Yes, friends, it’s true: I was one of the contributors to an article titled, “25 Branding Experts Reveal the Most Important Ingredients for Creating a Great Brand Experience.”
I just reread the article, and some of the named ingredients are sure to make you groan.
Here we go: Synergy, authenticity, cohesiveness, consistency, emotion, empathy, usability, customer centricity…
Buzzwords.
And you’ve heard ’em all before, right?
What do they actually mean? I’m never quite sure. They’re almost interchangeable.
OK, since I’m poking fun at other people’s “ingredients,” what did the the great branding expert Mark Armstrong
have to say?
Are you ready for this?
My answer was: “Being human.”
Which, of course, sounds like the dumbest, most inane and unhelpful answer of all.
I was well aware of that, however, and tried to explain what I meant, as follows.
* * * * * * *
1. For starters: steer clear of buzzwords and jargon. It makes you sound pretentious and unapproachable.
It also inhibits communication because who wants to admit their ignorance and risk looking foolish by asking, “What the heck does that mean??”
2. Employ humor, especially self-deprecating humor. It humanizes a brand, and helps people relax and drop the shields we all put up against 24/7 marketing.
You don’t have to tell jokes or be a professional comedian. Humor can be as simple as a ready smile and a twinkle in your eye. It makes you likable, and it’s so much easier to do business with people you like.
3. You’re being human when your website is inviting and uncluttered, with smiling photos of you and your staff, an about page, FAQs, testimonials that vouch for your humanity and good service, and easy-to-find contact info.
