Humanize Your Brand: Embrace Creativity
By Vincent Fontana, Vice President of Media Partnerships
Today’s B2B Marketers have an endless array of analytics tools that provide data-driven insights and inform what works. However, lost in the need to understand what leads to conversion is the one thing that can actually set a brand apart: humanity. Not clicks. Not downloads. Or even page views. People are emotional, and quite often emotion fuels what one buys, even on behalf of a business.
While data is great for tracking buyer behavior behind conversion, it’s much tougher to know how connected a buyer is to a given brand. Yet, it’s a critical path. Failing to create positive human connection means failing to rise above the noise of the steady stream of unremarkable content.
Let’s face it – creativity is what sets a brand apart in the eyes of real humans. Too often brands put solutions and services as a focal point instead of how their brand can better the prospect’s human experience. To really attract buyer attention and engagement, the goal is to strike an emotional chord, and guess what? Trust is the most positive chord one can strike.
In the end, a brand should want to help its prospects see what’s behind the proverbial curtain; i.e., past a product and more about the company itself, containing people like themselves. People who put attention into how others would experience their brand and how their brand helps people, as well as their role in the community. It’s about showing the human side of a brand, and letting creativity reflect that humanization.
How can you get started with humanizing your brand and engendering trust?
Focus on being genuine and lose your fear of “real.”
Organic content consistently performs well because it’s relatable. Everything you publish does not have to be staged. Be genuine and customers are more likely to remember their interaction with you.
Don’t be shy.
Build a rapport with your audience by giving them an inside look at the people behind the brand. Peppering in personal insights from your colleagues steers marketing away from coming off as salesy or disingenuous. Every employee is a brand ambassador in their own right, so don’t be shy about showcasing their talents that contribute to making your company great.
Make it easy to find and connect.
People crave connection, especially in a virtual world of never-ending screen scrolling. No one wants to work with a faceless company, so make the many faces driving your company easy to find. Whether that’s building out your team page on your website or consistently featuring your people on social media, choose a mix that works for your brand so that customers don’t have to look far to find a face behind the company name.
Creativity is key in B2B. Inserting creativity into your brand does not mean you never use metrics to back up claims or forgo including technical specifications in your marketing when necessary. Rather, building people into your brand story is an effective way to engage with customers. Your customers are always people – even if they’re representing a business account – and humanizing your brand will turn those personal connections into conversions.