Nowadays the traditional sales strategies won’t work as the consumers are more aware of the brands they use and search about the product online before purchase. They want to develop trust with the brand rather than buying a random product through a salesperson. This new mindset of the consumers is where the importance of empathy in marketing comes in.
As marketers, our main focus is to increase sales, and while that ought to be the case, sometimes our communication to the consumers may be more of directing them to a product rather than leading them to it.
Nowadays consumers are more focused and attached to brands that do more social activities other than their regular CSR activities. And these activities are marketed by the company because empathy-based marketing isn’t just the right thing to do but it is expected to form the brand by the consumers.
Kindness, supportive nature are all part of the human nature, and activities related to this kind of emotions tends to stick with consumers. Empathy based marketing is even more important in theses pandemic times.
Many studies done recently amid the pandemic has shown that people want brands to be more empathetic and aware of the impact it will have on their lives.
Some of the ways where a business owner can use empathy in their marketing are:
- Make a video to show consumers how to create something using their product. This could be a good way to provide something useful to customers or social media followers who are spending more time at home.
- Give a portion of your proceeds or donate products to a charitable cause. E.g. Donating several face masks to health workers. People are going to be looking to brands to continue these charitable efforts post-pandemic.
- Listen to what the customer needs and reply to them through social media platforms.
- Remember that each customer is unique in their ways even if they both fall into your target audience. People from different geographic locations, generations, and genders aren’t all going to necessarily want the same thing from you.
It does not matter how you approach empathy-based marketing, make sure you’re offering something of value to your audience so that they are more personally attached to the brand.
