Have we, as entrepreneurs, forgotten how to interact with people?
It might sound like I’m stating the obvious, but consumers are human, and humans want to talk to and interact with other humans. We’ve also seen a growing mistrust in how humans view businesses.
The 2017 Edelman “Trust Barometer” survey revealed that 48% of respondents distrust business. Your words alone are meaningless. You now need online recommendations from real people, and not just a “Love this product,” or “Great service.” People want to read experiential stories. They need to be convinced.
And although 76% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, this won’t result in a sale. It’s merely an introduction. If you hope to grab and retain consumer attention, you’ll have to learn how to connect on an emotional level, and only genuine interactions achieve this.
Winning new clients requires building meaningful relationships. You have to be willing to open a window into your life and share your successes and failures. You also need to discover what makes each prospect tick.
Marketing has evolved, and your business should as well.
Rewind five, even ten years, and this was not the case. We classified businesses as B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer). The understanding, in my experience, was that there was no need to appear human if you were in B2B. The content created was often clinical, crammed with facts and technical words such as “best of breed” or “synergy,” which simply didn't connect with their audience.
B2C businesses had a smidgeon more leeway. You could bring personality to your brand and be humorous, quirky or adventurous — whatever. This made connecting with your target audience more natural. But while you may have inspired or made your prospects laugh, this was often done from a safe distance.
The B2B and B2C era has ended.
The thing is, we were going about marketing wrong. Underneath it all, we are humans. Whether you're the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or the janitor of a school, you are a big bag of emotions and you respond to emotional things.
So, I believe it’s time to stop thinking that you are in B2B or B2C. You’re actually in H2H.
Understand H2H marketing.
At the core of human-to-human marketing is an understanding that people crave real interactions with brands. Humans want to buy from humans, not automated bots.
That means that customers want personalized experiences. They don’t want to be another nameless, faceless purchaser. They want to matter, to know that you’ve taken the time to care about who they are, what their struggles are and what they love.
Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Your job is to figure out how to differentiate yourself from the competition. It’s no longer about having a unique selling point, but rather about the experience your business creates. You have to figure out how to surprise and delight your customers and how to touch their lives. This is how you build a tribe of raving fans who continuously buy from you.
Remember, conversations lead to conversions.
An integral element of human-to-human marketing is the art of conversation. Here's how to use conversation to your advantage:
1. Start by asking questions.
On meeting someone for the first time, what do you do? Well, you introduce yourself, and then you ask questions. That's the only way you can get to know someone better. The same applies to prospects. You have to ask questions to see if they’re a good fit for your business.
Find out:
• What they love.
• If they've traveled recently.
• If they have a family.
• What makes them happy.
• What they are feeling.
When we acknowledge our customers, they feel validated. Gathering these little nuggets of information will help you to deliver a unique experience, something that is imperative for business growth.
2. Be real.
Don't be afraid to tell your story. Sharing your highs and your lows makes you more human and relatable. It's also a great way to bridge the trust gap and develop genuine relationships with your customers. Remember, people buy from businesses and brands they like and that make them feel good.
3. Deliver value.
Be open to helping without expecting anything in return. Think about this: A prospect contacts you with a problem they can't solve. You freely offer advice, which they implement. Soon, they begin to see positive results. They now have proof that your service is worth investing in, so they purchase it, and hopefully recommend it to a friend.
For me, that's far more powerful than cold calling a prospect, listing your services and asking if you can help — something so many businesses are doing online. Believe me when I say that instead of acquiring a new lead, you're driving them away.
What’s the bottom line?
Consumers now demand transparency from entrepreneurs and businesses. They want to feel special and integral to your success. If you can’t do that, you’ll lose them to a competitor that can. So, make sure you're incorporating human-to-human marketing into your business strategy.
