Can a brand really be human? In this episode of the Social Zoom Factor podcast I answer this question.
Becoming a human brand is different for each organization. There is no perfect cookie cutter solution. However, there are definitely some best practices that can be leveraged to help brands inspire and connect with their audiences in a real, meaningful and human way.
What are your favorite brands? Why are they your favorite? It could be you like the product, the service, or simply the way it makes you feel.
If it is not the actual product you are in love with from the brand, then the chances are high that you like the service as well as the way the brand connects with you in a personal way.
The brand has done something within you heart that makes you feel good. Do you feel empowered, inspired, capable of doing more, being more than you would be without the brand and its offerings?
The feelings you are feeling likely didn’t happen by accident. Smart marketers have been executing emotional and human brand strategies and tactics for decades. People buy from people. People connect with other humans more deeply than they can connect with a logo or an inanimate object.
The goal with brand humanization is to empower your people to power your brand while at the same time ensure you are building and igniting your brand as a whole, as an organization. The days of hiding behind corporate collateral that is scripted word for word, presentation decks that are wordsmithed for weeks are long gone.
Communication t0day is real-time. It is happening online, via mobile devices, text, via social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and more. Brands must figure out how to part of the organic conversation that is happening 24/7.
Brand leaders must figure out how to connect with their customers in a real, relevant and personal way.
So how do you do this? What are some of the characteristics of human brands? Take a listen to this episode of the Social Zoom Factor podcast for 15 characteristics of human brands.
Episode Highlights
- 15 Characteristics of human brands
- Importance of social listening
- Giving people something bigger to join than what they can do on their own
- Engaging and communicating as humans
- Empowering your employees to put the turbo into your human brand power
- Embracing imperfect perfection because humans are not perfect
- Staying focused on the right metrics, quality over quantity
Supporting Resources:
- Talk Human to Me (email subscription)
- Brand Humanization in a Nutshell (episode 5)
- The Social Employee: How to Ignite Your Employees as Brand Advocates (episode 15)
- Social Media Authenticity vs Transparency (episode 16)
- Don't Fake it Until You Make it: Fake Followers, Spam, Trolls, & Bullies (episode 37)
- Heartbeat of Social Media (video)
