Humanizing Your Brand: 13 Innovative Ways to Humanize Your Brand

Let’s be honest; digital marketing is hard. Messaging and ads are delivered by algorithms that attempt to dictate trends, user attention span is short, and it can feel like a game of chance just getting customers to click. Despite the ease of connectivity in the digital realm, having a true connection with real people is where the greatest success comes from.

Consumers are bombarded with advertising messages, so ensuring your messaging is authentic is critical, whether it’s through social media marketing, content marketing, or other marketing efforts. Humanizing your brand helps you stand apart from the competition. After all, you are (presumably) human, and so are your customers, so we should stop catering only to the machines. In this blog, we’ll unpack strategies and share insights on mastering the delicate balance between commerce and compassion to make your brand more relatable, trustworthy, and successful.

So, grab your coffee, settle in, and let’s explore what it means to humanize your brand in the digital age.

What Does it Mean to Humanize Your Brand?

Humanizing your brand is just as it sounds — use a more relatable, personable communication style in customer interactions rather than “business speak” or jargon. Your brand’s personality and values should work to establish meaningful connections with your audience.

Some businesses find this a difficult ask. Trying to be personable could open up the possibility of exposing biases that deter potential customers. Others may worry it’s too relaxed to be personable and still maintain professional appearances. Businesses heavily involved in their performance online may care more about plugging in the right keywords and tactics to make the algorithms happy without thinking much about how they sound.

However, these fears and concerns can all be addressed while still adding a human touch to your digital presence. The truth is that people are more comfortable spending their money and investing their time in the individuals and companies they feel are relatable and actually there for them. Regardless of your industry, connecting with your customers on a deeper level will build meaningful relationships that lead to conversions.

Why is Humanizing Your Brand Important?

Think about the brands you work with, both personally and professionally. Who do you most enjoy, and why do you continue working with them? Odds are you feel aligned with how they operate, you feel supported by their team, or you feel like they actually appreciate your business. These are all things you can’t get from a computer. Showcasing your brand’s personality and values rather than your sales pitch creates an emotional connection that’s the key to success.

Humanizing your brand is essential for several reasons:

• Fosters a Positive Customer Experience: Adding a human touch to your brand isn’t just limited to the language you use. Prioritizing customers helps your business view processes through their lens; helping you streamline processes they need to go through from initial contact to purchase. Walking in their shoes, so to speak, creates a better customer experience. A good customer experience supports loyalty and trust. If you make your customers feel good, they’ll likely return.
• It Boosts Customer Engagement: Creating a more authentic atmosphere helps customers feel more comfortable, and the more comfortable they feel, the more likely they are to interact with what you put out into the world. Customers who are engaged with you give you useful insight into how they feel about your products, services, and brand. Sure, there’s data you can reference, but getting this feedback directly from your customer base makes it easier to grow and improve in real-time to offer them exactly what they’re looking for.
• Creates Customer Trust Loyalty: Everyone wants to attract new customers, but the real lifeblood of a business’s success is its loyal customers. When you have already created and supported that personal connection with a customer, they don’t need to hear your sales pitch on repeat or be reconvinced to purchase their products and services from you. You can support customer loyalty by remaining approachable and trustworthy. People trust other people, not companies. Customers who know they will interact with real people, not chatbots or AI, and not be left without support altogether are more likely to remain loyal.
• Sets You Apart from the Competition: At some point in your life, you’ve probably been told that your personality is what makes you unique. The same goes for your business. Using your brand’s personality and putting your values on full display creates an identity that is unique and resonates with your audience. Customers want to hear the story your brand has to tell and meet the people behind it, especially if communication happens online (it’s nice to put a face to the name).

Tips for Humanizing Your Brand

When we make new friends and build lasting relationships, we find those with similar interests and values, learn more about each other to find where we connect, and have meaningful conversations. Creating a more authentic brand personality works similarly.

1. Start With a Positive Company Culture

Your employees are one of your greatest assets in humanizing your brand personality. When you have a positive, supportive company culture, the team members become brand advocates, spreading the positivity, support, and authenticity you want to share with your audience. On your social media, share photos of fun team gatherings and events. Share any industry-related award your business wins, and highlight the team members who made it happen. Provide real insight into how your team members embody the company values daily for your customers and clients.

On your website and social media, showcase the individuals on your team. Even if you own a small business brand, you’re unlikely to work alone (people are privy to the fact that service projects are not solely completed by the founder or CEO). The individual strengths and perspectives coming together in collaboration ultimately create a successful end result.

Note: Don’t force employees to participate simply for some social media clout or to make your company appear more approachable. Instead, let the positive company culture encourage employees to become natural ambassadors for you.

