Five Ways To Amplify Human-Brand Interactions

Chris WrenApril 29, 20153 min

People live first and foremost in the digital world, and the battle for their attention and loyalty exists there. The digital world, aka social web, is powered by human media. To realize the promise of what all digital can do, brands need to understand that digital is not a “thing”.

Once upon a time, it was. But now digital, via the social web and personal devices, is a part of the shared human experience. Consumers don’t have a ‘real life’ and a ‘digital life’ – they have ‘life’ which they experience both offline and online.

Making digital work means incorporating the same type of human relations we do in the material world. Last week I discussed brand idea, and the need to radiate the brand idea at wavelengths specifically tuned to the right consumers. Human relations tells us the frequency the idea likely needs to create emotional resonance.

Becoming more human does not mean brands lose their identity. But outside of the material world, the voice and personality a brand has is at equal volume and weight to consumers’. Brand language may need to evolve to allow the brand voice to be better tuned (more human) to how consumers relate and make meaning.

The promise of digital is global interconnectedness. Brands are part of that connection. Approaching digital with human relations as the point of departure will improve the way consumers relate to brands, both online and offline.

Here are five things brands should be mindful of as they incorporate human relations to their digital experience:

  1. The golden rule: If you wouldn’t say it in real life, don’t say it in digital. The quickest way for a brand to lose the human voice it needs is to get overtly promotional. It’s not out of line for a brand to be excited by its new offerings, but it is important to keep in mind the way you would talk about new offerings to a personal friend. On the social web, brands need to share experiences, relate, connect emotionally and find resonance.
  2. Reach out: In the human-brand interaction, brands reach out first. Consumers are not going to come to the brand because it might not be obvious the brand is ready to interact with them at a human level. Start by answering questions, mention people (employees, customers, thought leaders) that demonstrate the brand lives in the same big world consumers do.
  3. Transparency: Consumers have immediate access to everything, and they are suspicious of messages that sound like ‘advertising’. Using purpose to set the tone, consumers want to know more about who a brand is, and what they are hoping to do by having a presence on the social web. Being perfect is not required, but being honest is. If a brand has an unexpected problem, recall, service outage – the social web is a forgiving and understanding environment for brands that have both a personality that is trustworthy, and the speed to acknowledge circumstances before the social universe does.
  4. Consistency: Just as consumers interact on many parts of the social web in a similar way that represents who they are, so should human brands. If there’s something exciting, share it commonly across digital experiences and properties. Comments, posts, blogs, videos all need to sound like the same ‘human’ wrote them.
  5. Human value: Consumers increasingly ignore many brand messages on the social web, not because they are brand messages, but because the messages are not created with human value in mind. Every interaction a brand takes on the social web; publishing a testimonial, eBook, sharing photos – these elements need to bring value and meaning to consumers. That’s where consumers focus their scarce attention.

Human relations makes it possible for brands to find a “harmony of opposites” in digital – where the brand idea and positioning does not get shortchanged for new imperatives like engagement. Consumers have preferences, beliefs and values they often freely share on the social web. Listen to what they say. When they talk, it is about what matters to them.

The Blake Project can help you with your social engagement strategy. Email us to find out more.

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Licensing and Brand Education

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