People with sparkling, engaging personalities are more likely to have a large social group and be well-liked. The same principle applies to companies and brands that want to stand out in a crowded marketplace. An interesting and multifaceted brand personality is more appealing to today’s consumer than a generic corporation.
According to HubSpot, brand personality helps consumers relate to certain brands that mirror the characteristics they value most. Buyers will also go out of their way to connect with certain brands that demonstrate characteristics they hope to develop.
In his book, Market Like a Human, our founder Dustin Brackett devotes a chapter to personality and how brands can identify and emphasize their own. Determining the core facets of your company’s personality and showcasing them is one of the pillars of his strategy to make marketing more human and authentic.
How Do You Develop a Brand Personality?
Finding the right personality for your brand can take time as you develop the story and tone you want to take in your communications. If you don’t know where to start, try looking over the assets you already have. Which content pieces have resonated with your audience? How can you take the same tone in new pieces?
Another way to develop your brand’s voice is by including the key players who make your company successful. Take inspiration from your team members and the things that make them unique to infuse your company with an authentic voice. Incorporating your team and their unique voices or personalities can make your brand voice distinct from your competitors.
Once you have a clear idea of how you want the brand to come across, you can start infusing this unique voice into your blogs and social media. Here are a few ways that you can start to highlight your company’s personality in your marketing materials, social media posts, and advertising campaigns.
Be Authentic and Unique
Before the arrival of Twitter, most of us thought that Wendy’s mascot was an all-American redhead with a gentle spirit. Then the brand got online and showed us the true face of Dave’s daughter: a savage roast master who loves to instigate a fight with McDonalds, Burger King, and pretty much anyone brave enough to mention them. Wendy isn’t afraid to say what we’re all thinking, and the approach has led to admiration and respect from the online community.
Of course, some businesses don’t want to be as aggressive as the redhead queen of Twitter, but you can still show some personality and highlight the knowledge your brand possesses. You don’t have to try to roast your competitors on Twitter to create a brand personality. No one expects brands with a more authoritative or serious voice to taunt their competitors on Twitter.
Your business might have a calmer, more down-to-earth voice. The point is to move away from generic, canned responses to more real, engaging interactions with your followers that make them excited to hear from you.
Have a Sense of Humor
From a gentle giggle to a belly-shaking chuckle, the feeling and sound of laughter doesn’t just make you feel happy, it also creates a positive association with the thing or person that made you laugh. It can be intimidating trying to bring a humorous tone to your social media posts or website copy, but remember, you don’t have to be a stand-up comedian to make the people that follow your brand smile. People like all forms of humor, including dad jokes, puns, and wordplay.
Empathize with Your Audience
Consumers don’t just like funny brands that go after their competitors. They also relate to brands that show empathy and do things to help them, even if those things don’t directly result in a sale. By digging into your customer's pain points and reaching out to them with a solution or some sympathy, your brand becomes more than a corporation.
At the height of the covid pandemic, workout and meditation apps made some of their content free to help followers stay sane in a difficult time. This helped followers see the companies as helpful and sympathetic during what was a challenging time for them, creating a trust that can last long after the free access is over.
Moving away from the old approach to marketing and connecting in a more real, authentic way with consumers is a process that takes time and practice. To learn more about personality and the other pillars that can help your business connect with your customers, get your copy of Market Like a Human today from Amazon or wherever books are sold. It’s packed with real insights and tips from Dustin’s real world experience as a marketer and CEO.
