Recent stats from PwC on empathy in marketing reveal that “59% of all consumers feel companies have lost touch with the human element of customer experience.”
In other words, there’s a disconnect between businesses and their customers’ hearts. As a result, these businesses are wasting valuable marketing dollars on campaigns that don’t yield any results.
Logic has a hand in decision-making, but our emotions often lead us to make purchases, support brands, and invest in various businesses. So, brands that want to succeed today must utilize empathy in their digital marketing campaigns.
Without empathy, it will be challenging to connect with your customers and show them that you genuinely care about their needs and who they are. But, more importantly, it will hinder your ability to develop trust with your customers, something so crucial to them becoming loyal, long-term customers of your business and advocates for your brand.
This article will help you make your next digital marketing campaign more empathetic to customers. Let’s get started.
FULLY UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE
There’s no way you can make your digital marketing more empathetic without knowing who your customers are and understanding why they behave, think, and feel the way they do. Don’t just get into the heads of your customers. Get into their hearts.
Map out your customers, pain points, needs, and values. Exploring the following questions can help you fully understand your audience:
- What do my customers struggle with daily?
- Out of these struggles, which are their most pressing challenges?
- How are they currently addressing these challenges, if they are at all?
- What are my customers’ values?
- What are they trying to achieve in life?
- How do my products and services help my customers eliminate a crucial pain point?
- What are their preferred communication methods?
- What digital marketing methods are resonating with my customers?
- What are my customers’ expectations regarding my products, services, and brand?
Also, as you learn more about your audience, be sure to prioritize inclusivity.
BE INCLUSIVE
When a business is inclusive, it does everything it can to ensure no person or group in its customer base is excluded from anything the company does. That means whether someone interacts with marketing, sales, customer service, leadership, HR or another department, their experience should be pleasant and productive no matter their abilities or identifiers.
Being inclusive can help you show empathy in your next digital marketing campaign. Inclusive marketing is critical because it shows people that your brand is aware of its customer base’s varying needs, abilities and backgrounds, and is willing to accommodate them. Inclusive marketing also immerses you in the more significant social movement dedicated to making the world a more equal, diverse, just place.
Developing a solid user experience can also aid your efforts to make your next digital marketing campaign more empathetic.
DEVELOP A SOLID USER EXPERIENCE
Your website is a massive part of your overarching digital marketing strategy. Many of your campaigns will deploy there, so a solid UI/UX design is a must. If your customers have a hard time navigating your website, they’ll miss your marketing messaging. They also won’t make purchases and, in turn, your conversion rate will decline.
So, work tirelessly to develop the best user experience possible. As tempting as it may be to automate everything about the design, development, and maintenance of the user experience on your website, don’t. Show restraint when it comes to automation. There is no replacement for human touch and interaction, especially when the goal is to make something more empathetic.
Furthermore, you can inject more empathy into your digital marketing by implementing user-generated content into your strategy.
IMPLEMENT USER-GENERATED CONTENT
According to recent research on user-generated content, “60% of consumers believe UGC is the most authentic marketing content.” When consumers believe content is authentic, they’re more likely to resonate with it emotionally and, in turn, develop trust in the brand that’s using this content.
You can implement user-generated content on your social media platforms first to tell customer stories. Then, take it a step further and use them as testimonials on your website. Doing so will help your website stand out and improve your brand reputation. But be sure to ask for permission before using customer content. Also, let your customers know you’re accepting user-generated content and make it easy for them to submit it to you.
Lastly, be authentic in all that you do.
BE AUTHENTIC
Simply put, none of the above matters if it isn’t authentic. Don’t make the mistake of thinking people can’t pick up when a brand is being disingenuous or inauthentic because they absolutely can. Instead, you should root your next digital marketing campaign and any after that in transparency, honesty, and authenticity.
Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with your customers. For instance, show them the humans that power your brand and fuel your business. Open up two-way communication with them. Deliver value and demonstrate that not only do you who your customers are, but more importantly, you understand them.
All in all, the more authentic you are in your marketing messaging and methods, the better.
CONCLUSION
How you decide to make your next digital marketing campaign more empathetic to customers is entirely reliant on who your customers are and how well you know them. It’s all about being able to step into the shoes of your customers, understand what they want, why they want it, and deliver that. Implement the tips above to ensure your next digital marketing campaign is empathetic enough to touch the hearts and minds of your customers.
This article was written by The Wise Marketer and was originally found here: How To Make Your Next Digital Marketing Campaign More Empathetic (thewisemarketer.com)
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