What does the savvy consumer want in 2020? A human connection. We see it all the time. People simply want to reach out and know that there is a person behind the algorithm, the screen, the click funnel that is trying to sell them something. All of this means that your brand needs to foster that human connection in order to get a foothold in 2020. 

The overarching theme of branding trends that we’re seeing for 2020 is human connection. From the way companies are interacting with people through to visual representation, it’s there. Below we’re sharing four branding trends that you can incorporate into your plans to better connect with your audience. 

Brands with a Human Side Will Attract More 

Long gone are the days of having to decide for ourselves. Technology has made the recommendation and selection process easy…algorithms learn from us as a whole and as individuals to present us with options that we are seemingly supposed to like. But doesn’t this get a little tiring? Especially when those recommendations don’t come with influence and commentary by a real person, regardless if you know them or not?? 

Brands that consistently have a human touch to them will resonate more than brands who rely on automation, algorithms, and all things tech to reach their audience. As stated in this article, “We relish the messy reality of another’s taste and a trusted personal connection. We don’t just want correlations – we want a why, a narrative, which machines can’t provide.” 

What does this mean? Be you. Be authentic. Be accessible. Don’t be afraid to connect with your audience in real-time and in-real life to have real conversations with them. 

Tell Your Brand Story 

People love a good story. For centuries, the orator has been the one who carries forth history, legends, and tales that have spurred human connection and imagination. When it comes to talking about your brand, product, service or anything to do with your business, when you can create a narrative that evokes, you’ll create messaging that resonates with your audience.  

Customers relate to stories. It helps them understand and see the context of how who you are and what you do fits in with who and what they are. 

If you haven’t caught this on our social media feed, we are big fans of Donald Miller and his book Building a StoryBrand. He shares terrific content about how to effectively communicate with a story model that aligns with your values and culture, allowing you to build a stronger human connection and gain the trust of your audience base. We recommend giving his book a read.

Online Communities Will Continue to Grow 

Sometimes it seems like everyone and their sister has an online community that they want you to join. Whether that community is run by a mom as a hobby or a big corporation hosting a community over a shared interest where they can happily promote their products to a dedicated audience (ie think Sephora and their Beauty Insider Community), online communities have the opportunity to bring value in a way that your business profile can’t. 

Brands can give extra value and add that human touch by creating and managing an online community for their audience. The trick, however, is to make sure that you are meeting the needs and interests of your community. According to Amy Porterfield, engagement in your community is the number one metric of your success. Listen to her podcast here to gain some valuable insights on how to nurture your community and build engagement.   

Serve Your Offline Community

Yes. Get offline. Build that online community and direct them to get offline to connect in real life. Nothing quite beats the experience of coming together with a group of people who have a shared common interest, meeting one of our greatest human psychological needs: human connection. 

Technology is a terrific tool that allows people to find each other and connect. We get to interact and meet people that we would never be able to achieve on our own. But the screen that sits between us is a barrier to real human interaction. Acknowledge how much people need each other, to spend some face-to-face time with each other, and to simply savour the presence of another. We’re seeing an emergence of next generation social networking tools like Pod that leverage technology to connect people and encourage them to ditch the phone and meet up in real life. 

What can you do? Attend events, create events, host meet-ups, conduct workshops and seminars…pretty much anything that will get you out there in front of your people where you can have an in-person shared experience. 

Don’t let tech tools and trends fool you this year. People want people. People want to know you, like you, and trust you. Amplifying your human side in your brand will help make that happen. 

Your brand matters. If boosting your brand in 2020 is critical to you, let’s chat! We’d love to explore with you how you can build a deeper understanding of your brand value and communicate it to your audience!