No, we’re not looking at the differences between AI-powered solutions and human interactions — although that’s certainly a point for great discussion. Marketing for humans means looking beyond the labels of “B2B marketing” or “B2C advertising,” and exploring what really makes people click, get more info, and ultimately buy a product or service. No matter where you are in business, you’re marketing to human beings — with desires, goals, and fears that many others share. How can companies create a marketing strategy that transcends boundaries and business types, and simply creates meaningful connections with potential customers and stakeholders?

From Software to Soda: Finding a Connection

Think about your favorite brands. Which of them have marketing campaigns that stick in your mind? Maybe it’s your top soda brand that focuses on fun and freedom. Maybe it’s a tech company that highlights simplicity and excellence. The one thing they will all have in common is that you feel you connect to them on some emotional level. They’re not just useful; they make a meaningful difference in your life, and engaging with those brands gives you a positive emotional response ranging from happy, to satisfied, to feeling useful.

How do we know this? Neuroscience. Research shows that marketing campaigns, particularly advertising schemes, that focus on emotional content perform almost twice as well as those that only contain rational or logical, linear content. While key facts and figures are impactful, they don’t stay with consumers in the same way feelings do.

Great brands hardwire this emotional connection into their entire brand identity and messaging strategy. For example, Coca-Cola focuses on happiness and fun throughout its entire brand and in every marketing campaign, while the Always #LikeAGirl campaign focuses on anger and determination, taking back a phrase previously seen as an insult. Discovering an emotional hook can be as simple as thinking about how your product or app will change the world for the better. Who will benefit from it, and how? Answering these questions is the first step on the road to human marketing.

B2B Is the New B2C

With the rise in hybrid work environments and more people than ever working from home, the ecosystems of the workplace and the personal space have begun to truly merge into one. Business customers are buying business software, apps, and hardware from the comfort of their own homes. Why is this relevant? Because the lines between business and consumer marketing are not just blurred — they’re barely there anymore. User experience is key — as we’ll see below.

Business users’ expectations are transforming. There’s no longer a desire for gray, “professional” seeming apps. Businesses want to be as excited by their software and systems as their users are about theirs. Marketing experts can take advantage of this by exploring business pain points in more individual-based terms, marketing business products to the users as well as the enterprise as a whole.

Experience Is Everything

We’re not talking about the experience of your marketing team or fractional CMO — although, of course, that’s vital too! What we mean here is the overall experience for the customer or anyone else who interacts with your brand. To put it in simple terms, how does engaging with your brand feel? Is it easy? Complicated? Time-consuming? Fun? User experience (UX) is a key factor when consumers, B2B or otherwise, decide which brands to continue engaging with.

Tech Jury reports that 90% of users will absolutely stop using an app if it doesn’t meet their performance expectations, yet 74% of users will come back if the UX is good, particularly on mobile devices. Focusing on how your users interact with your brand is a key part of your marketing strategy — and one that a marketer with experience across a range of tech industries can discuss with you to ensure you’re capitalizing on this.

Final Word

Marketing is about attracting individuals with their own hopes and goals, and making them trust your product or brand more than any other in the same market. By understanding how to build an emotional connection with your audience, you can take your marketing strategy to the next level. If you need support exploring the more human side of effective marketing, book a 15-minute introductory call with our team at Arch Collective who can talk you through working with a fractional CMO or other expert options.

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