Tips and Tricks for Humanizing Your Brand
No matter what your marketing objectives might be, there is one thing that is vital to their success: building trust. In a world where people demand transparency, the best way to begin building trust with your audience is by humanizing your brand. So, what exactly does this mean? To humanize your brand is to make your brand relatable, less robotic and more real. This is vital to your company’s success for three main reasons. First, it helps tell your brand’s story. Your audience will get to know you and what your company is all about. Next, people trust people way before they will trust robotic marketing tactics. We are bombarded with hundreds of ads on a daily basis and it is important to make sure that your marketing stands out- in a good way! We have all seen terrible cookie cutter ads that look like they’re boasting a super sketchy product or service and what do we do? We avoid them like the plague. Lastly, humanizing your brand will help build a long term relationship with your audience which means that your marketing efforts will result in better engagement and a bigger bottom line. To help you achieve this, we have put together some tips that will help to simplify this process.
1.Find Your Brand Voice
First things first- find your voice. Decide on a brand voice that works the best for your company and stick to it ; this will help others get to know you and it will build a personality for your brand. Don’t forget to be relatable to your audience. If you are relatable, others audiences will find you more approachable and likeable. Let’s take Disney as an example. Think about how you feel when you read or see Disney propaganda. They are excellent at tugging on your heartstringsbringing out feelings of nostalgia, quality family time and of course- they make you crave a Disney experience.
2.Be Transparent
Next, transparency is key. Now more than ever, people demand transparency. Remember, it is all about trust. This will come directly from your values and your mission. Be transparent about the reasons behind why your company is the way it is. This will not only build trust but also likeability with your following. Staying true to your brand and its promise will show through in your marketing tactics. Patagonia is a perfect example. If they’re known for anything above their high quality clothing, it’s their sustainability and passion for protecting the planet. Campaigns like their Fair Trade initiative empower consumers to learn where their clothing comes from in order to encourage people to only shop Fair Trade Certified brands, which in turn generates support and loyalty for their products.
3.Utilize Social Media
Use social media as a tool to interact with your audience on a personal level . This allows them to actually have conversations with you and see your interests. Focus on interaction, respond to comments as well as direct messages in as much of a personally connected way as possible. Let your followers see behind the scenes and what makes your company tick. Ben and Jerry’s is the perfect example. They make it obvious where they stand on many issues from climate change to racial justice, and it’s nearly impossible to see that not come through on their social media. Through this they have built a following that locally supports them and the causes they serve. Lastly, partner with influencers to help grow your following and always remember to be grateful to those who support you. Those who support you want to see you succeed.
4.Share Your Team
Be sure to share your team! Show that your company is relatable by putting the spotlight on your team, their interests and backgrounds . For example, our team at Cowe shares certain charitable organizations that we support, small businesses we love to lift up, the unique Spotify playlists created by each member and so much more. This will create synergy related to common interests between those who work for you and your following, adding to likeability of your brand.
Sources:
Five Simple and Effective Ways to Humanize Your Brand Using
Social MediaHow to Humanize Your Brand and Why You Need It
5 Brands that Employed Transparency in Marketing- and Won