How to Make Your Brand More Human?
Are you wondering what makes a customer choose a specific product or trust a particular brand? Today, brands don’t just offer high-quality products; they also need to establish an emotional bond with their customers, making them “human” brands. This approach opens the door to building lasting customer loyalty. In this article, we’ll discuss the concept of brand humanity and how to achieve it.
The Concept of Brand Humanity
A brand’s humanity encompasses every interaction a company has with its customers, employees, and the surrounding community. We describe a brand as “human” when it behaves like a conscientious individual who is aware of social and ethical responsibilities—listening, engaging, empathizing, and communicating in a way that addresses emotions before facts and figures.
Humanity in branding is built on three core dimensions:
- Values
What ethical and social principles does the company believe in? - Behavior
How are these values translated into daily actions that the customer and community can directly observe? - Communication
How are these values and behaviors conveyed to the public, whether through language style, tone of voice, or communication channels?
The Importance of Emotional Connection with Customers
Emotional connection forms the core of any long-term relationship with customers. They choose brands that resonate with their feelings and psychological needs, influencing their purchasing decisions. Emotional connection makes customers feel understood and cared for by the brand, inclining them to stay loyal. Human-centric brands excel at leaving a positive, memorable impression—through excellent customer service, inspiring promotional messages, or supportive gestures in times of crisis.
The Impact of Tone and Language on Building Customer Relationships
- Transparency
Using straightforward, clear language helps create a direct link between the customer and the brand, fostering trust. - Warmth
Some brands opt for a friendly, lighthearted tone, adding a human touch and breaking down formal barriers. - Personalization
It’s essential to address the audience personally or in a way that reflects their interests. Personalization makes the customer feel they are at the center of attention.
Examples of Brands That Have Successfully Created Emotional Connections
- Starbucks
Starbucks adopts a friendly tone and emphasizes values connected to community and the environment. - Disney
Disney offers a magical experience that appeals to the imagination of both children and adults. It’s rooted in values of optimism and joy, transformed into memorable stories. - Apple
Apple invests in values of innovation, elegant design, and simplicity, using promotional language that focuses on what customers can achieve using its products—rather than just listing technical specifications. - Nike
Nike’s ads focus on motivational and human elements rather than merely highlighting product features. Its slogans have become iconic for many athletes and enthusiasts worldwide because they tap into human desires for challenge and achievement, linking themes of strength and determination to the brand.
Practical Steps to Make Your Brand More Human
- Reevaluate Your Company Values
Ensure your values are clearly stated, understood by every employee, and truly applicable in daily operations. - Define a Clear Brand Personality
Choose a tone of voice that resonates with your target audience. Ask yourself: formal, playful, inspirational, or friendly? - Use Storytelling
Stories are an ideal way to forge an emotional link. Share customers’ success stories, stories of your employees, and your brand’s history. - Focus on Customer Service
Train customer service teams to listen to and empathize with customer problems, resolving them calmly and genuinely. - Leverage Social Media
Use social platforms to converse with your audience, not just promote products. Pose questions, engage with comments, and show genuine appreciation for their support.
Measuring Returns and Strategy Success
Although humanity and emotion can seem tough to quantify, there are indicators you can track:
- Engagement on Social Media
Metrics such as comments, likes, and shares reflect how well your emotional and value-based content resonates with people. - Loyalty and Repeat Purchases
The presence of an emotional bond often shows up in higher rates of customer loyalty and repeat buying. - Customer Service Satisfaction
You can measure this via surveys and feedback forms, analyzing response time and the quality of resolutions. - Brand Reputation
Monitoring articles, reviews, and positive mentions online can help gauge how your brand’s message and humanity are being received. - Digital Community Growth
An increase in followers on social media and email subscribers indicates rising interest in your brand’s human-centric approach.
Making your brand more human is no longer a luxury but a competitive necessity. Consumers want brands that understand and genuinely connect with them on an emotional level, which forges a strong relationship over time. At Promixi, we help brands reach their audience’s hearts and interact with them on a more human level than ever before.
