We’ve talked a lot about “humanizing your marketing” here at TINT, but have you ever thought what that even means? Well I’m here to tell you.

Marketing Then and Now

It has been a long journey for marketing. If you read our post from 2016 about the history and evolution of advertising, then you would know that marketing was far from what it is today. Marketers turned to using infomercials and lengthy print ads to convey their message.

These ads placed the product in the limelight because marketers thought this would capture their audience’s attention. They were however not very engaging and lacked emotions and genuineness. Advertisements existed solely to sell, sell, sell.

As we began to integrate technology into our everyday lives, the emergence of social media became more and more popular, allowing us to connect with our friends and family, even if they lived hundreds of miles away. As humans, we crave attention and interaction and social media makes it incredibly easy.

Brands began turning to social media influencers and affiliate programs to gain attention in the eCommerce space. Many brands are shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars for paid partnerships with influencers…but why?

Social media influencers have millions of followers because they connect and become online friends with their audience. Influencers themselves can be considered a “product” or “brand”, aiming to market themselves to the world. They’ve done so by adding an emotional aspect to their posts. Followers begin to trust and support these influencers and thus their instincts. Since 92% of people trust their family and friends’ recommendations, they tend to trust their online friend. So, when influencers recommend certain products or services to their followers, they follow.

Using user-generated content for your marketing works the same way.

What does Humanizing Your Marketing Mean?

We still have yet to answer the age old question, “what does humanizing your marketing mean?”

Influencers have done it. They’ve touched on their audiences’ emotions to gain their trust.They’ve created a relationship with their followers. They’ve added a human aspect to a non-human (or in the influencer’s case, virtual) entity. They’ve humanized themselves as a brand.

Using UGC for your marketing is much like social media influencers who use their online presence to gain followers. When you use UGC, you build an emotional connection and relationship with your customers, and eventually their trust. UGC is so powerful because it not only shows that others are enjoying your products, but that you are listening to your audience. Similarly to having conversations, people like talking about themselves and being listened to. The most likable people are those who listen. This breaks the barrier of brand and customer and forms the coveted “friendship” title.

Your customers long for and respond to their emotions. Using UGC would help connect your brand with your audience and make them feel valued. This will convert them from lead to customer to loyal friend and evangelizer.

Easily find your brand promoters’ photos and acquire rights to those photos with TINT. Schedule a demo today!