How to be an Empathetic Marketer

The best marketers and communicators know that the way to sell is to put themselves in the shoes of their target audiences. The thing is, this doesn’t come naturally to everyone!

Far too often, we assume that we know what our audiences want because they’re probably a lot like us. But that’s a critical mistake. To truly understand our audiences, we need to work on being more empathetic, or trying to understand their feelings, without bringing our own biases into it.

As the American Marketing Association says (emphasis ours), “The best empathetic practices aren’t all that different from choosing the perfect birthday gift for a loved one: Think less about what you would want and more about how it would make the recipient feel.” And, we’ll add, whether it’s a birthday or a marketing campaign, don’t assume you understand; spend time making sure.

Here are some quick tips for brushing up on your empathy skills, so you can build stronger relationships with your customers and supporters.

Spend time learning about your audience’s motivations and habits.

If you’re a longtime reader, you’ve seen our posts on Customer Discovery before. But if the term is new to you, here’s the quick definition: Customer Discovery is the process of talking (actually talking!) to potential customers and getting to know their needs and habits.

We are big believers in actually talking to your target customers, with the sole goal of learning about them… not selling. You need to understand not only what your customers need, but how they feel when they interact with your product, your content, and your brand. Are they coming to you for something fun or something practical? Are they on your website because they’re anxious about something, or because they’re excited?

As Moz details here, it’s a good idea to “update your buyer personas to reflect the new realities your customers are experiencing,” especially mid-pandemic. Think about (or, even better, ASK) what your particular audience might be facing right now, and how those challenges might be making them feel.

They could be stressed about balancing family and work, lonely because they haven’t seen their friends, or overwhelmed by the news. They might be feeling all of those things! Or they might be feeling entirely differently; you won’t know until you ask.

Once you do know, come up with some thoughtful ways to help your customers out, whether that’s offering something for free or creating content they’d really enjoy. Sometimes it’s not about finding something else to sell; in a tough time, it can be enough just to say, “We’re here for you.”

Be a brand that your audience can trust.

Ever heard of the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: In Brands We Trust? This was a fascinating research study conducted across eight countries, analyzing consumers across a wide swath of demographics and finding out how they felt about the brands they interact with every day. It found that:

• Just one-in-three respondents said that they trust most of the brands they buy and use.

• Trust in a brand ranks above good reviews, reputation, or even brand values as what consumers prioritize in their buying decisions.

• 56% of consumers think brands use societal issues as marketing ploys to sell more.

Check out the full study here, and ask yourself if your brand is really trustworthy. You can easily stand out from your competitors by being a brand that consumers actually like! And that counts for more than being the cheaper brand or the bigger brand.

Connect before and after you sell.

We recently experienced this with a company that we will happily give a shout-out to: UMBUZÖ, a family-owned furniture shop in Florida selling gorgeous tables and desks made from reclaimed wood.

We ordered a customized table over a year ago, and they worked with us carefully to make sure it was the style and stain we wanted. It was a great experience, but, honestly, something we’d expect from any good furniture company making a sale. They were nice, the purchase was easy, and that was that.

After receiving a beautiful table, we discovered it had some warping issues over time, so we reached back out to the company to ask for a replacement. This is where it got interesting!

A different company might have passed us off to multiple, random “customer service specialists” or made us go through some automated system. We sent a single email, and their manager Tiffany immediately went above and beyond to address our problem with incredibly-responsive and personal email outreach, thoughtful and proactive questions, and a friendly tone that makes us feel like she genuinely cares. Because… she does!

This is a company we are happy to recommend to anyone, even if we had some problems, because of this human-to-human connection. As people, we appreciate this kind of kindness and helpfulness; as marketers, we understand the incredible value of an experience like this to the company overall. Treat your customers like real people, and you’ll reap the benefits through repeat purchases, referrals, and gushing blog posts like this one! Plus, it’s just the right thing to do.