Human-Centric Marketing in 4 Stages
Putting human empathy and impact at the heart of marketing is essential to creating an emotionally connected and successful brand.
Every brand engages with its customers in a unique way to market their products, but not all methods of engagement are created equal. Cue human-centric marketing—an approach that puts human empathy and impact at the heart of branding and promotions. As our Social Media Strategist, Allena Natchez Fleming, says: “Human-centric marketing is important because humans buy from humans. When you are able to connect and understand your customers and speak their language, you have a better chance of a conversion.”
The Four Stages of Human-Centric Marketing
Human-centered marketing can be boiled down into four simple stages. Doing small things with great intention can make all the difference for a brand and help them stand out in a digitally noisy world.
Stage One: Walk in Your Customer’s Shoes
There’s a big difference between creating a product and knowing what it’s like to experience that product. Brands that focus on selling, selling, selling but never take the time to question their products are missing out big time. Companies should be going through their own brand experience to know what it’s like to be one of their customers. Apple has historically done a great job of this. Their employees and customer service team know what it’s like to use Apple products, and can relate to their target audience because of this.
Stage Two: Listen with Empathy
Okay, so a lot of brands already know what it’s like to take their own course or use their own products, but this doesn’t mean their customers are actually satisfied. It’s important to ask for customer feedback and to actually listen to it. Customers are human beings, and they want to know that their needs, wants, and concerns are being listened to. When the cosmetics company Lush heard their customers asking about how products are made, they created a “How It’s Made” series on YouTube—they listened and then proved they care.
Stage Three: Make a Human Impact
Once a company or brand has made a commitment to listen to their customers with empathy, the next step is to take meaningful action. American Express has done a great job of this during the pandemic. When they realized that Black-owned brands are facing some of the greatest pandemic-related challenges, they launched the Coalition to Back Black Businesses that will award $10 million to U.S. Black-owned small businesses over the next four years. The company listened to what their customers were going through and took action to make a human impact.
Stage Four: Grow Together with Customers
Chipotle grew digital sales by 177.2 percent during the height of the pandemic by learning to listen and grow with customers. Their marketing team reached out to customers and discovered many who were sad, lonely, and bored. So they hosted online celebrations, a concert series, and a digital lunch club. It was a win-win. Chipotle grew their business in a way that drove customer happiness and commercial success.
Six Attributes of Human-Centric Brands
Customer-centric brands that put human empathy and impact at the heart of their marketing tactics share these same attributes:
Physicality
Intellectuality
Sociability
Emotionality
Personability
Morality
The best way to reach your audience is by simply being human. A human-centered approach to marketing is all about putting the user’s needs, desires, and abilities at the center of your strategy.