Brand authenticity finds itself on most top lists when it comes to leading branding and marketing trends.
Consumer demands have changed significantly over the last few years, with more and more people demanding that businesses provide a unique experience, honesty and transparency. And since the pandemic began, consumers have made it clear that more than ever, they want to support brands that care about the same issues as them.
For example, according to PWC: 53{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} of consumers Corporate Values Considered in Purchasing Decisions:
- 48{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} choose brands that support their local communities
- 50{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} would prefer to shop at an organization that takes responsibility for staff health
- 47{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} wanted to buy sustainable products
- 65{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} of consumers agree Desire to see more diverse voices in branded content
- 45{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} said they would stop following brands because of too much self-promotion
But what do all these statistics mean for companies that want to stand out?
They show that consumers want to support brands that are human, original, approachable, and most importantly, user-oriented in all aspects of their business.
So how can you humanize your brand?
What does it mean to humanize a brand?
Humanizing your brand means creating a personality for your brand and creating a memorable connection with your target audience so you can be positive in your communications with prospects and customers.
Here are some ways to humanize your small business brand and examples of companies that are doing this successfully.
ditch stock photos
There are some great ways to use visuals to humanize your brand. However, if you can only follow one strategy from this list, you should remove all stock photography from your business website.
The truth is that stock photography is outdated. This is a fact backed up by statistics showing that stock photo downloads are declining. 4{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} from 2019 to 2020There are good reasons for this. Few stock image creators have a solid understanding of what image marketers need to convey their marketing message.
Therefore, if you want to make sure your brand is authentic, you should take original photos in high-impact parts of your site, such as the hero section of your homepage.
Of course, you should aim to commission images that are of high quality and match your brand’s visual identity. However, it is not necessary to pay attention only to technical performance. Use these visuals to say something original about your brand or product.
For example, show off your most popular products in an authentic setting worn by real people.
Or you can go in a completely different direction. For example, using fun illustrations can help highlight your brand’s personality. Sour Patch Kids Homepage.
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use the video
Another great strategy to employ if you want to show off your organizational credibility is to invest in video.
At first, this may seem like a costly tactic, but data shows that investing in video pays off. According to Wizowl, consumers love it when marketers do this.among them latest reportthe brand revealed:
- 96{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} have watched an instructional video to learn about a product
- 73{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} prefer watching videos to learn about products rather than reading articles
- People are 2x more likely to share video content than any other content type
But how do you make sure your video shows that your brand is human, genuine, relatable, and worthy of your consumers’ attention?
One thing you can do is inject some humor, as the Dollar Shave Club famously did in 2012.
Alternatively, brands can decide to go in the following directions: proof hubThe company uses video as an opportunity for brand founders to speak directly to consumers.
Show off your brand mascot
Sometimes the best way to humanize your brand is to come up with characters that your target audience can relate to, rather than relying on humans. That’s where the mascot comes in.
Mascots are cute, recognizable, and appealing to different audiences. They can also be memorable. Remember Microsoft’s Clippy, the software assistant of all generations. I hatedIt is strongly remembered by people who used computers in the late 90’s.
If your goal is to make your brand relatable and trustworthy, the way to humanize your brand is not to develop an intrusive cartoon character. Coming up with a suitable mascot his character may be able to attract consumers looking to support the brand in general.
A great example of a business doing just this is bay alarm medicalBrando’s grumpy Grandpa character is someone we can all recognize. It becomes even more pronounced in the storyline of the explanatory video that shows that there is.
Given that Bay Alarm Medical’s target audience is people caring for the elderly, this is a 100{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} relatable experience. And it shows how well the brand understands the needs of potential buyers.
Create a real team page
Another way to humanize your brand is to create a genuine About page that showcases the team behind your product or service.
For some, this may seem a little bragging. But the truth is, consumers care about the people behind their favorite brands.
for example, Microsoft research 30{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} of consumers indicated they find a great customer experience dependent on knowledgeable and friendly customer service agents. That’s not all. Edelman’s 2022 Trust Barometer 80{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} of the general population believed it was important for CEOs to have a dialogue on pervasive social issues.
With this in mind, it’s not a bad idea to look for ways to use visuals in your website’s overview section to show the individuals that make up your organization.
One very effective way to do this is by bragging about your team.
click upfor example, by adding multiple photos from a team building event to the website.
dress form usaOn the other hand, we go one step further. The brand gives web visitors a sneak peek into its headquarters with authentic (unedited) photos of his LA factory.
And if you want to highlight the humanity of your brand, you can do something like this: impossibleThe brand’s true identity is built through a series of YouTube videos that show the founders and the brand’s customers doing what they love most: going on adventures.
shift the spotlight
Sometimes the best way to show the human side of a company is to not focus on yourself at all. Often it’s about shifting the focus and putting the customer in the spotlight.
Your existing customers have the exact same needs and pain points as the audience you are trying to reach. So by allowing these people to share their stories, you can effectively highlight that your organization cares about providing unparalleled experiences to their customers.
And we know that telling your customer’s story can be a great tactic when you’re trying to make your brand more authentic, approachable, and human, so use visuals to include them on your site. There are some excellent methods for
On the one hand, you can enrich your voice with attractive visuals. Scoro case study page.
Or, if that doesn’t seem enough, you can go a step further.
brands like Rain or Shine Golf It excels at using user-generated content to make your product look more achievable. Images on the company’s site show how versatile their products are and how easy they can be to be part of your home golf setup.
Don’t be afraid to be emotional, different or wrong
Sometimes the best way to humanize a brand is to show its vulnerability. After all, there is nothing more human than being imperfect.
So if you’re looking for a way to use visuals to prove to your audience that they can rely on your organization to provide credibility and transparency, it may be time to address a problem at hand. I have.
for example, Sinks uses both language and imagery to address social issues of interest, such as menstrual equity and inclusion, which are featured prominently on the brand’s sites.
Or you can do something (almost) unheard of in the marketing community and address past failures.
If you’re looking for pointers on how to do this, look no further KFC’s “FCK” campaignThis series of ads did more than just grab attention. And by skillfully combining the power of visuals and words, and most importantly, being honest with consumers, we were able to turn a dire situation around.
practice consistency
Finally, when looking for ways to humanize your brand, whether through visuals or copy, remember that you’ll only get the effect you’re looking for if you practice consistency.
Remember, branding is not a one-time activity. It’s a never-ending journey, and you need to have a clear understanding of what you want your audience to believe about your company.
Humanizing a brand doesn’t happen overnight. On the contrary, you will have to work for months (and possibly years) to ensure that your audience does not see your organization as just another brand jumping on the latest trends to appear friendly. there is.
And of course, don’t hesitate to use whatever tools you can: social media channels, email newsletters, media mentions, and even print. Every touchpoint is important in shaping how potential customers see you.
