It’s often been said that people don’t do business with companies – they do business with other people. Even if we do choose to patronize a particular company, our experience is shaped by the people representing that company. From the sales rep who handles your account to the cashier at the grocery store, all of those folks contribute to your impressions and satisfaction.
But when it comes to marketing messages and communications tools, many companies work very hard to dehumanize everything they do. They excise every personal touch and little insight. They file away at anything that could be seen as a human emotion or imperfection. After all, something from a business must be completely businesslike, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong, in fact. Those individual, human, personal touches are what differentiate one company from the next. Ask the average shopper why he or she prefers a particular store and you might hear mention of products or price, but the real emotional connection is with the people.
So don’t be so quick to remove the personal asides from your newsletter articles, or the cute photos from your ads. If those things provide insight into what makes your company unique and celebrate what your people bring to it, celebrate them! Call attention to them!