Humanize Your Brand: 14 Powerful Methods To Make Your Brand More Accessible

People crave connection. As a social species, we innately seek out opportunities to connect with other humans. Smart marketers can take advantage of this tendency by humanizing your brand so that the faceless corporation is replaced by a brand that feels as human as a person. Giving your brand an identity and a brand voice makes it significantly easier for consumers to relate to you and helps them develop deeper attachments. This translates to greater engagement and a more devoted customer base. 

 But what does it mean to humanize your brand? In simple terms, it means to make your brand more accessible and relatable to customers. As much as possible, you want to make it feel like they're dealing with a fellow human, instead of a soulless corporate entity. There are many ways that you can do this, from incorporating customer feedback into your marketing strategies to creating a dynamic social media presence. Before you call a digital marketing consultant, try these 14 of the most effective methods to humanize your brand.

LEVERAGE THE EMOTIONAL POWER OF HANDWRITTEN NOTES

A handwritten note is a personal touch that can make a big impression. It shows that you're taking the time to connect with your customers on a personal level, and it's a great way to show your appreciation for their business. You can use handwritten notes as part of your thank-you strategy for new customers, or as part of a retention campaign to show your existing customers that they're valued. 

 Handwritten notes humanize your brand for one simple reason — handwritten notes are written by human hands. They represent real-life people putting pen to paper, directly expressing their thoughts to another human being. They're extremely effective for building relationships and trust because they engage a person on an individual level. 

 Simply Noted brings the power of handwritten notes to the digital world. Leverage our advanced fleet of handwriting robots to create utterly convincing, automated handwritten notes. Link your marketing automation software to our servers and trigger any volume of highly-personalized notes, written in the handwriting of your choice. If your goal is brand humanization, you can't go wrong with handwritten notes.

Spread Education, Not Sales Material

The hard sell doesn't work anymore. If you approach prospects with your sales guns blazing, you're likely to scare them off. Instead, work to educate your prospects, slowly developing their comfort with you, talking instead of selling. Education is the human side of sales. It recognizes that your prospect is a person looking for you to answer questions, not press them to make a purchase. 

 This is why we've seen a rise in content marketing in recent years. By delivering educational content to your target audience, you position yourself as an expert in your field and establish trust before you even attempt a sale. You're also building a relationship with prospects, so when they are ready to make a purchase, they're more likely to come to you.

Define Your Brand Identity

A strong brand identity is the foundation of a humanized brand. It's what sets you apart from your competition and gives people a reason to choose you over them. Your brand identity should be reflected in everything you do, from your logo and website design to the way you answer customer questions. 

 Part of defining your brand identity is defining your brand promise. What does your company stand for? What values do you prioritize in your business practices? Defining your brand promise gives customers a reason to choose you over other brands, and it will also help guide all of your marketing decisions so that everything you do is aligned with what you're promising to deliver.

Be Consistent With Your Brand Voice

Your brand voice is the way you communicate with your customers and prospects. It's the tone and personality of your company, and it should be applied to everything you do, from the way you answer customer questions to the copy on your website. 

 When you're consistent with your brand voice, it helps humanize your brand because it makes you feel more like a real person. People are more likely to trust and connect with a company that feels like a friend than one that feels like a faceless corporation.

Make Customer Service a Priority

Customer service is the face of your company, so it's important to make it a priority. There are a few simple things you can do to improve your customer service, like hiring compassionate and empathetic employees, responding quickly to customer questions and complaints, and providing personalized experiences for your customers. 

 At the heart of every successful brand is a commitment to quality customer service. Whether you're working with existing customers or reaching out to new prospects, always make it a priority to provide high-quality support and attention.

CREATE VALUABLE CONTENT YOUR PROSPECTS WANT

In order to humanize your brand and earn the trust of your prospects, you need to create content that is focused on solving their problems. This means taking a step back from traditional marketing and sales tactics to focus on creating useful, engaging content that speaks directly to your target audience's needs. 

 There are many different types of content you can create to reach your audience, such as a blog post, videos, ebooks, infographics, and more. The key is to focus on providing value with every piece of content you create. This means tailoring your content to address specific pain points or questions that your prospects are likely having. 

 Make certain your marketing messages fit the platform you're posting on. If you're posting on your Instagram page you'll need to create visual content. With Twitter, you're looking at short text-based messages, and you can post just about any sort of content on Facebook. Content is online advertising that doesn't feel like advertising, and that's a boon in your humanization efforts.

Be Responsive on Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have created new and innovative ways for businesses to engage with customers. Whether you’re responding to comments on your company page or running targeted advertising campaigns, it’s important to be responsive and engaged on social media in order to build a sense of connection with your audience.

