In a digitally fuelled world where people are turning into an “always online” society, maintaining human connection might be challenging. How can brands rethink their marketing strategies to offer customers a better personal experience and show them that they are appreciated as individuals? Brand humanisation might be the solution!
If you are following generic best practices in marketing, it might be time to switch things up and show off your brand’s personality. According to Brisque Marketing, brand humanisation is a way of amplifying organic growth by building meaningful connections with customers using marketing techniques that are memorable, relatable, and offer what customers cannot find elsewhere. But how can you humanise your brand? We share basic steps to implement a human-centered marketing approach.
1. Show off your humorous side
Humanised marketing can make a brand stand out in a business environment filled with robotic-sounding humans. Customers view brands as faceless entities with a stiff demeanour that will tell them anything for a buck. To win customer trust through digital marketing, businesses can start by transforming into living, breathing entities and show customers that they are human – not just an institution. Companies can get this right and factor in their human element by allowing the target audience to get to know the people behind their brand. One way to achieve this is to spice up social media content with humour. Humour conveys personality and the funny, witty content can easily capture the audience’s attention, ultimately boosting engagement.
A local example of humour in branding is none other than South African fast-food chain, Nando’s. Known for its tongue-in-cheek adverts and social media posts with punchy puns and wordplay, the company found its unique voice and personality that served as a foundation for building customer loyalty.
2. Don’t sell products, tell authentic stories
Storytelling is a powerful strategy for brands and using this tactic can help marketers factor the human element into marketing techniques. The essence of marketing lies in selling a brand through advertising how great a brand is in what it does and what makes them different. However, companies should not spend their time online pushing this narrative if they are looking to stand out from the crowd. To differentiate themselves in an everchanging marketing industry, brands must either offer a never-seen-before customer experience or become engaging storytellers. Using storytelling allows brands to initiate genuine and engaging conversations. Shared values bring people together and through storytelling, brands can define their voice and what they stand for.
3. Share user-generated content
Brands are increasingly turning to user-generated content (UGC) to deliver highly engaging content and drive customer loyalty. User-generated content, which is content created by the customers themselves, can help brands humanise their marketing efforts. How? According to Taggbox, user-generated content has a “human element” that differentiates it from other content strategies. UGC is a powerful tactic that brands should embrace due to its ability to provide a space to connect with customers. Customers gravitate towards brands that share the same values as them and brands they can relate to on a human level. Sharing UGC is key to humanising a brand.
4. Show customers there is a human face behind the brand
Ephemeral content is gradually becoming a powerful marketing tool and social media platforms that adopted this content format have witnessed significant growth in their user base. This type of content offers brands the opportunity to humanise themselves, through the delivery of raw, unfiltered content. Producing ephemeral content provides brands the platform to showcase themselves in an authentic and relatable manner. By giving the core audience a behind-the-scenes look and feel, marketers can give their brand a face and personality.
Read more: The Power of Paid Social Media
In conclusion
Brand humanisation means giving your brand human traits. In marketing, the customer is king, and brands should make it their mission to maintain positive relationships with customers and share content that resonates with them. Emotions drive purchase decisions and through humanisation, brands allow for a deeper connection with customers; creating a sense of trust and making room for engaging interactions. Humanising a brand means opening up your company and letting customers experience what the company truly values and represents.
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