Building Trust When Trust Is Scarce: Why Humanizing Your Brand Is Key 

f you’re seeing signs that your brand isn’t resonating – people aren’t taking the action you want them to, or they are not engaging with your content – your brand may be disconnected from your audience. In today’s age of AI-generated content and carefully crafted business speak, the necessary fix could be humanizing your brand. That means communicating in a manner that’s authentic, digestible, and relatable to build emotional connections with consumers. Not only does humanizing your brand increase customer engagement, but it also enhances brand loyalty and differentiates your company in a crowded market — a true catalyst for business revival. 

Now, why does this work? It all comes down to the idea of emotional connection. Humans are social creatures, constantly looking to develop deep connections and build a sense of community. When all else fails, one thing stays true: people respond to people. That’s where humanizing your brand comes into play, making your company more relatable and approachable through authentic communication. By humanizing your brand, you gain the ability to trigger emotional reactions, leading to a direct impact on consumer decision-making processes. 

Customers – both B2C and B2B – are desperately seeking real communication and real stories. They’re sniffing out inauthenticity left and right, and it’s impacting business revenue and brand favorability across every industry. Just look at the recent Cracker Barrel logo fiasco. The root of the complaints was all related to the humanization of the brand — it all felt too corporate and too much of a departure from its original fanbase. 

It has never been more important to meet your audience where they are.  

Tips for Effectively Humanizing Your Brand 

• Audit Your Current Communication Strategy: It may be time to take a real look at your communication strategy and what types of content customers are responding to. Without this important step, you risk continuing down a path that fails to achieve what you need the most: genuine connection. 

• Dive Into Audience Personas: Understanding your audience is critical, so you can build a communication strategy that creates an impact. Let’s say you run a healthcare technology company targeting hospital executives. Instead of focusing on flashy features, they likely want to understand patient outcomes, compliance, and ease of integration. Knowing what your audience needs to hear – not just what your brand wants to communicate – can help you create a more human connection. 

• Internal and External Communications in Tandem: Consistency should be a thread through your internal and external communications. Alignment ensures authenticity and builds lasting trust between employees and customers. If your employees don’t experience what you’re communicating externally, both audiences are bound to feel the disconnect. 

• Think Past Corporate Speak: You’re in tune with your industry’s speak – you do it every day, and it now inherently makes sense to you. But if you throw overly corporate jargon at your audience, you’re only going to hit a wall. Adjusting your communication style to fit the ears of your audience is key to making your message land. 

• Humor: Effective, for Only Certain Brands: You’ve heard of Wendy’s social media strategy: snarky, humorous communication that sparks customer engagement. It’s extreme, but it works for them. However, can you imagine this strategy being used for a manufacturing company, a hospital, or even a counseling organization? Humor may be a powerful tool in humanizing brands, but it isn’t always the right one. 

• Showcase Real People and Real Impact: Companies that find the most success consistently highlight the people behind the brand – just look at the revival of Stuckey’s. It lets your audience know that your business, mission, and values are real. An emotional connection goes a long way, and it’s important not to lose sight of the people who got you where you are today. 

If you’re feeling a disconnect with your audience, perhaps it’s time to humanize your brand. Don’t know where to start? Full Tilt is an award-winning marketing communications agency, here to walk you through the process. Let’s chat and build the lasting trust and relationships that make your brand stand out.