Humanising your brand and why it’s important

Can brands act like humans and even be considered humans?

 The short answer is: It depends. The long answer is: Yes - if you have the right strategy, tools and flair.

With the rise of influencer marketing and the Instagram stardom, brands quickly learned that putting yourself out there in front of the public while being transparent and having a personal voice is a win-win strategy for their marketing efforts.

People like to know the people behind the brand and get easily attached to them. Just think about the massive success of beauty products launched by Instagram bloggers with huge followings, such as Amrezy and Huda Beauty or the infamous Kim Kardashian. Some of them had their products sold out before their official launch, if that will help you get an idea of the scale of their success.

Humanising your brand is a win-win strategy, which we’ve been successfully using at Fantastic Services. Here are a few points to consider if you are trying to go that route.

 Shorten the distance with casual talk

Forget about the fancy business jargon and start mixing with the crowd. Your potential clients will feel much closer to you when you are relatable. Communicate with your consumers in a relaxed and casual tone to create the so-called rapport, and you will quickly reap the benefits.

 If you want to turn your posts into actual conversions, remember that people want to talk to real people and not faceless businesses. Social media is all about the dialogue between you and your followers, so don’t be scared to start it and use actual humans to maintain that dialogue.

In recent years, consumers’ loyalty has steadily increased towards brands whose values match their own. According to Wunderman’s study on “Wantedness”, “79% of consumers said that brands have to demonstrate that they understand and care about me before they are going to consider purchasing.”

 Be honest and transparent

When we communicate with franchise leads, existing franchisees and customers, we are transparent. We tell stories, we use humour, we are honest.

 In turbulent times like these, the human element is crucial. The need for human connection is growing steadily, so it is no surprise that according to 4 A’s, 56% of consumers are happy to hear about brands giving back to the community, and 40% want to hear how brands are responding to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Don’t be afraid to show your human side on social media and give back to the community. In Fantastic Services, we responded to the Coronavirus pandemic by easing up on our entry requirements for potential franchisees.

So drоp the masks (not the ones we wear in Corona times:)) and show your consumers that you are human and you sometimes make mistakes. Embracing your mistakes and being open to the public about them brings you one step closer to their hearts. Try it. It is so refreshing, and I know first-hand since we did it.

Challenge the status quo

Don’t be afraid to be different and not follow the mainstream in your industry.

The franchising industry is quite traditional and conservative, but in Fantastic Services, we like to challenge the conventional ways of doing marketing and have a more creative approach. We revolutionised the service industry by investing more than 20 million pounds in custom-built digital technology. This consolidated our leadership position in the industry and helped our franchisees outsource the small, tedious tasks to technology and focus on their long-term growth strategies. So we very much consider ourselves to be a tech brand with the added warmth and family-feel of a franchise – and we try to communicate these values consistently.

Take your time to define your brand’s personality and once you do, incorporate your authentic voice throughout all your communication channels. Humanising your brand on social media can be fun and liberating in so many ways. Be consistent with your brand tone and go with the flow - people will sense your genuine vibe and enjoy following you.