Maybe this is a familiar scenario. You’ve launched your content marketing strategy but it’s not working – few fans, even fewer followers, some light traffic to your blog, and a few lonely clicks from various calls-to-action. When you listen for the response, you hear nothing but crickets. Why? Perhaps you forgot to leave your bullhorn at the door.

The world over, clients and customers today are demanding more heart. In response, a lot of brands have leapt on the “human” bandwagon. Yet some companies think simply publishing content and proclaiming to customers “you come first” is enough to humanize the brand. Launching an owned-media site or supporting a visually rich Pinterest channel does not make your brand instantly accessible and trustworthy. In too many cases, companies are just wallpapering social-media channels with old brand messages hidden behind the language of “you.”Continue Reading

When someone decides to become a customer, it’s your handshake moment to welcome them aboard. They’re filling out your online forms. Getting your emails. Reading your welcome packet. Who are you? What’s your tone? How do you talk to them in this moment? Does your brand voice sound like a real person making contact, or is the voice cold and artificial?

Recently, we worked with a global bank we’ll call Gigantor. The bank wanted to reinvent itself. They wanted “big” to feel “small.” Because banking is now mobile, Gigantor was passionate about making customers feel welcome, about making the global “conversation” more real. Here’s what came out of it.Continue Reading