Human factor: the skin marketing lives in
Marketers face many challenges nowadays when it comes to haymaking social media platforms’ endless possibilities.
How can we best leverage the technologies in our disposal, and at the same time remain as human as possible on the web?
Try not to look for more “traffic,” “viewers” or “a wider audience.” Instead, reach out to human beings, with all their complexities. You need to convince them that you are human too and not just a business, a marketer, a salesperson or an automated response to their query.
Once brands and marketers are able to deliver the human experience, they are ready to strengthen a bond between their product and the customer.
Listening is the new speaking
Don’t just talk at a person; try to talk with them. Selling is not merely about providing someone with a product in exchange for money. It’s also about developing long-term relationships with clients who will keep coming back to you for more goods. The products have to be of good quality of course, but the way they’re offered holds much weight too.
With a simple, follow-up email or phone call you can find out how the customer liked the product, and draw your own conclusions from the feedbacks.
Getting your customers to comment on a new product line on social media is also a great idea. You can take these comments into consideration as you develop your products further and thus give your customers exactly what they’re looking for.
Let your brand speak for you
Once you’ve listened to your consumers and developed a commodity they want to use, you need to communicate this to them by using several forms of media.
You should pay attention to consistency in your message. Don’t change your tone when you’re using different mediums, it’s also advisable to use the same types of images and references.
It’s really important to decide what the core values are that you aim to transmit to your customers. What makes you you? What makes you unique?
Breathe life into your brand
Providing your potential customers with a name and a face to personalize with can build trust, not to mention its dividend boosting effect.
Take the time to engage with your customers and use the same techniques you’d employ if you were having a personal conversation with them, and the results might even surprise you.
It can be very convincing to tweet on behalf of a company representative answering to inquiries on Twitter, eg. engaging into a conversation about makeup trends if you work in the beauty industry. Connecting with the brand’s face is innovative and wonderful. The user will feel; I can finally share my views with real people, who are professionals in the field!
Most marketers like to think that audiences have some sort of an emotional connection with a brand. But it’s important to remember that a brand is composed of people behind it.
What do most marketers get wrong? There is little more than business updates on their Twitter or Facebook page. No conversation, no relationship building, no questions being asked or answered, just another “blast post”, a sad remnant of traditional one-way thinking.
The second mistake you can make is to personify your brand as a “larger-than-life” entity. Something huge, that has no personality and is impossible to reach for being too impeccable. You should find the perfect combination of being noticeable but not swing too far to the other side by creating an image of unattainability.
