Humanize It! Build a More Human, Relatable Brand with These 20 Strategies

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Building a brand that is relevant, memorable and valuable online requires a lot more than fancy visuals, viral cat videos, or knowing how to manipulate the latest Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn newsfeed algorithm.

Standing out from the digital noise requires more than hopping on the latest social shiny technology object.

At the core you must earn attention, trust and action. Social currency on the web today = attention + action. You need both. To do this you must learn how to connect with humans in a real way. You must know how to leverage the technology to be more human, make people laugh, share your story and inspire them to take action.

People buy from people, not logos. Humanizing your brand and communicating in a way that makes your brand relatable and easily understood by your audiences is the key to busting through the digital noise to grow your business.

Here are 20 ways to make your brand more human: 

Remember it always has been and always will be about the humans.

1. Be authentically you.
There is only one you, so be that person, period. The best way to attract your ideal customer which will create energy, mutual joy and value is letting your true colors shine. Don’t pretend you are someone or a brand you are not. Find your authentic voice, personality, tone and share it worth the world. Life and business work so much better when lived in high human definition with no filters. Share your story and invite, engage and bring others with you for the journey. Let them help build you. When you win, then they all win.

2. Find where your passions intersect with the opportunity to create and drive business results.
When you are ignited by your passions your energy, excitement and happiness will often exude from your being. Customers will feel this and be attracted organically to work with you.

3. Create a content calendar and plan.
Though it may seem fun to wake up every morning and spontaneously post content to your many social profiles, your results will increase exponentially if you take the time to plan your content. The more you can focus on the right audiences, goals, objectives and strategies to attract your ideal audience, the more successful you will be. Download our Social media Content Calendar Template and additional resources.

4. Know and love your audience.
Think about the brands you love. What is it about them that you love? The more you know your audience and ideal customer, the better you can create content, products and services that connect with them in meaningful ways. Personal experiences make your brand more relevant and memorable. Create consistent, meaningful and unique experiences that separate you from the crowd of status quo. Download our Audience Analysis Worksheet.

5. Know your value.
Know your greatest strengths, weaknesses and opportunities to improve. When you are crystal clear on the value you serve your ideal audience and customers, you will pop out in a crowd to them in a positive way. They’ll be thinking “hey… that brand has just what I need now!”

6. Know the goals your audience has for life or business.
We must inspire our audiences to connect with us with a goal of helping them achieve their objectives. When we do this, we achieve ours by default as they are one and the same. Inspire – Connect – Achieve!

7. Create content that helps your audience achieve their goals.
How can you help them save time, make more money, lose weight, feel better, get more sleep and the list goes on. Know what they want and then create content that will help them achieve their biggest dreams. Then create content that provides the path, roadmap and actionable steps to help them get to the desired state or level of success they are seeking.

8. Create content that inspires and empowers.
Knowledge is power. Inspire your audience to take action with content that empowers them to win! Inspiration does not equal a link to your blog post or sales page. Truly connect with the heart if you want to stomp the status quo. Create content that is easy to digest, share and remember. Inspiration quotes or short stories that people connect with are both great ways to create meaningful and inspirational content without spending a ton of time.

9. Get visual… as in really good visuals.
Don’t simply post the same ol’ same ol’ stock images and creative for your content, blog posts, videos, Instagram, Linkedin and email newsletter. By using our free content calendar template, you can be more certain that your content is organized and it will be easier to create stunning visuals that are consistent, engaging and drive you customer to the desired action.

10. Double down on one specific industry or niche.
Get laser focused on a niche you have experience and case studies. Become the “go to” leader and trusted advisor in the industry. Narrow your focus to streamline and prioritize content creation, influencer marketing and all areas of content creation, promotion, advertising and marketing.

11. Double down on one or two social networks.
In our Social Profit Factor training academy we teach our students a 3 tiered approach to prioritizing social networks. It’s always better to start with one or two social networks where you can have a major presence vs spreading yourself too thin across more than you have time or budget to achieve a measurable return on your investment. Going deep can help you connect authentically with your target audience and build a more human brand. Less is truly more.

12. Look for the cracks of opportunity competitors in your industry are missing.
For example, we hopped on LinkedIn 14+ years ago when they were still in beta. We’ve been building our community and network there since. While others in our industry are just now realizing LinkedIn is for far more than job searching, and that it’s one of the best ways to connect with professionals, we already have a solid network including 365,000 followers, and over 25,000 connections. These connections have been nurtured for more than 14 years and deliver one of the highest ROIs of any social network our agency, Marketing Nutz leverages. Connect with me on LinkedIn as well as my partner, Josh Moore.

