As humans become ever more merged with their tech and devices, the need to keep your communications human has never been higher. Remember the familiar smile that greets you when you show up at the local grocery store? Or the fact that you don’t have to introduce yourself to your local hair stylist?
Well, people crave those sorts of authentic connections online as well, and are more likely to follow those who give it to them.
The Dawn of the Human Era
Humans have become very adept at filtering out the noise from all the information that bombards them every day from their various technological devices.
Over the last few years, many businesses have woken up to the need for authentically human messages that actually resonate with their target audiences across their devices and platforms.
This is the human era.
An era that is vastly different from the industrial era where big business cast a long shadow over their customers and demanded respected. The business landscape today requires businesses to become peers rather than overlords in order to thrive.
Smart businesses in this era are those who realize that people are still in need of human interactions—perhaps even more so—even as they become ever more attached to their devices.
The Advantage of H2H Marketing
Human-to-Human or H2H interactions are a vitally important part of everyday life. They are responsible for building relationships, partnerships, trust, and also communities.
If your business is going to hit that next level success which you envisage for it, then incorporating H2H concepts into your communications and company culture is not an option but a must.
Once you make the shift to H2H marketing, you will notice changes in the way your customers relate with your business. Your customers will become more engaged and more eager to do business with you over and over again, while prospects will easily be attracted to the human touch you have to offer.
How to Implement H2H Marketing in Your Business and Communications
Simply put, you have to humanize your content: take the robot speak and connect like only humans can. It’s easier said than done, but here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Talk like an Actual Human
I know right? But businesses often make the mistake of trying to be too formal when they create content, and this often comes off as robotic content. Instead, try to be you when you communicate, talk like an actual human being so that the humans on the other end can relate and be attracted.
2. Be Empathetic
Understand your audience and their struggles, and then incorporate that understanding into your messaging. Nothing makes a client happier than seeing an advert or a piece of content that shows that a business truly understands what they are going through.
3. Be Eager to Solve Problems
Solving your customer’s problems is the most important role of your business. You can do this in many ways: help them use your product, offer informational content, give phenomenal customer service. All this will make your business appear more human and caring.
4. Don’t Forget the Humor
Humor is a powerful part of the human experience; use it in your messaging whenever appropriate.
5. Share Your Story and Live It
The best way to resonate with your audience is by sharing stories that capture their reality and beliefs about how the world operates. Build a story around your business or products and that will dictate the way your target audience perceives, interacts with you. The best businesses don’t only end with telling the story though; they live it, making it part and parcel of daily operations and communications.
Your Next Steps
Your first steps towards becoming a more human business involve getting to know your customer better and understanding their problems. You can do this by creating buyer personas for your ideal customers. Once you get this understanding, you can go about crafting the right stories about why you want help solve their problems and how you actually intend to do so.
And most importantly...
