In a world that is becoming more and more digital, customers are looking for brands that they feel they can connect with. This “human” side of brands is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage, setting businesses apart from others within their market and endearing them to their loyal clientele. If you’d like to tap into this for your own business, you have to start by softening your image and showing your customers the people behind the business. Here are 3 ways to make your brand more human so you can reach and connect with more customers.

Use Social Media to its Fullest – The fact that the word “social” is right in the name should indicate what platforms like Facebook and Twitter are supposed to be used for, and they’ve opened all new doors for businesses to really connect with their customers. Don’t sell this tool short. Keep up to date on your social media profiles and use a voice that shows the human side of your business. Invite your audience to interact with you, ask and answer questions, join discussions and just be real. The more your audience can feel that human side of you, the more they’ll come to know and trust you.

Show Your Personality – Sure, the web is a great place for marketing your business, but remember to enjoy the lighter side of life too. Show your personality by adding a little humor into things like social media posts and blog articles. Customers are loyal to those businesses with whom they can relate, so show them that you’re one of them by providing them with content that is real, not just fluff and self-promotion. When you show your personality, your audience will be able to get to know you better, which will naturally lead to a trusting, loyal relationship.

Don’t Just Tell Them; Show Them – The term “a picture says a thousand words” can be applied to business marketing strategy too. In addition to leveraging social media to give your brand a more human “voice”, show your audience the people behind the brand by sharing behind the scenes pictures. Snap some pictures of your team hard at work, and also during work social functions and share them with your audience. This allows your customers and prospects to put a “face” to your brand and endears them to you and your employees.

Being successful in today’s competitive environment takes more than just establishing a brand. You have to also find a way to bring that brand alive so that your target audience can see that you’re more than just a stuffy ol’ company. They need to see the real you. By putting these three tips into action, you’ll be able to give your brand a personality, a voice and a face that will endear your customers to you and help you build the solid, loyal, long term relationships it takes to succeed.