We are living in the era of the consumer. An era where all customers have the power to voice their opinions, and for these opinions to be spread like wildfire. The rapid rise of technology and social media has changed the playing field by making our lives seemingly easier and more convenient. This same customer empowerment has come to mass murder the personality and human touch of brands – or so it seems.
Today, marketers are using highly sophisticated technologies to combine analytic data with customer insights to dictate marketing. Businesses are being engulfed into this overly hyper-focused marketing strategy in hope to outwit their competition. However, little to their understanding, these marketing campaigns are assassinating the human in their brand.
The human element of your brand should always remain at the forefront of your marketing strategy and your business’ ethics. Without it, the factors that allow for your company to be relatable will no longer be visible. As a result, customers will soon loose interest and will no longer be attracted to exchanging custom.
Although it’s essential to adopt your marketing efforts to suit new technologies and customer demands, there is no excuse to loose the human element in your brand. Here are five ways to maintain the human in your business:
1. Show Your Personality
Personality is what makes a brand stand-out from the crowd, and you should never be afraid to stand-out. Customers buy from those they like and trust, if your brand has no personality how will these customers relate to you? Showcase your brands personality in your marketing efforts online and offline. Have real conversations with real people to create relationships with these potential customers.
2. Introduce Staff Members
Do you know what your customers are searching for on your website? Usually the most popular page of a website is ‘about us’ or ‘meet the team’. Customers want to know who is behind the brands they love, what skill-sets they boast and what they look like. Simply, customers want to be able to relate with you.
3. Always Be Accessible
Make sure customers can easily reach you. Make sure your telephone number, email address and social networking platforms are easily findable. Each customer have their own preferred platform, you should respect their preferences. Also, keep messaging on the platform the customer contacted you by (e.g. if a customer contacted you on Facebook, they want a response on Facebook).
4. Never Keep Them Waiting
Customers will want to contact you at a time suited to them and not your business; you must be there to answer these queries. Always answer their queries as soon as possible in a direct and personal manner. Refrain from using automated messages as this will frustrate customers.
5. Create Engaging Content
Having an online blog isn’t just a platform for you to vent about your company, it’s a place to create conversation and spread the word on your brand. Use your blog as a tool to establish yourself as an expert in your industry and generate conversation by asking questions. Find blogging techniques that appeal to your customers and strengthen those relationships.
This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: The Human Element: A Marketing Essential
More Sales & Marketing articles from Business 2 Community:
- 5 Ways to Improve Your Customers’ Experiences in 2015
- Tips to Improve Customer Service on Your E-commerce Site
- How Inbound Marketing Is Like a Good Beer
- 12 Personal Branding Lessons I learned in 2014
- How To Design Powerful Customer Experiences
