
A robust branding strategy is crucial for helping your business grow. After all, we know that consumers regularly buy from brands they perceive in a positive light. And even more, consumers who admire your brand’s personality and see their values reflected in your organization’s actions are far more likely to remain clients in the long run.
However, building up a brand image by aiming to show your business in a universally liked (might we say generic) light is a mistake. It doesn’t just rid your company of its uniqueness. It also makes you blend in with your competitors, preventing you from standing out as the best choice for your target audience.
So, is there a solution to these challenges? Well, the best choice would be to finally embrace your organization’s authenticity and develop marketing strategies to help you humanize your brand. Here are the most powerful ways to do it.
Share Your Story
If you think about it, you’ll realize that every strong brand has a unique and compelling backstory.
For example, the myth of Apple’s beginnings in Steve Jobs’ garage spread so quickly that it took on a life of its own. While the story may not be entirely factual, it’s still inspiring. Most importantly, it’s one of the reasons so many people fall head over heels in love with Apple products (well, that and the pretty designs).
So, how can you draw inspiration from Apple’s branding strategy? You can try to get your audience to connect with your business by sharing your history, mission, and vision.
For instance, if you look at some of the most famous models of luxury watches, you’ll realize that most have a heavily emphasized historical background. Omega takes every opportunity to highlight that its Speedmaster watches landed on the Moon. And while most of its buyers don’t plan on performing a Moon landing anytime soon, the small piece of history still drives them to love the Omega brand for its unique contribution to space exploration history.
Or, for a slightly more down-to-Earth example of brand humanization through storytelling, check out the Fantasy Jocks homepage. This business proudly points out that its founders built a full-time business from a passion meant to be just a source of entertainment. And even though the story is far from being as impressive as Sending a Man to the Moon, it still appeals to people’s need to connect with brands, even over their slightly silly hobbies.
Show That You Understand Your Audience
Consumers don’t want a generic experience when shopping with brands. Instead, they want a personalized buying journey that meets their needs in every way imaginable.
According to data, 79% of consumers want brands to demonstrate they understand and care about their needs before purchasing. 71% of people expect businesses to provide personalization during their shopping journeys. And 76% of buyers become frustrated with brands when they fail to deliver relevant and personalized experiences.
With this in mind, take your time to show your audience that you understand what they want and demonstrate that your business can deliver.
The good news is that humanizing your brand in this manner doesn’t have to be overly elaborate. You can achieve exceptional results by revising your value propositions to establish your brand’s user-oriented approach to business.
If you check out the Moto Machines homepage, you’ll notice a heading that does precisely this. By saying, “We know you are ready for adventure,” this business demonstrates a profound understanding of its target audience’s wants and needs. Plus, it instantly positions itself as the best choice to solve any adventure-related pain point.
Or, if you wish, you could take a step further in giving your target audience precisely what they need. For example, Academic Influence took the time to develop several discovery tools to help visitors explore school, degree, and career insights. This is an excellent way for the brand to show that it understands the needs of its users. More importantly, it demonstrates the brand’s ability to meet its audience’s expectations.
Use Original Visuals
Stock photos can be a convenient way to make your website look amazing. But the truth is, they’re rather impersonal. This leads to an alienation of your audience, which is the exact opposite of what you want to achieve.
To humanize your brand — and encourage your prospects to perceive your business as a real-life entity run by real people — allow yourself to use unique content formats. Even if at the cost of quality.
For example, research shows that consumers consider user-generated content the most authentic format a brand can use. So why not enhance your site (and your social feed) with photos submitted by satisfied customers?
If you check out the Mujjo Instagram feed, you’ll notice that it consists almost entirely of user-submitted snaps of the brand’s products in the real world.
Or, if UGC isn’t something you can easily add to your distribution channels, you can opt to give prospects a look into the behind-the-scenes happenings at your organization. It’s what San Diego Zoo does on TikTok, giving followers unique (and super-engaging) insights into the lives of the animals in their care. Considering how cute these creatures are and how good the employees are at narrating and explaining what happens behind closed doors, it’s no wonder the account has over 2.5 million followers.
Show That You Care
Nothing sends the message of a soulless, profit-oriented organization like poor customer care. If you want to drive your customers away, provide them a poor experience. They’ll be guaranteed to leave your business for one of your competitors.
However, to inspire customer loyalty, do so with high-quality, personalized human interaction, which is a crucial factor for at least 30% to 50% of consumers.
Customer care and service can be powerful ways to humanize your brand, and the great thing is that you can do this in multiple ways.
On the one hand, you could prioritize convenience, as done by The UPS Store. This brand includes a Quick Start dropdown in its site navigation, allowing web visitors to quickly solve their pain points without browsing multiple pages to find what they need. Moreover, the Customer Service page offers several convenient ways for customers to seek help, making the (huge) brand a prime example of how a touch of customer care can make an organization feel more human and approachable.
On the other hand, understand that customer care isn’t just about providing service when things go south. On the contrary, it’s about predicting your audience’s needs and showing them that your business is looking out for them.
For example, if you check out the Startup Resources Newsletter sign-up form, you’ll notice it features a bit of microcopy. It simply says, “We hate spam and promise to keep your email address safe.” Even though it’s a small detail, it’s a great way for the business to show that it’s not a mindless money-making machine but an organization that genuinely cares about giving subscribers valuable information without compromising their privacy.
Be Vocal About Your Values and Transparent About Your Practices
Finally, as you explore strategies for humanizing your brand, don’t forget that brand values are significant in getting your audience to see your business as a relatable and authentic entity.
According to data from 2022, 82% of consumers want a brand’s values to align with their own. And even more importantly, a study from the same year discovered that 79% of people want businesses to go above and beyond to be transparent about their practices.
With this in mind, do your best to be transparent about what your business stands for. And make sure you also point out what your brand is not about.
For example, if you check out the Smash.vc homepage, you’ll see that the organization does a tremendous job of doing these things. First, it clearly states its beliefs, using them to appeal to the right audience. But then, it goes further by pointing out the services it doesn’t offer. Doing so effectively sets web visitors’ expectations. It ensures only suitable candidates get in touch. Plus, the strategy maximizes the brand’s credibility and authenticity by preventing unrealistic expectations and a poor customer experience.
Humanize Your Brand – Final Thoughts
Humanizing your brand doesn’t have to be challenging. If you can make a few adjustments to your site and are willing to invest in high-quality content for social media, it can be relatively easy and cheap.
Nonetheless, you must understand your target audience to ensure the best results when humanizing your brand. And not just their pain points and priorities. You must learn about their belief systems and expectations and continually do your best to make them see you’re a human-led brand rather than just another faceless corporation.