How to Make Your Brand More Personable
01/04/2021 | Share:
If you’ve got a small e-commerce business and you’re looking to grow, one of the best things you can do is be more personable. A pleasing appearance can enhance the perception of your brand, making it more relatable and attractive to customers. This can be hard to do over the internet, as unlike a brick and mortar store, you don’t interact with your customers personally. Letting customers know there is a real human being at the other end of their online order enriches the customer experience overall and can do wonders for your business. In this blog post, we’re going to cover some of the things you can do yourself to add some personal touches to your e-commerce business.
Understanding Personable Brands
A personable brand is one that exudes a warm and welcoming personality, making customers feel comfortable and valued. Just like a personable young man or woman, a personable brand is approachable, courteous, and responsive to the needs of its audience. It’s not just about being charming or agreeable; it’s about being honest, transparent, and empathetic in interactions with customers.
A personable brand is built on a foundation of strong values and a clear mission, which guides its behaviour and decision-making. It’s a brand that is relatable, amiable, and engaging, making customers feel like they’re part of a community rather than just a transaction. This approachability and genuine personality help in creating a lasting bond with customers, making them feel appreciated and understood.
Say “thank you”!
Saying thank you as a business is a beautiful thing and luckily is very easy to do. Showing gratitude through gestures demonstrates empathy and strengthens customer relationships. By making grateful gestures you can really make someone’s day. Gestures such as thank you notes or throwing in a freebie to a long-standing and loyal customer are some great and relatively inexpensive examples. It’s these unexpected gestures that surprise people in such a great way and generate positive energy around your brand. Remember, it’s not necessarily the monetary value that matters but the gesture itself. It has to come from a genuine sense of gratitude.
Get Social
Another method of being more personable is by showing it through your social media content. Sharing content on social media that isn’t always about sales or promotions will really improve your approachability. Content with people and faces has been proven to result in better engagement by many different sources. People find it much easier to connect with faces and their emotions and by including people and faces from your own business, you’ll create a much better connection with your customers. Why not try making your next few social posts like this and see the difference?
You can also go one step further and share your customer’s content on social media. If someone shares their experience with your brand in a photo or a video, share it on social media to build that connection with them for all to see.
Build a Tone of Voice
If you want to build a stronger, more personable connection with your brand, your tone of voice needs to reflect a personable manner. By researching your audience and attracting people who share the same ethos, you can create an authentic tone of voice that appears to speak directly to your customers. If it makes sense to do so, you should also ensure you show your fun side from time to time. When your content can make people feel like they’re part of the family or tribe, they develop a stronger connection to your brand.
Share Business Stories with Positive Emotions
One of the things a lot of businesses don’t do is acknowledge the fact that they’re a business, with real people working behind the scenes. Now and again, you should remind your customers or followers that this is the case. If you’ve got a story to share that’s relevant, you’ll show everyone how relatable your business is. For example, you could show them how products are made or even what the team gets up to outside of work. Just like your customers, the people behind the brand are all human beings. Don’t be afraid to show that from time to time.
Sharing stories about a personable woman in your team can make your brand more relatable.
Another thing you can do is share employee accomplishments. If an employee has done something great (whether it’s for the company or not), then let the world know! Maybe they kept operations running whilst at home looking after the kids or they raised money for charity. Not only will it make your employees feel valued and appreciated for their work, but it will also show your customers what a great employee you are.
Respond Promptly to Reviews
Something else which helps build a great personal connection between you and your customers is responding to reviews. A very personable young man would respond to reviews with genuine care and attention. Whether a customer leaves a positive or negative review, it’s important that you do your best to respond.
Saying thank you or addressing a complaint shows that your business cares about its customers. Since most reviews are public, it also gives potential customers reading them some insight into what to expect when dealing with your business. If they can see that you’re a personable brand with people who really care, they’ll have a much better first impression of you.
Be Genuine and Approachable
Behind all of this, you have to be genuine. Customers will be able to tell whether you genuinely care about the connection with them or not. You need to make sure that this sincerity is the same across all aspects of your business, including your customer service so that the connection you’ve tried so hard to build isn’t damaged.
Measuring Personability
Measuring personability can be a subjective task, but there are several key metrics that can help brands gauge their level of personability. These include:
- Customer satisfaction ratings: How happy are customers with their interactions with the brand? High satisfaction ratings indicate that customers feel valued and well-treated.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): How likely are customers to recommend the brand to others? A high NPS suggests that customers have positive emotions towards the brand and are willing to advocate for it.
- Social media engagement: How responsive is the brand to customer inquiries and comments on social media? Active engagement shows that the brand is approachable and values customer interaction.
- Customer retention rates: How well does the brand retain customers over time? High retention rates indicate that customers feel a strong connection to the brand.
- Employee engagement: How happy and engaged are employees, and how does this impact their interactions with customers? Engaged employees are more likely to provide courteous and personable service, enhancing the overall customer experience.
By tracking these metrics, brands can get a sense of how personable they are and identify areas for improvement.
The Power of a Personable Brand
A personable brand has the power to build strong, lasting relationships with customers, drive loyalty and retention, and ultimately, drive business growth. When customers feel like they’re interacting with a real person, rather than a faceless corporation, they’re more likely to trust the brand and become loyal advocates.
A personable brand can also differentiate itself from competitors, creating a unique and memorable brand identity that sets it apart in a crowded market. By being approachable, courteous, and responsive, a personable brand can create a positive emotional connection with customers, driving positive emotions and loyalty. This emotional bond is crucial in fostering long-term relationships and encouraging repeat business.
Putting it all Together
Building a personable brand requires a combination of strategy, creativity, and a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences. It’s about creating a brand that is relatable, amiable, and engaging, and that makes customers feel valued and respected.
By incorporating personable traits into their brand identity, businesses can create a strong foundation for building lasting relationships with customers. This includes being honest, transparent, and empathetic in interactions with customers, and being responsive to their needs and preferences.
Ultimately, a personable brand is one that is built on a foundation of strong values and a clear mission, and that is guided by a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences. By putting the customer at the forefront of everything they do, businesses can create a personable brand that drives loyalty, retention, and growth.