2. Keep Your Tone Approachable

Everyone wants to become their industry’s leader or at least position themselves as such to their digital audience. It’s not a terrible move, as being viewed as a leader adds to your business’s credibility and helps generate quality leads. However, this does not mean that you can’t make your marketing messages more human. With the right strategy, your professional, educational, or technical content piece and still be written in a fun, caring, or engaging way. Here are a few ways to write in an approachable way:

• Be Conversational: When you are writing your content, imagine having a chat with a friend over coffee rather than delivering a speech from a podium. Keeping your tone conversational helps the content feel natural and engaging to the reader. It also fosters a sense of connection, inviting your audience to join the conversation rather than being talked at.
• Inject Personality: Don’t be afraid to let your brand’s personality shine through in your communication. Whether it’s wit, humor, or empathy, infusing your tone with personality humanizes your brand and makes it more relatable. Just be sure to stay true to your brand values and identity.

3. Speak Your Audience’s Language

Your content needs to reflect the language of your audience to create a connection. They need to be able to understand and relate to what you’re saying. Avoid using jargon or overly formal language that may have readers feeling alienated or confused. Use words and phrases that make them feel you’re talking directly with them.

One way to ensure your content isn’t overly complicated is to check the readability score. The readability score, as presented in the Flesch Reading Ease score, rates your content based on the applicable reading grade level by examining the sentence length and word complexity. Text scores fall between 1 and 100. For most general blogs and content pieces, you should aim for a score of 70 to 80, equivalent to an 8th-grade reading level and easy for average adults to read. Your goal number may be higher or lower depending on your industry and audience.

If you are not a fan of math, there are online tools, like the Hemingway Editor, that can examine your content for you. You can also search online for Flesch Reading Ease score tools to find other options (free and paid) that will work for your needs.

4. Evaluate Your Website’s About Page

If your website includes an About page (and, let’s be honest, it should), make sure it’s properly written. It should be more than just a blurb about your company’s history—take it as an opportunity to create a personal connection with your audience.

Start by telling the story of your brand—how it started, what drives you, and why you’re passionate about what you do. Share anecdotes, milestones, and challenges you’ve overcome, giving visitors a glimpse into the journey that shaped your brand’s identity.

Showcase the people on your team, from founders to team members and anyone else significant in bringing the vision to life. Include photos and brief bios that highlight their personalities, expertise, and contributions, making your brand feel more relatable and human.

Your About page is also an excellent place to highlight your brand’s values and mission. Clearly communicate what you stand for, what sets you apart, and how you strive to positively impact the world or community. This helps visitors align with your brand on a deeper level and promotes trust and loyalty.

While this may be a lot of information to include, you must keep the page concise, organized, and easy to navigate. Break up the text into short paragraphs, use headings and bullet points to highlight key points, and incorporate images or graphics to add visual interest. Pay attention to tone and language, ensuring your content is clear, engaging, and reflective of your brand’s personality.

Once you’ve got the About page how you want it, the work isn’t over. Regularly evaluate and update your About page to ensure it remains relevant, compelling, and reflective of your brand’s evolution over time.

5. Don’t Be Afraid of Humor

Laughter is a universal language and one of our first communication methods. It forms a sense of unity through groups and allows you to showcase the more relatable, human side of your brand, which also increases your company’s morale. When we see something funny or unexpected, it immediately captures our attention, and using it in your content helps you stand out from the digital “noise.” When you grab their attention, potential audiences open themselves up to be influenced and ultimately associate good feelings with your brand.

Entertaining content is one of the reasons people follow particular brands, organizations, or individuals online. One of my personal favorites? The National Park Service social media. Although they can easily get attention for environmental matters by simply posting adorable animal residents within the national parks, they have gained overwhelming engagement and attention through humorous content accompanying their imagery, from warnings of standing too close to buffalo for the perfect selfie to fun images of park rangers and relatable quips about dreading the work week.

Another brand that’s gotten a lot of attention from its humorous advertising is Dollar Shave Club. Shaving isn’t necessarily the most glamorous of topics, and for men’s products, it’s usually unnecessarily dramatic, filled with overly fit men touching their faces. Dollar Shave Club flipped this marketing tactic on its head, portraying its down-to-earth approach by tackling real-life grooming challenges with humor to create a real connection with its audience.

Although humor is a beloved tactic, there is a fine line between funny and obnoxious. Audiences like to be entertained, not pitched. The key is assuring the humor is appropriate to both the product and the customer. Even if the content doesn’t directly relate to your brand, the message can still be tied back to your brand identity in tone and delivery.

6. Focus on the Connection, Not the Sale

Our connected world has its benefits, but it also means consumers are regularly bombarded with sales pitches. Brands that prioritize building a genuine connection with their audience among all the noise are the ones that stand out and earn the long-term loyalty every business wants.

