How to humanize your brand
Kham Inthiarath,
founder and president,
Envision Digital Group
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, an eccentric entrepreneur with a habit of going against the grain asked himself: “How can I do a better job of connecting with my audiences?”
To find an answer, he knew he'd have to embark on a dangerous journey.
He packed up his “Marketing for Dummies” book, a loaf of bread and his smartphone (of course) and headed toward the abyss of uncertainty.
On his journey, he was met by three spirits: the ghosts of PPC, SEO and ROI. Each attempted to convince him that they alone had the answer he sought.
But he resisted their temptations. They each had a role to play, he said to himself, but there had to be more.
His journey inevitably led him to the great and all-knowing Google, who promised him that the answer was in analytics and data.
“No!” he proclaimed, as he shook his fist with a nervous anger. “Numbers alone are not enough!”
He continued on his way, as he fought off the doldrums of despair that began to creep in.
Then one evening, as he opened his journal to record the day's events, it dawned on him – if he wanted to connect with the people who'd become his customers, he'd have to stop thinking like a business and start thinking like a human.
It was then that he resigned to focus his efforts on humanizing his brand.
There's no way to tell for sure, but I'm certain he – and his business – lived happily ever after.
Behind the demographics and data that marketers are known to obsess over are men, women and children who yearn for – and respond to – one simple thing: human interaction.
Tell the actual story of your company
Each company has an origin. What's yours? This isn't the time for you to pat yourself on the back and focus only on your accomplishments. The human experience is flawed and varied. Your brand's story is too.
Discuss the late nights, the chewed fingernails, the moment when you almost gave up but didn't. Your customers will feel more connected if they can relate to your history.
Pro tip: Keep this story short and to the point. Consider using a timeline approach, rather than a long-winded essay-like diatribe, and avoid relying on industry jargon.
Prove people are behind the curtain
The easiest way to humanize your brand is to highlight the humans behind your brand. Consider publishing weekly employee spotlights on social media. Use Instagram to show what life is like at the office. Encourage your employees to share their personalities with every piece of content you share.
Never forget it's about customers
It's easy to get caught up in your brand story and focus attention on your company. This is the wrong approach. Brand storytelling is inevitably about your customers, and the value they get when they engage with you. Incorporate that within your marketing messaging, and you're sure to connect with your prospects on a far more humanistic and meaningful level.
Kham Inthirath is the founder and president of Worcester digital marketing agency Envision Digital Group.
WBJ Web Partners
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