If we thought we were going to finally get some respite from the relentless onslaught of change that has landed in our lap over the last few years, any hope of that was quickly dashed as we grappled with a new raft of challenges that impacted at a global level as well as in our day-to-day world.
It’s like life decided to stress-test our resilience and ability to thrive as humans as we adapt to our constantly changing environment. Except the change isn’t taking place in just one domain. It’s in all of them. All the time.
Economy. Politics. Social Issues. Technology. Hybrid working. Mental Health. Burnout. Fatigue.
Our mental bandwidth has shifted as we all juggle more, feel more, and change more, it’s clear we’re in the midst of a revolution that’s changing the way we think, feel and make decisions. This means we need to do things differently for our businesses, customers and audiences as well.
People’s habits, mindsets, and purchasing behaviours have changed drastically in the last few years alone. However much we might want it to steady, in the words of Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, “the pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again”.
This pace of change is critical to factor in when thinking about how we communicate about our products or services, even ourselves, particularly in a digital environment and to a change-fatigued audience. The need to “think different,” as Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, often said, and being ultra-strategic has never been more important than it is today.
It’s important to note that this isn’t just a knee-jerk response to specific shifts such as the post-lockdown world, or the proliferation of artificial intelligence. It’s a way of thinking that’s curious, open and adaptable so that we are able to evolve as the world around us is evolving.
Traditional methods of marketing are no longer cutting it, as people’s capacity to receive and process information has diminished. With people tuning out, feeling worn-out, and becoming more selective about how they spend their time and money, and where they put their attention, the appetite and tolerance for most marketing messages has plummeted.
But here’s the good news: people are still open to connecting. They want to feel seen, heard, and supported. They’re looking for brands that can deliver that emotional connection, and who can make it easy for them to get what they want and give them an uplifting experience at the same time.
There is currently a massive shift back to a form of marketing that has a deep personal connection. And by this, I mean the creation of content and experiences that have the ability to make people feel something.
You’re likely familiar with the oft-quoted words, made famous by Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This is so true in our marketing and the way we communicate with those in our business sphere.
Right now, our collective brain is craving relief, comfort, and gentleness. We don’t want to be spoken “at” – we want to be seen, and heard, and have our feelings and mental state validated.
While there are a lot of ways to do this, and they could involve conducting research, consulting with psychologists, analysts and focus groups, the reality many brands don’t have the resources or capacity to do a deep dive into the psychological state, needs and drivers of their audience. Especially small brands and personal brands. So I like to break it down and make things super simple to understand and easy to apply.
When it comes to how our marketing and business communication make people feel – there’s a very simple filter to put over it that can give us a really good gauge: Will someone feel better after reading/watching/listening to this?
With attention fleeting and scarce, people are naturally more attracted to brands that make them feel better about themselves. It wasn’t always like this, and it may change again at some stage in the future, but right now people are craving hope, inspiration, and encouragement.
Sounds nice in theory, you may be thinking, but we’re in business, not in therapy – how do we actually do this? The answer is simpler than you may think.
Whenever you craft, create or share any business communications, stop and reflect on it for a few minutes – not just in a “proofreading” type of way, but genuinely stop, sit with it, see if you can tap into the intention behind it and the feeling it evokes, and put yourself in the shoes of the recipient, or audience.
Or as I like to say, ‘put yourself behind their screen’. Imagine them sitting at their desk behind their PC, or on the lounge on their phone, engaging with your brand, your content, with you (or your people).
What are they feeling? What are they thinking? Where is their headspace at? What else might be clamouring for their attention?
Unless you’re super relevant, clear, easy to understand and have a positive charge you’re probably going to be screened out and you’ll add to the noise.
This is the era of ultra-succinct messaging – and communication that makes people feel good.
How is what you are going to share make their life or business better? What do they need to know? What step do they need to take?
Make it ENJOYABLE.
Make it ENERGISING.
Make it EASY.
It’ll take some creativity on your part to figure out how to adapt this to your brand and business, but f you can do that as a business, and even as a person – you’ll create that meaningful connection that is the catalyst to cultivating awareness, attention and action.
The time to think different is now.
See Also: Woolley Marketing: When the winners are the losers
–
Nina Christian is a Marketing Futurist, & Global Marketing Mentor who helps people do their marketing in a more human way.
She is a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM), Life Member and Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute & AMI State Chair (Vic) and for 20 years was director of marketing agency Braveda (Winner, Best Marketing Agency, Australian Marketing Excellence Awards).
Several years ago Nina saw the world of marketing shifting – this time as people became their own brands. With this, she created a new business as a thought leader, combining her expertise in brand building with personal positioning, resulting in a breakthrough praxis known as Marketing Me® which she delivers globally to business leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs.
She is the author of the book Marketing Me: Take Charge of Your Personal Brand and Make Your Mark on the World which helps professionals who want to market themselves authentically, but don’t understand what makes them truly unique and significant or have the confidence to express their value in a way that feels good.
Being a hands-on mum of five children, Nina has developed a knack for simplifying complexity. As a result, her systems and processes are practical, accessible and impactful.