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The best way to stand out in the market today is to give people what they want, and that is exactly the kind of approach that human to human marketing (H2H) offers.
This is a kind of marketing that promotes closer relationships, made by people and for people.
Some people might have thought that robots would dominate the future, that the population would mix with machines and that tools would replace people.
However, those who raised this hypothesis have forgotten, to say the least, that it is people who operate machines. The existence of tools is to facilitate people’s daily lives.
The marketing world is not any different. The only reason why androids could never replace humans is that they don’t build relationships.
People interact with people; people engage with people; people are important to people.
Marketing professionals have already noticed that. Recently, a new marketing model emerged in the business world.
It is considered a promise with potential for great results: the H2H, or human to human, consists of creating connections between people.
Over the past few years, marketing strategies, whether online or offline, have all been focused on the B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) segments.
In this sense, one of their shortcomings is that they did not humanize their buying and selling processes. Their only focus was to fulfill the need of the business.
H2H marketing, on the other hand, considers people and their human relations.
If you keep in mind that companies are essentially made up of people, there is no way to neglect this human touch in Digital Marketing strategies.
If you’re interested in the topic, keep on reading, and you’ll find out:
- What is human to human marketing (H2H)?
- Why is human to human marketing (H2H) important for a successful business strategy?
- How to communicate in the H2H strategy?
- Can H2H outperform B2B or B2C communication strategies?
- How can a company accommodate the H2H strategy into its marketing?
- What are the advantages of adopting the H2H strategy?
What is human to human marketing (H2H)?
As the name suggests, this is a human-centered approach to marketing. In this model, relationships between companies and customers develop based on long-term trust.
This kind of approach gives special attention to clients. More than meeting their needs, the main purpose of this kind of marketing is to ensure that the relationship has a face, an owner, and a voice that captures the brand’s essence and brings it close enough to be reliable.
Why is human to human marketing (H2H) important for a successful business strategy?
Humanizing service is important to ensure that all other marketing strategies, digital or offline, are accurate and achieve the best possible result.
Deploying this tactic is much simpler than it seems — it just requires a human to connect with another human.
In this relationship, making mistakes and testing is allowed. Every human being understands that the only way to reach successful results is by trial and error.
In this way, H2H makes this practice tolerable because it comes from common sense.
That approach is important to generate interaction between potential customers and the brand.
Through the humanization of business, empathy finds gaps so that the company can get close enough to its buyer persona to influence their decision.
How to communicate in the H2H strategy?
Be empathetic
By putting yourself in your clients’ shoes, you let them know that your company understands them. And this behavior can be a trigger to closing bigger deals and making powerful connections.
Be personal
To be personal is to be close. It is to know who your client is, their name, their wishes, and desires. It is to instruct your team to listen actively, which is crucial for this strategy’s success.
More people need to be heard. When they feel that this happens and that your company knows who they are, this relationship only grows and becomes stronger.
Be authentic
Authenticity is about saying what your client needs to hear and not what they want to hear.
Communicating with transparency will spark confidence in your client, enabling you to have frank and careful conversations so that they have the best possible customer experience.
Be inspiring
To have emotions is an inherent feature of being human. Having this in mind is a key piece to communicating with your client.
Remember that everyone is looking for things that will make them feel good.
Inspiring people goes far beyond doing something for them — it’s about giving them something that they can hold on to during turbulent times. This is how relationships evolve!
Can H2H outperform B2B or B2C communication strategies?
The H2H method can outperform B2B and B2C strategies because its reach is broader, and the results tend to appear faster.
As it creates closer business relationships, decisions can be taken more quickly than in other strategies.
It is important to emphasize that, in this approach, the quality of communication is much more important than its frequency.
Instead of sending several emails, leaving messages, or even inviting prospects to fill forms to contact specialists, the essential thing is to pay attention to the dialogue. Make it meaningful instead of just trying to show why the consumer needs your product.
How can a company accommodate the H2H strategy into its marketing?
To implement this strategy, it is necessary to break with the cultural patterns connected to B2B and B2C strategies — because they are not focused on customer behavior but on how your company behaves towards it.
Following, check out some practical tips on how to implement this model!
Have a customer-focused mindset
Make sure your purchasing decisions are made with customers in mind. Let them know that so that risks will be shared, and the deal will be more balanced.
Promote omnichannel marketing
Offering the client an omnichannel experience will give them different ways to communicate with your company, making it more accessible whenever they need it.
This shows that you’re willing to offer help and information even after their commitment to your brand.
Simplify your communication
When we talk about business, formality can be a barrier to communication. So, eliminate bureaucracy and inflexibility in speech.
A good way to do this is to use rapport. This technique leaves you and the prospect on the same level.
They will lower their guard, which will give you access to information that you probably wouldn’t have gotten in another kind of setting.
Train your team to treat customers equally
As the saying goes, you should treat people the same way you would like to be treated. For the H2H approach, this applies very well.
Think of a salesperson offering a product for themselves. Surely, they would be honest when presenting the advantages and disadvantages of what they are selling.
The human to human (H2H) strategy bases itself on honesty. Ensure that your team is attentive to details and is always ready to offer the best advice for your ideal customers.
Use tools that make humanized service effective
We know that time, for many business fronts, means money. Therefore, look for software that meets the need for agile communication. Don’t let your customer service team take more time than necessary because of inadequate infrastructure.
Be prepared to amaze your customer
Robots fulfill a very specific mission for which they have been programmed; they are limited and apathetic. However, people are not like that or don’t need to be.
People go beyond what is agreed upon, taking actions, and often making decisions for others’ welfare.
And that’s what amazes the client: being unexpectedly kind to your clients tends to give a special touch to a contractual relationship.
Be sure to keep up with the level of satisfaction of your customers
Taking preventive actions will always be much better than doing something to remedy a situation of discontent.
One of the H2H strategy goals is to make sure that the agreement is fulfilled with dedication. In this case, the client expects commitment instead of perfection, so that everything occurs within the limits of what has been agreed upon.
What are the advantages of adopting the H2H strategy?
Opportunity to be unique in the market
Nowadays, people are not used to human contact — even though it is what they want. Offering it to them is a way of providing an outstanding experience with your company.
Acquisition of loyal customers
Well served customers don’t waste time bargaining around. They are willing to pay the offered price to obtain quality and personal service.
Besides, satisfied customers become promoters of your brand — and this is the best way to advertise your company for free.
In the end, people buy from people, and no matter how complicated humans are, there will always be a way of speaking their language.
In this context, companies have the mission of exploring how and where to apply this language to sell more, strengthen their brand, and generate value to the market.
So, take our tips about human to human marketing to the practical level and make the most of this strategy, that will continue being a trend in the years to come!
If you want to learn more about human marketing, watch our recorder webinar on how content is leading the marketing rebellion!