 Use social media posts to spread your talking points and share success stories, talk up the benefits of your services, and offer support when appropriate. It's easier to maintain fresh relationships when your brand is engaged. 

 Remember that social media is...social! That means not only will your prospects see your conversations online, but their friends will, too. This represents a huge opportunity to expand your brand recognition and introduce your team to others.

Engage With Social Media Influencers

Influencers are people who have a large following on social media and are active in their industry. By working with influencers to promote your brand, you can create a sense of trust and familiarity with customers, which will help humanize your brand. 

 There are a few different ways to work with influencers. You can collaborate on content, such as blog posts or videos, or you can run social media campaigns together. You can also sponsor an influencer's content or events. 

 The key is to find influencers who align with your brand values and who have a similar target audience. This will help you to build mutually beneficial relationships that will result in increased brand exposure and credibility.

Invest in Quality Customer Support Technology

In order to improve your customer support, it's important to invest in the right technology. This includes automation tools like chatbots and AI software that can help you respond quickly and effectively to customer issues. 

 It also includes tools such as CRMs and customer analytics platforms that can help you track and respond to your customers’ needs. By investing in the right technology, you can provide faster, higher-quality customer support that will make your brand more human and relatable.

COLLECT CUSTOMER FEEDBACK...AND USE IT!

People who like your brand want to know that you're listening to them. Collecting feedback is a great way to include them in the conversation. By incorporating elements of customer feedback into your marketing strategies, you can make customers feel like they’re being heard and that their opinions matter. Additionally, this approach helps to build trust by showing that you care what customers think about your brand. 

 Don't simply collect customer feedback and then repeat it back to them, however. To realize the benefits of this approach, you need to act on it. You need to listen carefully and then translate what your audience says into real-world actions. When your customers see their suggestions appearing in their experience of your brand, they're likely to become brand ambassadors.

Use Purpose-Driven Marketing to Forge Deep Connections

Purpose-driven marketing involves basing your external messaging around a social cause that lines up with your brand values and those of your ideal market. By identifying the values that are important to your target audience and crafting marketing campaigns around those ideals, you can foster deep connections with consumers. 

 Of course, you have to believe what you espouse. If you simply pay lip service to causes that are important to your target market, your words will ring false and you'll do your cause more harm than good. To be effective, your company needs to base its brand personality around its chosen social cause and then champion it with everything it does.

Share Stories That Resonate With Your Audience

Storytelling is one of the oldest and most effective ways to make your brand appealing to other humans. It's a way to connect with your audience on an emotional level and give them a reason to care about your company. When you tell stories, you make your brand more relatable and likable. 

 There are a few ways you can use storytelling in your marketing. You can tell the story of your company, sharing how you got started and what your mission is. You can also tell stories about your customers, sharing how you've helped them achieve their goals. And you can tell stories about your product, sharing how it's helped people in different situations. 

 Humor is always a bonus, but if it doesn't fit your brand identity, avoid it. The most important thing is to focus on stories that will resonate with your audience and make them want to support your brand.

Make it Easy for Customers to Give Back

Making it easy for customers to give back is a great way to show that you care about more than just making a profit. There are a number of ways you can make giving back easy, including through donation matching programs, charitable giving campaigns, and social impact partnerships. 

 For example, you could create a program where customers can round up their purchases to the nearest dollar and donate that amount to a charity of your choice. Or you could team up with an organization that shares your values and host joint events or fundraising campaigns. 

 When customers see that your brand is committed to supporting the causes that are important to them, they're likely to develop a more positive perception of your company and be more willing to support you. By humanizing your brand in this way, you can build deeper connections with your audience and position yourself as an authentic and trustworthy brand.

LEVERAGE USER-GENERATED CONTENT

In the age of social media, user-generated content (UGC) is a powerful marketing tool. UGC is any kind of content that's created by your fans and followers, such as reviews, photos, videos, and posts. 

 By featuring UGC prominently on your website and social media channels, you can show potential customers that real people love your brand. You can also encourage customers to create UGC by running contests and giveaways. For example, you could ask customers to post photos of themselves using your product and then offer a prize for the best photo. 

 If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can also use UGC to create an emotional connection with customers. For example, you could display customer photos and testimonials in your store or on your website. Make sure you moderate UGC carefully to ensure that it's high quality and aligned with your brand values. 

 Overall, there are many simple ways to humanize your brand and connect with your audience. By focusing on creating content that provides value, being responsive on social media, and investing in quality customer support tools, you can create a sense of trust and familiarity with your customers that will help build long-term relationships. And by building these relationships, you’ll be well on your way to humanizing your brand!