Techblog
Why business needs to consider Human to Human interaction on their websites
When it comes to promoting your business, Human to Human (H2H) marketing is the new focus. This emotion-based advertising works faster and more effectively. Customers use feelings and desires, not just information, when evaluating brands. Here’s how businesses can easily transition from Business to Business (B2B) to H2H marketing.
Business to business (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C) marketing strategies have long dominated the marketing world. However, things are changing. When it comes to marketing, regardless of whether it is B2B or B2C, it is time to focus on a new strategy. Social business strategist and Silicon Valley player, Bryan Kramer, who coined the term H2H, says there is no more B2B or B2C: It’s Human to Human (H2H).
In other words: Customers prefer to interact with another human being rather than a faceless business constantly pushing products to them. Businesses need to get out of the traditional marketing mind-set and instead should focus on the actual people they’re reaching out to. What they need to focus on is who their customers are, what engages them, use data to determine their needs, speak to them via social channels and eventually create brand ambassadors.
How to transition from B2B to H2H marketing
Emotions are essential for any marketing strategy. It is important for businesses to build personal relationships and trust, as people mostly buy from brands they like and trust.
Marketers need to identify and personalise the message to the decision makers within companies rather than a generic marketing push to the business they’re targeting.
Here is how marketers can transition from B2B to H2H successfully:
Create customer personas
Businesses need to have a clear picture about who their clients are. Keep in mind what customers are like outside of their work environment. What are their interests and needs? How can you relate to them on a human level?
Outline benefits that would trigger customers to have an emotional response and then take action. Clients or customers need to know what’s in it for them personally rather than focusing on what’s in it for their company.
Create engaging and searchable content
Bounce rates and click-through rates have become more important than just key words and being on the first page of the search engine results. Google is constantly changing its algorithm which impacts how web pages are indexed and ranked. Marketers need to create informative and entertaining content that follows the way customers search.
Get to know your customer to create a great user experience
The same applies to the overall design of a company’s website, which should first and foremost concentrate on offering a great user experience. Each visitor is a unique customer with their own needs. Therefore, marketers need to make sure their website is not only easy to navigate but delivers engaging content that provides real value fulfilling these different needs.
How do you determine these needs? Data. Get to know your customers. Collect data like website traffic, social reach or page conversions to create the best possible human user experience. This will enable you to guide customers towards a purchasing decision.
Use social media effectively
Consumers increasingly use social media as a source of information as well as entertainment. It is therefore vital that companies recognise that social media marketing is more about a prospect or customer conversation rather than just another publishing tool. Social media provides the perfect platform to connect with your clients on a human level and get to know them. To achieve this business needs to be responsive and active on their channels. When a customer reaches out provide the right information quickly. Additionally, take note of what they're asking; this is a great way to see what your business can be doing better.
Stop selling, create brand advocates
Rather than just selling your product, start to develop a more long-term relationship with your clients. More than just creating returning clients you want to create brand advocates for your product or service. Customers do not want to be pushed into buying a product and what works better from a marketing point of view then a trusted review based on personal experiences. Happy customers will not only return they'll tell their friends all about you.
So, to effectively connect with your customers on your website consider incorporating Human to Human marketing techniques:
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Get to know your customers and understand what motivates them emotionally.
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Create a website and social channels with engaging content that fulfils customers’ needs and wants and motivates them towards a purchasing decision.
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Develop a strategy to forge a long-term relationship with customers so they not only return but recommend you to others.