No more B2B. No more B2C. The new marketing strategy is “H2H” — or human to human marketing.
As humans, it’s in our nature to respond to someone when we feel like they care, and applying this concept to your social media strategy is no different. But how do you take this notion of “the human connection” (that 80’s heart-throb Rick Springfield knows all about) and leverage it to create a more engaged audience for your marketing?
Human to human marketing certainly isn’t new, but today it’s about creating even deeper connections through channels that are very personal — like social media.
The 2014 Zenith Social Media Marketing Conference had some great takeaways for marketers that are trying to connect on a deeper level to their audience. One of the conversation points attendees are still talking about is “human to human” as the new buzzword in social media strategy this year.
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“Human to human” interactions and engagement are topping the list of qualities that make for a happy audience when it comes to social media.
Katy Katz, Inbound Marketing Specialist at Collegis Education, presented on the topic of social media analytics and defining KPIs (key performance indicators) at Zenith.
Katz focused on the importance of giving your customers a reason to believe in you, structuring your content on social media as a conversation to create a connection that seems more “human to human” than “business to consumer.”
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Don Ness, the Mayor of Duluth and Zenith keynote speaker, also talked about how the human to human connection is important in his own social media activities.
Even as a politician, versus a marketer, Ness found that when he positioned his social media content in a way that made his followers feel like he was talking to them and not at them, engagement rates soared.
Pratik Dholakiya’s eConsultancy article, “Social Media, the Human Element and Your Brand,” sums up this concept perfectly:
“Think of your connection as real people who have the potential to be your friends.”
There’s no doubt that humanizing social media can be challenging for some brands, but when it comes down to it, keep it simple: make sure your social voice is real, human, sounds like the person or people behind your brand, and you talk about what matters to your followers. Showing customers your human side will make you approachable and easy to interact with.
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Whether your human to human marketing is centered around staying connected to your community or driving leads, the people you’re reaching out to are much more invested when you invest in them.
Do you use the human to human marketing in your business? If you could describe your voice on social media, what would you say it sounds like? We’d love to hear from you, so please post your feedback in the comments below or tweet us @BluewaterBrand!