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The customer experience is a recurring theme in discussions on marketing, and it’s a worthy discussion topic. More often than not, however, the conversation is framed in a business-centric way, and it’s rarely human-centered.
Every day we are literally bombarded by tricks or hacks for anything & everything, magic pills promising growth and fame. There is no doubt that the digital world is an effective way to reach your customers. However, it’s important to remember that it is not the goal di per sé because marketers are architects of human-centered experiences looking at the micro experiences that people have with brands.
For this reason, I wanted to bring Mark Schaefer's Manifesto for Human-Centered Marketing (extracted from the Marketing Rebellion book), which does resonate more than ever today.
A Manifesto for Human-Centered Marketing
Stop doing what customers hate. Get out there and discover what customers love. Do that (at least).
Technology should be invisible to your customer and only used to help your company be more compassionate, receptive, fascinating, and useful.
You can’t “own” customers, a buyer’s journey, or a buyer’s journey. Claim a market space and help people belong to it.
Never intercept, never interrupt. Earn the invitation.
Be relevant, consistent, and superior. Build trust into everything you do.
Be fans of your fans. Make them the heroes of your story.
Transcend the public’s inherent mistrust of your company through relentless honesty.
Don’t be “in” the customer community. Be “of” the customer community.
Marketing is never about your “why.” It’s about your customer’s “why.”
The most human company wins.
With these mindset shifts, your brand will be able to engage with the customer in a way that they can relate to and connect with.