3 ways to use empathic content marketing

When I say the word “empathy,” what do you associate it with?

Kindness to a family member who is having a difficult time? Supporting your partner when he’s had a bad day? However, does an example related to the company come to mind?

I guess a lot of people don’t associate “empathy” with buying or selling.

Unfortunately, many brands don’t either.

But as we move from COVID-19, empathy-based marketing isn’t just the right thing to do, your customers now expect it.

Many studies conducted during the pandemic show that people want brands to be more empathetic and aware of the long-term impact it will have on their lives.

Hopefully, you authentically and empathetically communicated with your clients during this time, and you will have to continue to do so!

So now that we’ve established that being empathetic is important, let’s define exactly what it is.

Basically, it’s about putting yourself in the shoes of your customers to serve them better. And unlike sympathy, which is feeling compassion, empathy means imagining yourself in someone else’s situation.

Examples of brand empathy

Let’s look at a real-world example: IKEA recently created a video using footage shot by employees, capturing moments at home.

By thinking like its customers, the company showed solidarity and connection during the COVID-19 crisis. -and reminded people that maybe they should fix their space.

Here are a couple of ways a small business owner could use empathic content marketing:

• Make a DIY blog or video to show people how to create something with your product. Whether it’s growing herbs, updating your wardrobe with a few key pieces, crafting or tracking your finances, this could be a good way to provide something useful to clients or social media followers who spend more time at home.

• Give a portion of your earnings or donate products to a charitable cause. During the pandemic, one of our clients, Malarys, was very active in the community, donating various masks to healthcare workers. People will search for brands to continue these post-pandemic charitable efforts.

No matter how you approach empathy-based marketing, make sure you offer something of value to your audience.

According to 2019 Forrester research, 65% of consumers say they are already getting too much material from marketers, and almost that many believe they are getting useless content.

Being empathetic is not your excuse to sell fake stuff or lose sight of giving people a real solution.

How to use empathy to improve marketing

1. Take advantage of emotional triggers.

Yes, your product or service offers buyers a solution, but that’s the logical side of the equation. That emotions drive the behavior of your customers?

For example, one of our clients offers financial therapy services. Rather than focus only on numbers and figures, Wendy Wright dives deeper into the why of financial decision making.

He talks about his past struggles with money and the importance of looking at finances with “compassionate curiosity” to empathize with his clients, who are often ashamed or anxious about debt or savings.

2. Listen to your customers

A 2018 study by M&C Saatchi looked at how well 34,000 customers’ actual experiences with the brands aligned with their promises. They found that 18% of consumers had stopped using a brand in the past 12 months due to a broken promise.

Twenty-seven percent believe experiences are getting worse with brands, not better.

Are you meeting the quality and service that your customers deserve?

I’ve talked about this many times before, including the importance of dealing with negative customer reviews. At the core of the brand’s empathy is the way it treats its customers when they provide negative feedback.

For example, when a customer accused Airbnb and a lot of racial profiling after a reservation was denied and then accepted it after using a fake profile of a white male, Airbnb was quick to respond.

They launched their ‘Open Doors’ policy, which places any guest who feels they are being discriminated against elsewhere, be it at another Airbnb property or at a hotel.

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READ: “How to Evolve Your Business Model as Time Changes” on our website.

As we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, it is obvious that some things have changed forever. In a recent poll, 81% of Canadians agreed that the crisis will create a new normal and have a lasting impact on society.

It’s time to take a look at your marketing and assess whether it still makes sense to your target audience. I share some great tips for defining and meeting clients’ needs for their future success!

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3. Remember and respect differences.

No two customers are the same, even if they both belong to your target audience. People of different geographic locations, generations, and genders will not necessarily want the same from you.

When you’re creating your empathetic content marketing strategy, start with an in-depth investigation of the customer’s personality. A marketer defines a segment of their audience, for example, “tech-savvy millennial” or “thrifty young mom.”

To design these useful marketing tools, you can look at your demographics, survey and / or interview your customers, and listen on social media.

By developing these marketing personalities, you will have a much better idea of ​​how to reach out and engage your audience by offering them relevant content that they will appreciate receiving from you.

Most likely, you had to change your marketing strategy during the pandemic, but that does not mean that it is now working as usual again.

It is time to walk a kilometer in the place of your clients. So be nice, understand the emotional level your customer is at right now, and provide valuable content that is relevant to them, as we all do our best to move forward stronger than ever.