Without trust, it is nearly impossible for a brand to build meaningful relationships with their customers on a human level. That is precisely why we need to be empathic to our customers in order to connect with them on a deeper level.
It’s no longer B2B or B2C, it’s H2H: Human to Human.
Humans want to connect with humans first – not brands or companies. While you can't connect with everyone individually, you can humanize your connection points by being mindful of these attributes of the human-centered mindset:
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Focus on context, then content
While what you say is important, the way in which you deliver it is even more so. We like to think about how what we “say” might land on someone’s ears. Is your message conveying what you want, in the way you mean it to? -
Use storytelling
Storytelling makes your messaging more memorable and puts people first. When you relay content by wrapping it around a story, it instantly becomes unforgettable. We recently conducted an insights sprint with a group of patients that all shared incredible stories with us about their journey. This approach helps us when we craft our content into a storytelling format that is real. -
Be relatable
Use creative ways to work in imagery of the real people you are talking to (i.e., ask them to provide personal photos, do a photo shoot if budget allows) Try to refrain from using stock imagery when possible.
Don’t forget, you are talking to humans, so talk like a human. Communicate as if you were having a real conversation with your customers, and you will see quickly how the tone becomes much more empathic and supportive to their needs. -
Be transparent
You must always provide a candid, balanced view of all sides of a situation or challenge. If it seems short-sided, you will automatically lose a few points for being too self-serving. Additionally, embrace any shortcomings and address them head on. If you can own your “humanness”, your customers will develop trust in you more easily. -
Incorporate user-centered design solutions
People trust their peers and research shows that they want to hear from them. Consider working in some real testimonials, user polls that will uncover shared beliefs, or simply encourage social sharing so you begin to gather a community of like-minded humans.
It’s all about your approach.
Our job as marketers is to help reorient the mindset of our client partners to a more human-centered approach. Having the right mindset, based in a design thinking approach, will be key to co-creating innovative and meaningful value propositions to meet our customers where they are – from a human perspective.
At ENTRADA, we understand that innovation starts with empathy, so we bring patients and people into the heart of our work. We learn from their challenges, observe their decision-making and question everything we think we understand about their journeys. To unlock innovation, we design for humans by bringing the human-centered mindset into every aspect of our processes. We invite our clients into hands-on design thinking workshops (also known as insight sprints) that challenge assumptions, iterate on insights and use rapid prototyping to test concepts in real time.
To learn more about how we use the principles of user-centered design for our healthcare clients, drop me a note at bethanne@thinkentrada.com
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