“Social media platforms allow you to interact with your current and prospective customers. As long as you use them correctly, you’ll be able to “humanize your brand” and form a deeper connection with your audience.”
Forbes Advisor, Feb 2024
Humanizing a brand allows customers to feel like they are dealing with another person rather than an anonymous business. A company's communication style is one of the keys to achieving this transformation from a faceless business to a relatable brand.
Entrepreneur, Feb 2023
WHY IT MATTERS IF YOUR BRAND IS “HUMAN”
🏆 When you create an online presence that feels and translates as “human” as possible for others, you give your audience the capability to build an authentic connection with your business
(and the humans behind it).
No longer just an appealing option for organic growth, this approach to your digital presence and content is now a necessity when working to generate overall Brand awareness, genuine interest, and secure lasting trust when marketing online in 2024.
As people become more capable of getting to know you and your Brand, they also become capable of skipping the steps of confusion, skepticism, and comparison as they approach your business.
In todays’ world, when trying to set your business apart from the millions of others online, developing genuine curiosity and attracting authentic connection is your best shot at gathering a long term audience of advocates. One that won’t be quick to leave after initially trying out your offerings. 🤝
AND as your content and Brand identity continue to interact with the people who truly benefit from your offerings, those people will start to share them (and your Brand) with others - initiating lasting word-of-mouth marketing and retention.
WHAT IS A “HUMANIZED” BRAND
🌟 A successfully “humanized” Brand is naturally able to position itself in front of the ‘right people’ in the ‘right ways’ - eliminating the need for any forced ad placement or strategy to do so.
This ‘natural positioning’ is acquired from your audience experiencing your Brand in the same ways every time online.
This consistency of your audience genuinely showing your Brand interest, curiosity and engagement will trigger most online algorithms to continue showing those people your content.
As it turns out, your audience doesn’t just 👀 recognize your business by its’ initial appearance and messaging, but from how it also continues to make them feel, think, see, share, socialize, connect, grow, etc
(aka: how they always tend to react and respond to it).
And just like humans reveal and show you who they are overtime in these ways, so does a business online.
And so does your audience.
HOW to “HUMANIZE” YOUR BRAND
Today, Brands now have the wild opportunity to socialize with their audience in a shared online space… whenever and wherever they want!
However, not all businesses are truly taking advantage of this yet, or even know how.
👇 Start "humanizing” your online presence with these practices:
#1 Socialize Through Your Content
Share content that looks to get to know what you have in common with YOUR audience.
Befriending your audience is the first step to creating trust, which will translate into how willing others are to invest in your business and advocate on its behalf.
To discover how well your Brand is successfully socializing with your audience, keep tabs on your engagement rates and top performing content on each digital platform.
This will guide you in what types of content, topics, interests, etc to continue sharing- and how to keep interacting and engaging with your audience.
When approaching content creation, think about how you can ALSO encourage your audience to share and socialize with each other from your content. Ask yourself:
How does my Brand/team socialize together?
Does my audience and I share a lifestyle, hobby, interest, perspective, or life experience?
How would your Brand socialize with your audience in a public setting?
#2 Make Sure Your Content Isn’t One-Sided
Your audience doesn’t want to constantly be pitched and sold to.
If your online presence always greets your audience with “an ask,” and your content mostly highlights your product or service without any intention for “human” interaction or engagement, you’re probably pushing your audience away.
But when a Brand/business uses content as the tool to genuinely get to know and connect with its audience online, its priority is to engage and interact with others through shared experiences, ideas, values, lifestyles, hobbies, interests, mindsets, etc
Then your offerings become just another thing you share.
Prioritize the types of content that benefit your audience first, and your business second. Content that looks to genuinely get to know, benefit, entertain, educate, inspire, uplift, and overall connect with ‘your humans.’
This will tell the people on the other side of the screen that you genuinely want a relationship that’s rewarding to you both.
#3 Be Consistent In HOW You Show Up, Not Just How Often
As important as it is to show up consistently for your audience, sacrificing your authenticity or the quality of content is a dealbreaker just to get in a daily post.
In every Brand asset and piece of content you share, it’s important to reassure your audience that you are who you say you are, making it clear that you and your business are reliable and can be trusted.
Trusted to remain true to your integrity, words, values, beliefs, character, intentions, process and overall mission. Trusted to remain true to yourself.
Build your Brand to authentically represent and share who you are, who your team is, your day-to-day lives, your offerings in real-time, your process, your lifestyle, values, humor, etc.
Since authenticity can be seen, heard, felt and experienced, the Brands/businesses that stand out and remain successful are the ones that transparently share and communicate in the ways humans require in order to develop trust.
Even if you skip a day or two, at least you’re consistently YOU. 😉
#4 Nurture The Relationships You Have
Your audience needs to know they aren’t disposable to you and your business.
That once they decide to support you, your Brand isn’t only going to follow up for a review, referral, or with more offerings and “asks.”
It’s important to focus your attention on continuing to nurture the relationship with your existing audience, ensuring it remains of value to them as well.
This focus not only encourages advocacy and word-of-mouth, but also shows newcomers how they’ll be treated and valued by your Brand as they decide whether to support your business as well.
How will you continue to benefit your audience after they’ve decided to support your business?
How can your content show your audience how much you value them?
#5 Approach Strangers Like Strangers
😅 Do you remember what it’s like to be confronted by a salesman in public? I mean the random stranger aggressively approaching you in full “solicitation mode” ready to explain what they have to offer you?
Well the same “great” experience has been made available for everyone to have online, all the time. But … people still don’t want to experience it.
So double check your content for how much your “soliciting” your audience to make sure you’re not ruining any chance of having a relationship with them right off the bat.
Relationships take time, but your content can ask the right questions, share the right information, and be transparent enough to gather attention, curiosity, interest and then connection.
#6 Keep It Real And Authentic
A strong Brand offers the same authentic experience every time people approach, interact and engage with it.
The experience your audience has with your Brand, its people, its offerings, and online presence/content, will ultimately be how they remember you and share your Brand with others.
In 2024, when the most popular content is in realtime, showing real people, doing real things, and businesses are sharing a space with millions, content that meets your audience in the present moment they see it, and connects with them human-to-human is the most effective way to encourage word-of-mouth online.
As others connect with you, your team, and your business online, it really does just come back to the consistency of sharing:
Your story
Your “vibe”
Your humor
Your emotions
Your thoughts
Your lifestyle/hobbies
Your motivations
… but as Your Brand. 🌟
📸 @hondothecreator | 🔗
If you’re looking to get to know your audience better through your content and online presence, work with me!
Let’s enhance your content strategy to help your brand evolve and improve your marketing efforts. 😎🪄
I work intimately with a limited number of brands at a time and would be happy to connect!
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