Human-first marketing and messaging should be everyone’s priority.
And before anyone says “But I’m in the B2B space,” here’s some food for thought.
Even though your *client* or customer may be a company, the company itself isn’t the decision maker.
Humans are.
So while there’s nothing wrong *per se* with writing copy and designing marketing strategies for businesses, if your strategy doesn’t also consider your buyer’s very real struggles, motivations, and desires, you’re leaving opportunities on the table.
If you’re thinking “But how do I know who they are?” the answer is surprisingly simple.
💡 You ask them
And then you create detailed buyer personas that think of your audience holistically–as humans with individual drivers.
9 Questions to Consider when Creating Human-First Marketing Personas
Personas offer insights into the mind of your customers by exploring their typical concerns and fears. Well-developed personas also factor in how these people — your target audience— relate to their personal life and their work. Whether you’re team “Ideal Client Avatar” and your personas are “Eric Executive” or “Conny CEO,” or you adopt a broader persona approach, creating these personas is critical. Here are some questions to factor in.
❓Who are the key decision makers, influencers, and allies in your audience?
❓How would you define each of them from a professional standpoint?
❓Who are they?
❓What are their concerns at this stage in their career? this stage of their life?
❓What fears keep them up at night?
❓How does their career relate to their personal life?
❓What are the repercussions of professional success or failure on their personal life?
❓How does your product or service tie into those concerns?
❓How can you help them look good or succeed?
Identify what they’re saying about their life or career
Additionally, you’ll also want to think about developing statements these people might have about their job or pains related to the area of their business you might speak to. After all, when you can show you truly understand where your audience is coming from, you can more easily develop relationships.
And let’s be clear, it’s not about manipulating them, it’s about building a fundamental level of understanding. So think about statements that might start with:
- I wish I could…
- I’m so tired of…
- I’m worried that…
And then think about what they might say after working with you:
- I’m so glad that…
- Now, I can…
- Today, I…
Personas are the First Step of Human-First Marketing
But building personas is just the start. Here’s what else you need to consider as you develop messaging and marketing strategies:
Value Proposition: Your offering should align with what truly matters to your customers. It’s not just about what your product or service does, but also the impact it has on their lives and businesses.
Empathy: This is key to understanding the hopes, fears, and needs of your customers. With empathy, you can create compelling messages that resonate on a human level.
Case Studies: Highlight success stories where a shift to human-first marketing led to significant results. These concrete examples can underscore the effectiveness of this approach.
Marketing Channels: Some channels lend themselves better to human-first messaging. Personalized emails or social media posts often feel more engaging than traditional, impersonal advertisements.
Personalized Customer Experience: Tailored experiences play a crucial role in human-first marketing. Personalize your content, recommendations, and overall customer journey.
Testing and Iteration: Continuously test and refine your marketing messages to better understand and cater to your audience.
Internal Communication: Ensure your entire organization understands these buyer personas. Sales, customer service, everyone – should use the same language for a consistent customer experience.
Customer Retention: Human-first marketing isn’t just about acquiring customers; it’s about keeping them. By meeting their needs and showing understanding, you build strong, long-lasting relationships.
Human-First Marketing is the Future
With the rise of AI, relationships are going to continue to be the most important part of doing business. That’s where human-first marketing comes in.
Because you’re honing in on what matters to the human buyers in your audience **as well as the company** you can create strategies and copy that speak DIRECTLY to them.
In other words, you can create human-first messaging and start building stronger relationships, all while speaking to how you can help their company.
Ready to work together on these human-first personas? Let’s talk about how we can get there and develop effective human-first messaging. Schedule a call here.
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I’m Erin Pennings, owner of CopySnacks, and I’m a brand messaging strategist and copywriter who helps small businesses and entrepreneurs turn their brands into customer magnets. ErinPennings.com is my site, where I show you my process for clarifying your message and using it to tell your story with effective website copy and thought leadership content that fuels your funnels.
