In today’s cutthroat business world, companies are constantly vying for their customers’ attention. This is even more challenging in the eCommerce space, where just about anyone can set up shop and it’s even harder to set a brand apart. To distinguish themselves from the competition, brands must go above and beyond to create personal connections with their desired audience. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by adding a human touch and giving your brand a distinct personality. While brands might not be human, customers are. And customers are more willing to invest in and develop connections with companies that align with their values and experiences. This is where brand humanization comes into play.
The About Us Page
The best way to humanize your brand is to give it a story. By creating a story around the brand and making it relatable, an emotional connection can be established with potential customers. If they are invested in your story, they will be more likely to invest in you. The best place to start that story is your About Us page. You know, the page so many companies ignore? Don’t make that mistake. Your About Us page is literally telling the world who you are. It is the ideal place to begin your story. Why WOULDN’T you take advantage of that?
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What’s Your Story?
A good story incorporates your company’s backstory, mission, values and goals into a narrative that shows people what drives you and what your purpose is and provides connection points between you and them. Brands that are personable and relatable are more likely to gain customer loyalty. Among other positives, this serves to build trust and credibility and differentiates you from your competitors. Brands that fall victim to too much industry jargon or are too sales-pitchy are more likely to alienate potential customers.
Though there are plenty of companies that may look similar on the surface, no two companies have the same story. So, if you have a good one to tell and can tell it well, you automatically set yourself apart from your competitors and gain a valuable edge.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when crafting your story.
The Past
Let’s start with the beginning. What compelled you to start your specific company? The past provides customers with a look at where you started, what challenges you’ve faced, and how you’ve overcome them to get where you are today.
The Present
What drives you today? What is your mission? Your goals? Your purpose? Show audiences that you care about more than simply turning a profit. It will make them feel better about supporting you and purchasing your goods and services.
The Future
What is your vision for the future? Where do you see your company going? How do you plan to make a positive impact on the world? Share your aspirations. It shows you have a commitment to growth and making a difference.
Vehicles for Telling Your Story
As mentioned above, your company’s About Us page is an excellent place to start when it comes to telling your story. But don’t stop there. The number of other options available to help you promote that story grows every day.
Blog Blog Blog
Blogs are an excellent way to establish credibility with your brand. Writing a monthly blog that offers useful information to potential customers helps you earn their trust. When people feel like you are adding value to their life, they are more likely to support your brand. So, give them some tips that will help them. This helps you build a sales process based on trust, which we’ll get into more a little later on.
Commit to Social Media
Social media was MADE for humanizing your brand and creating connection and community. If you are not utilizing social media, you are losing out on a significant amount of reach and a number of opportunities to build brand recognition.
Interact with your followers and subscribers. Step beyond your routine discussions every now and then to encourage people to feel at ease and express themselves. Consider establishing a structured framework for such conversations, using specific platforms to organize online chats where participants discuss a predetermined subject and use a particular hashtag on a fixed date and time. Avoid focusing solely on your business and industry.
Also, make a point to design and promote certain campaigns only on your social channels. Most people don’t like FOMO. When they know they can only get specific sales and access to events or products when they sign up for your social channels, it gives them more of a reason to follow your accounts.
Let Your Customers Speak for You
If you want to build trust quickly, let your customers do the talking. People are more inclined to trust the input of other customers, who are buyers like them, so give current customers a platform to do so. This means, for example, reaching out to current customers for reviews to include on your websites and social channels.
Check Your Tone
A brand’s voice speaks volumes about the brand itself, which is why it’s so important a business gets it right. Brands CAN maintain a professional and technical image while also incorporating a tone that is engaging, approachable, and even caring. And some of the most successful do.
First thing to keep in mind – nobody likes corporate speak and sales jargon. They want brands that speak TO them, not DOWN at them. Ensure a human element is present in all content, even if it is informative or specialized. Also, tailor your approach depending on whether your company operates in a B2B or B2C capacity. A B2B company? Focus on educating and providing informative content. B2C? Aim to connect with them on an emotional level. By mastering the language of your customers, you will appear more relatable and personable.
Delight – The Secret Weapon
People really underestimate the power of laughter and delight. Get someone to crack a smile and you have half the battle won. Don’t be afraid to throw in a sense of humor here and there. It does wonders on the relatability scale.
Build a Sales Process Based on Trust
An excellent means for establishing relationships built on trust is by providing valuable and credible resources. For instance, craft a how-to blog post on an industry-related topic or share an industry case study. No matter what materials you offer, make sure they resonate with the audience’s interests and focus on the end-user’s benefits rather than the company’s goals.
Show Up
This should go without saying, but too often brands go through all the trouble to implement a great marketing and social strategy but then do not have someone manning the controls, so to speak. Humanizing a brand requires the availability of actual humans to interact with customers. It’s not enough for someone at your business to post on social media regularly; they should also be present to answer questions, respond to comments, and engage with followers.
Unfortunately, many businesses overlook this crucial aspect and simply schedule out their posts without considering the importance of engagement. By being present and interactive on social media and in customer service capacities, your business can showcase its human side and establish a rapport with followers, providing them with valuable information, opportunities to share ideas, and a positive impression of your brand. Most importantly, it shows customers you care about them.
So, are you ready to create a brand that truly connects with your audience? Start by humanizing your brand. Then, once you establish relationships, you will inevitably see engagement improve and sales increase. Win the relationship and you win the sale.
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