I’ve been reading Mark Schaefer’s book, “The Content Code” and I have immeasurable takeaways. The most resounding is this:
“What every organization needs before conquering a digital strategy is a human strategy… The most successful marketing organizations don’t think of themselves in B2B or B2C – they’re P2P, striving every day to use miraculous technologies to content people to people.”
I always emphasize taking the human approach when working with clients for the first time. And I learn quickly which clients are going to work with us and which ones are going to take the long route. I’ve found that my start -up clients are often the ones who are most reluctant to put themselves out there in a human way. Let’s be clear. I’m not saying that a business won’t be successful if they don’t humanize their brand, but from experience, I will say it will take them longer or they will need to pay to maximize their reach.
Why? Relationships are built on trust.
Some make the argument that a CEO of XYZ company doesn’t humanize his brand so why should I? That may be true, but generally that XYZ company is already established, currently serving loyal customers. New businesses or start-up ventures will be hard-pressed to try to replicate this model. These businesses will need a team of people dedicated to getting the word out or they will need financial resources to pay to have their content promoted online.
I am in favor of taking the human approach, as evidenced in some of my own personal blogs recently, but also as advice that we give to our clients. Taking the human approach has far exceeded any paid reach we’ve tried to implement, otherwise. Here are just a few examples:
Harrisburg Medical Weight Loss
For Sale By Owners Plus, Realtors
All of these examples showcase businesses in an everyday fashion, with real people working, just like the rest of us. And all, but one of these businesses paid to promote their content for these posts on Facebook, which is nearly a ‘must’ these days for businesses who actually want their content viewed by their fans. If you’re looking to increase awareness and visibility, my short advice is as Mark says: create a human strategy.
