Humanizing your brand
“Shop Local” read the stickers I see on countless storefront windows around Cleveland.
Why is this so significant? How do I find myself shopping is a local more expensive boutique in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood when there is a perfectly good big box store down the street? For me, it’s because I feel connected to the boutique. The owners have humanized their brand using content in a way in which I see the entrepreneurs behind it running a quality local Cleveland business and they’re trying to make it in an industry of retail giants. I want to shop local and support them.
You can humanize your brand too and you don’t have to be the biggest, wealthiest, corporate giant to create content to do it. Actually if you are a small mom-and-pop shop, humanizing your brand through video may be easier to achieve than your more corporate competitors. By using video, blogging and other content to your story you can create an image that inspires your customers. And you can do this by simply being you.
I’ve had clients that wanted to shoot on backdrops and hide their two-room office in an effort to look like a large corporation. I encourage the opposite. This small office should be the backdrop of your story. Let your consumer feel like they are riding in the passenger seat watching you climb the ladder of success. The goal is they will feel so connected and inspired they will want to help get you there. Now you may not want to show your work space if it’s really messy, loud or distracting, but most of the time you should show off your small business. You built it. Be proud!
Humanizing your brand means pushing out content that discusses more than your products or services. It touches on your company culture, philosophy and values. It not only conveys to the customer what you do but how and why. Humanizing your brand can also literally mean incorporating more humans. Instead of a video of just your product, film a customer using it and talking about why they like it. Have the developer do an interview or share a blog on how they product came to fruition, what challenges and successes happened along the way? Another idea could be as simple as sharing your office singing happy birthday to your boss and posting it on social media. By sharing your story and the faces and passion behind your brand your customers can connect to your company and feel good about working with you.
Need ideas on how to make your brand more relatable? Give us a buzz; we’re happy to help!
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