13. Double down on one or two marketing mediums such as video, visual or audio.
Have you thought about digging deeper into video and/ or audio? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find ways to leverage content you already have to reach new audiences. Add another layer of context and relevancy to not only pull over your existing connections and re-engage them with your brand but also connect with new people and make new friends!

14. Tap into the personal brand YOU FACTOR!
People buy from people they know like and trust. When was the last time you woke up in the morning excited to talk to a logo on social media? Invest in your personal brand and the payoffs will be high in building relationships, earning trust and growing your business. Learn the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you don’t have to share everything you do 24/ 7 to build a rock solid personal brand that delivers result. Prioritize social networks, content and mediums that will help you connect with your ideal audience, customers, influencers and partners you want to work with.

15. Power up with the OPC – Other People's Content and Community. You don't have to embark on your digital and social media journey all by yourself. Connect with other leaders in your industry such as influencers, highly connected thought leaders both online and offline, Share their content. Build relationships. Partner up for strategic, fun and inspiring co-marketing campaigns that ignite your combined audiences. Listen to this podcast for help. Listen to podcast + read blog post: Ignite Your Brand with the Power of the OPC – Other People's Content and Community

16. Leverage smart paid media and retargeting.
Imagine capturing the attention of visitors to your website or blog multiple times after their initial or repeat visits? Tap into the power of social media paid advertising as well as retargeting to place paid advertisements in from of them on the other blogs, websites, and social networks they visit. Example would be targeting them on YouTube over the weekend while they are watching videos related to their favorite hobby. Retargeting works amazing because you can target and connect with them by increasing the brand impressions. It takes 6-7 brand impressions before someone will remember your brand.

17. Leverage data.
While your competition is more worried about looking, sounding and performing like everyone else… dig deep into the data. When the market starts to shift, find out why. When you feel you are losing your edge don't be afraid to pivot. However, leverage the data and make the smart decisions that will help you not just survive but thrive for both the short term and long term. Often times short term sacrifices lead to long term gains. Success in business today is more of a marathon than it is a sprint. To win the marathon you must keep yourself and your team educated and on top of the latest trends and best practices to win in your market and niche.

18. Focus on the big picture and the big wins. Stop sweating the small stuff.
The right baby steps that are aligned to the bigger vision will ensure you that you keep winning. Don't get down with small setbacks or short term losses. Imposter syndrome is real and can kill your creativity and confidence if you let it. You will win and you will lose deals and even social media followers. However, the world is big and there will be more where those came from. Stay focused on your goals and never give up.

19. Create once use many. 
Create pinnacle pieces of content you can use over and over again. This doesn't mean you post the same piece of content over and over again. Instead you create amazing pieces of content that can be sliced, diced and served up in different formats, mediums, lengths and more. Get creative and work smart. This will help you stay agile while at the same time build a solid foundation of evergreen content that can serve your audience for months and years to come. Read and listen to podcast:

20. Invest in the humans. 
You can never go wrong by investing in the human beings within your community. Learn and understand who they are, why they are there, what they need, what they desire, who they hang out with, where the hang out with and more. The more you can know about them, the better you can inspire, connect with and serve them. Inspire – connect achieve! When we inspire our audiences to connect with us with a goal of helping them achieve their objectives, we achieve ours by default as they are one and the same.

Supporting Resources:

• 2019 Content Editorial Calendar Template + Content Quick Start Toolkit

• Audience Analysis Worksheet (worksheet to help you prioritize your niche)

• Content Inventory Worksheet  (conduct your own content audit and asset inventory analysis)

Need help taking your brand to the next level? Social Profit Factor Training Academy and Marketing Nutz Can Help! 

Social Profit Factor can help you ignite your content and brand architecture to grow your online tribe and business with social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 2019 is where those who have simply been “hustling” to get by realize they must hustle and work smarter. Before you even think about posting that video on Facebook you must know who you are, what your audience needs from you and how your efforts are going to deliver value for your audience and your business.

You need a structured plan to be successful using social media. Social Profit Factor will help you develop your plan with goals, objectives and priorities within 30 days!

Sign up now to become a founding member.

Need help honing in your branding strategy, architecture, message platform, online presence,  or launching a new product or service? Want to leverage social media, digital marketing and branding to grow your business? Our agency, Marketing Nutz can help you build, launch and  optimize your digital and social brand presence to achieve your goals. Give us a shout and let's get to work!

Take Action: Download the Ultimate 2019 Content Calendar Template.