind-the-scenes videos, birthday celebrations, fun vacations, and team bonding activities.
They are all excellent methods to demonstrate your company’s culture, connect with your audience and are a great way to humanise your brand.
6. Personalised your posts
Your audience will feel the human elements of your brand if you connect on a personal level.
Using the person’s name or direct language like “you” rather than “we” or “I” are all examples of this.
You can also utilise remarketing strategies (such as email marketing) that include personalised messaging. Create automated nurture email tactics based on where your leads are in the funnel. Send non-promotional, valuable content according to what they previously viewed or searched for if they’re still learning.
7. Build a relationship with your customers
Show appreciation for your customers
Customer appreciation should be an integral part of your strategy. Customers are significantly more likely to return when they feel valued.
Regardless of your budget, there are unique, pleasant methods to acknowledge and express your gratitude to your consumers every day.
Here are some ways how you can show appreciation to your existing customers, as they’re your best customers:
Send a handwritten note.
In this modern world, people tend only to send handwritten notes for serious occasions.
Email is the most common way businesses communicate with their customers, but it isn’t always a meaningful approach to express gratitude to existing customers.
Instead, grab a pen and compose a heartfelt thank-you note.
Be clear about what you’re grateful for and tell them how much it means to you personally.
Businesses are made up of people; therefore, emphasising how their presence affects you as a person, not simply your business or corporation, is essential.
Give a thoughtful gift.
A thoughtful gift is a unique way to express gratitude.
The gift you’ll give can be related to your business or completely unrelated to what you do daily for your customers.
Consider sending them coupons, gift cards, or discounts on your products or services.
Meanwhile, for gifts unrelated to your business, you may send them tickets to a sporting event, a concert, or something similar.
Your gift doesn’t have to be costly, but it should show that you put some time and care into them. The amount of thought you put into the gift is significantly more important than its monetary value.
Send welcome letters to new customers
Meanwhile, one way of building a relationship with your new customers is by sending them welcome letters.
A welcome letter will make clients feel very important to your business. This can be printed or digital, but usually, printed letters are most effective.
They’ll be aware that you have other clients who came before them, but delivering a welcome letter will let them understand that you’re just as essential as the rest.
Any opportunity to make a client feel important during their time with you is essential to keeping them happy and with you for the long term.
Sending them welcome letters early on can influence the entirety of their relationship with your company.
Summary
Humanising your brand and marketing strategies means revealing who you are to the marketplace.
With this, customers will connect with your company, relate to you on a deeper level, and want to have a long-term relationship with you.
If you want to learn more about humanising your brand and marketing campaigns or have any questions regarding your startup, you can make an appointment with us to learn more.
Rest assured that someone from our team will get in touch with you to answer all your questions.
