We have heard it all before, and seen it all before, how technology has eclipsed our lives. There is almost nothing that cannot be automated today, and word is spreading over that artificial intelligence will soon take over many tasks that humans previously do. While all this reduces human errors and reduces costs, the most important glue that binds society together is missing.
Too much technology reduces human interaction, and the lack of human touch can be a cold and dark experience. This is the reason why certain jobs such as those of a nurse, psychotherapist, healer, religious minister or for that matter, even that of a journalist will never be automated. However, the influx of technology in other areas of life has made people weary of automation and technology.
With more and more companies investing in digital media and social marketing, questions are being raised about the missing human factor. Thankfully, digital marketing does not automate everything completely. Instead, it retains a human touch while also using technology to our benefit. This is probably why digital marketing is still one of the more human technologies around.
In this article, let us take a look at how you can make your digital marketing more human, so that your target audience does not feel alienated or overwhelmed by technology.
While there is technology that helps us to automate almost everything that we do on social media, thanks to artificial intelligence and chatbots, do not do it. Automate only certain posts and hire social media executives to interact personally with audience. This is very important because if people simply keep receiving automated messages, they will lose interest and move ahead. It is important to insert human emotions and interactions in between.
Once you have enough audience on social platforms, take time to engage with them. Do not just schedule posts and let the chatbots do all the work. Spend time talking to your loyal followers and recognize or appreciate when they have something positive to say about you. Digital marketing only works when there is ample communication and engagement between you and your followers. This is something that should be borne in mind.
People often like to see images that depict human actions. If you are having an event in your office, share those pictures. If your CEO meets another CEO, take pictures and upload them on your social profiles. Use these images tactfully so that they are part of the brand narrative. Ensure that you share content and images with respect to your work culture and employees, as that brings a human face to your company.
Marketing messages should not be formulated in a ‘one size fits all’ template. Instead, explore buyer personas of your target audience and come up with a different marketing message for each demographic. Explore and study different demographics and psycho-graphics of your target audience. Everyone is not the same and the same marketing message will not appeal to everyone. When you customize your messages to suit individual tastes, you will come across as a more human-oriented company.
While automating and technology are mostly to blame for the lack of human interactions, aggressive marketing messages can also seem too business-like, and may put off your audience. Do not try to sell all the time. Instead, share informative blog posts that help your audience to understand something unique about your product or service. Try to engage with your audience and seek personal opinions about your products and services.
There is nothing that is more ego-boosting than being asked for advices or when one is asked questions. Even if you know something, try and ask questions to your followers, as long as you do not come across as misinformed. Similarly always try to answer questions that people leave online, if you feel that person may be a possible prospect. All this helps in showing that you have a human side to you and that you are not just aggressively marketing your products and services.
Another strategy to show your human face is to actually meet your target audience offline. Select people who have engaged with you online, and invite them for a retreat or an event organized offline. This will provide you with ample time and opportunity to interact with your loyal customers. Most importantly, this can prove to be an important photo-op session so that the very same photos can be shared online again, as part of your digital marketing strategy.
Always remember to wish your target audience when their birthdays or marriage anniversaries arrive. Even if you do not have that data on your system, sometimes people voluntarily share these messages online. When they do, use this as an opportunity to build rapport and wish them. It does not have to be just birthdays or marriage anniversaries. You could also wish your target audience when they graduate, get a new job, give birth to a child, or when their pet’s birthday is celebrated.
Stay human, start interacting and engaging
It is being increasingly noticed that people are not happy with the way we are pushing technology on them. While digital marketing is a great way to drive home our marketing messages, there is an important need to keep things human. Do not try to automate everything and find time to engage your audience. Begin to share posts about your office culture and show that you have a human side to you.
Also, don’t sell or market aggressively and instead, customize your marketing messages. Help people to find answers to their queries and also seek their help when you need some information. Reward your loyal customers and remember their important life events, so that they feel valued. If you ensure that you follow these steps, your digital marketing campaign will be more human they you probably would have expected it to be.
