The human-centred approach to marketing

As users of the internet, we are more than experienced with ‘in-your-face’ advertising techniques. The purpose of our marketing efforts always come down to one primary goal – making sales. However, have emotional connections been forgotten for the sake of making money? And could it be that greater emotional intelligence is the key to reaching those goals without making our customers hit the “skip ad” button?

By now, we know that people have become immune to flashing banners and exaggerated video ads. So, perhaps it’s a waste to sit for extended periods of time cultivating ingenious sentences and appealing visuals to sell your products without a real story, or an authentic purpose. It’s time to wake up and give the people what they truly want, and that’s honesty, transparency, and personalised attention.

The emotional intelligence gym

The next time you’re sitting behind a desk formulating an inventive approach to sell your product, complete the process by dissecting all the features and benefits. What is left? Is there still a reason why someone should purchase that product?

The human-centred approach to marketing requires emotional intelligence, which is a skill that needs to be exercised. Easily defined, EQ is the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes. To consider how they may feel and to empathise with them. And when it comes to brand positioning, what matters is how you fill the space between what your customers are looking for and what you’re delivering.

The truth is that, unless we’re investing in items we always need, we fall back on emotions to make buying decisions. Customers are constantly looking for products that add emotional value to their lives, and they’re smart enough to see through repetitive advertising tactics. So, applying emotional intelligence to your marketing campaigns is guaranteed to give you the competitive advantage you’re looking for.

As our audiences grow larger by the day, the obligation to deliver more personalised communication follows suit. An article from The Human Egg discusses the “Anatomy of Attraction”, which is a theory created by writer, Neil Strauss. With this theory, we can learn to adopt the same techniques used to ‘pick up’ women to make ourselves better copywriters.

How to pick up chicks

1. The open. The opening line is essentially your first impression. And the goal is to avoid rejection at any cost. Create copy that generates interest in your audience instead of causing a drink to be thrown in your face.
    
2. Value. This is the time you have to demonstrate what you are worth. What value can you add to your customer's life with your product?
    
3. Emotional connection. Now that you have your foot in the door, what is it that your brand and your customers have in common? Use that to create more than just an impression. Now, you want to create an emotional connection.
    
4. Call to action. Once you’ve proven yourself to your customers, the next step would be to provide them with a means to make a purchase. And the best calls to action are ones that entice a customer to act fast.
    
5. Physical connection. At this point, you’ve done everything you could to get your customer to make a purchase, and now it’s time to seal the deal. Making a physical connection translates to this very moment, and the goal is to avoid mistakes that will prevent the customer from taking your product home.

The finished product

As customers ourselves, it isn’t the most difficult task to think like one. All you need to do is know what your customers are thinking and what they’re looking for. Do some market research and find a way to understand their thoughts. Think about the feelings they would need to experience to want to buy your product.

Find a focus group comprised of people that are most likely to buy your product. Conduct qualitative research to gather information about the opinions, feelings and motivations as to why they may, or may not, purchase your product. With that knowledge, you can conceptualise a strategy that appeals to your target market in the best possible way.

The human-centred approach must be applied to every strategy and campaign. Blake Reichenbach from HubSpot gives a fantastic example as to why – “if you’re talking to a girl at the bar, and the only thing you say is “marketing”, she’s likely to avoid engaging in further conversation. However, if you had to say “I enjoy creating content that helps people get better at digital marketing”, you open yourselves up to what could be a good evening.

So, the next time you launch into your campaign, think about the value you’re providing. Think about how your customers are likely to perceive your company once your campaign has been launched. Once you have accumulated your data and aligned it with your goals, all you need is to be transparent in your execution.