We used to divide the business worlds in 2 categories: Business to Business or B2B and Business to Consumers or B2C.
Social Media has disrupted this dichotomy, and we are now walking into the Human to Human era or H2H.
World leaders themselves have taken on Social media to address entire nations, talking to people directly, “human to human”. This is what French President Emmanuel Macron did when he addressed the American people directly, breaking the protocol, during its first state visit of the Trump administration in April 2018, criticizing openly the isolationism that Trump was implementing.
What are you waiting to do the same for your business?
If you think that your business is targeting banks for example and therefore do not need Facebook, think again.
Banks are made of managers, top executives, clerks, officers, all of them are people.
These people are social beings, who want to create report, who crave relationships, who want to learn, who want to be included.
Social Media is the bridge that can help you to connect to them.
If LinkedIn might be the first social media platform you are thinking of, then you are absolutely right. LinkedIn is the number 1 platform for professionals. The can network, they can chat directly to a prospect or to a future employer.
Do not discount Facebook though, as professionals are also found on Facebook, as they rely on that specific social media to educate themselves and entertain themselves.
To put thing in perspective, let’s look at a few key findings from a study “Welcome to the Human-to-Human Era” from Sendoso which surveyed 750 full-time marketing, sales and success decision makers in February 2021, in the US.
91% of respondents said that they believe building a human connection with their buyers has become more important to closing sales since March 2020.
More, in 2020, companies engaged buyers and customers, using these H2H tactics received a positive response:
- Engaged in more personal conversations with buyers/customers — 69%
- Checked in on buyers/customers for non-business reasons — 57%
- Personalized outreach based on buyer/customer interests — 51%
- Share more info about our lives and experiences with buyers/customers — 48%
- Publicly addressed certain social issues — 44%
Still, marketers face challenges to implement an H2H strategy, due to the following factors:
- Lack of budget/resources — 39%
- Company never considered human approach — 29%
- Fear of losing buyers/customers — 28%
- Resistance from company leadership — 27%
- Resistance from fellow company colleagues — 11%
As a business owner, as a marketer, you have to understand the power of Social Media and leverage it to make a true connection to your audience, a personal one. Make it relevant, authentic, be a person talking to another person.
The H2H era is on its way. Will you join the wave?