Marketers in 2020 have access to a wide array of digital delivery tools that span the reach of large-scale campaigns. At the end of the day, however, what matters is that your messaging is human-readable. Unfortunately, when we spend too much time focused on automatic delivery processes, sometimes our marketing communications can become robotic as well.
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Customers are most receptive to your messaging when it resonates with them as individuals. You’re unlikely to accomplish that using scaling features alone — but you can with qualitative messaging that’s personable and relatable. Keep these strategies in mind when you want your campaigns and customer interactions to feel that much more human:
Be Conversational
Human-driven marketing today isn’t a one-sided effort — it’s an ongoing dialogue. In email campaigns, for example, it’s not unusual for marketers to send 4 to 7 emails before a lead converts. During that time, each message will communicate some element of your brand’s value to customers, which they will respond to by moving along the marketing funnel.
If your messaging is an asynchronous dialogue, it pays to be conversational in tone. Depending on the context, this might take a variety of forms:
- Personalize your messaging. Addressing an email to Daryl — a customer who sees the value in your product — will go a lot further than a generic “to whom it may concern.”
- Quality over quantity. You don’t need to list every single brand feature when the most relevant ones will do.
- Address a need. The most successful campaigns highlight how a brand can solve the consumers’ problems.
When each of these techniques is associated with your brand, it will be far easier to engage your target audience.
Be Brief
Believe it or not, most customers are reasonably savvy when it comes to the marketing strategies that support modern brands. They’re inundated every day with constant advertisements, email requests, and special promotions. That doesn’t mean customers are unwilling to engage with you, but it does mean they’d prefer you get to the point. Beating around the bush with prolonged introductions or technical product descriptions is the quickest way to lose their attention.
Each communication with a lead or customer should be brief and focused on the details that are particularly relevant to their consumer group. That’s not to say you can’t direct someone to long-form content through a nurture campaign — but neither should you copy entire blog posts into an email. If you are upfront and direct while giving customers the option to engage, you are more likely to connect with them on their terms.
Be Consistent
Some customers convert when viewing mobile advertisements. Others engage with email campaigns or organic Google searches. Most will be acquired through some combination of the above — provided your messaging is consistent. If your messaging is wildly different across each format, customers may become suspicious of what you’re offering.
Consistency can be understandably challenging, especially if you have multiple writers producing copy. That being said, adopting tone and style guides for your brand will help prevent customers from having a disjointed experience. A brand style should be applied across blogs, website descriptions, social media, and anywhere visitors can engage with you.
Branded messaging isn’t just about selling a product or service — it’s about selling a brand relationship. By being conversational, consistent, and to the point in your messaging, you can highlight the human experience behind your brand in ways that traditional and innovative marketing techniques often overlook.