Focus on cultivating meaningful relationships with your customers rather than viewing them as mere transactions. Prioritize their needs, values, and experiences rather than push for the sale. When you shift your focus from making a sale to making a connection, you create a foundation of trust, loyalty, and mutual respect.

By prioritizing the connection, you demonstrate to your audience that you value them as individuals, not just a source of revenue. This makes it more likely that they will be loyal to your brand, refer friends, and increase your customers’ lifetime value.

7. Use Your Blog (But Do It Right)

If you have a company blog or are thinking of starting one, it’s a powerful tool you can use to humanize your brand and connect even deeper with your audience. However, it’s essential to approach it with the right intention and strategy to maximize its impact.

• Tell Compelling Stories: Use your blog as a platform to tell stories that resonate with your audience. Whether its sharing customer success stories and user-generated content, highlighting the people behind your brand, or showcasing your company’s values in action, storytelling helps create an emotional connection with your readers.
• Provide Value: Offer valuable and relevant content that addresses your audience’s needs, challenges, and interests. Ensure your blog provides readers with real value, such as educational resources, how-to guides, industry insights, or entertaining content. This positions your brand as a trusted resource and authority in your industry.
• Encourage Engagement: Foster a sense of community and interaction by encouraging comments, feedback, and social sharing on your blog posts. Respond to comments thoughtfully and engage in conversations with your audience to deepen relationships and build trust.
• Showcase Your Personality: Infuse your blog posts with your brand’s personality and voice. Let your brand’s unique characteristics shine through in your writing using humor, empathy, or authenticity. This makes it more relatable and memorable to your audience.
• Be Consistent: Consistency is key to building an engaged audience and maintaining momentum with your blog. Establish a regular posting schedule and stick to it. Whether you post weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, consistency helps keep your brand top of mind and demonstrates your commitment to providing valuable content to your audience.
• Optimize for SEO: Ensure your blog posts are optimized for search engines to maximize their visibility and reach. Conduct keyword research to identify topics and phrases relevant to your audience and incorporate them naturally into your content. This helps improve your blog’s search engine ranking and drives organic traffic to your website.

Not only can these tactics help you humanize your brand, but they can also help you increase your blog traffic, allowing you to connect with more individuals.

8. Engage With Followers

Social media has become a powerful platform for humanizing your brand and supporting authentic connections with your audience. One of the most effective ways to humanize your brand is by actively engaging with your followers on social media.

Engaging with your followers on social media allows you to build genuine relationships with them. By responding to comments, acknowledging mentions, and participating in conversations, you show your audience that you value their input and are listening to what they have to say.

Social media engagement also helps foster a sense of community among your followers. By encouraging dialogue, sharing user-generated content, and facilitating interactions between followers, you create a space where people feel connected to your brand and each other.

Engaging with your customers also helps put a face behind the logo. When you respond to comments or share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your team, you show the human side of your brand and make it more relatable to your audience.

Active engagement on social media works to build trust and loyalty with your audience. Followers see that you’re responsive, transparent, and genuinely interested in their opinions, making them more likely to trust your brand and become loyal advocates and customers. These customers also become brand advocates, enthusiastically promoting your products or services to your networks.

Being actively engaged with your followers also provides you with valuable insights into their preferences, opinions, and behaviors. Listening to what your audience is saying and responding accordingly helps you tailor your marketing efforts to meet their needs and interests better.

9. Highlight Your Team’s Individuality

Your team is the heart and soul of your brand, and showcasing their individuality can humanize your brand in a unique, compelling way. Here’s why it matters:

• Makes a Personal Connection: Introducing your team members allows your audience to connect with the faces behind your brand. Share their stories, passions, and personalities to make that personal connection.
• Showcases Authenticity: Embracing your team’s individuality demonstrates authenticity and transparency, which are essential for building trust with your audience. When you celebrate the diverse talents and perspectives within your team, you show that your brand is genuine and relatable.
• Strengthens Brand Identity: Your team members are ambassadors for your brand, and highlighting their individuality helps strengthen your brand identity. By showcasing their unique skills, interests, and contributions, you reinforce what sets your brand apart from the competition.
• Fosters a Positive Work Culture: Celebrating your team’s individuality not only benefits your external audience but also boosts morale and camaraderie within your team. When team members feel valued and appreciated for who they are, they’re more likely to feel engaged and motivated in their work.

10. Own Your Mistakes

Mistakes happen — it’s part of being human. However, how you handle them can make all the difference in how your brand is viewed.

Acknowledging and taking responsibility for your mistakes demonstrates honesty and integrity. This builds trust with your audience, showing them you’re willing to admit when things go wrong and take steps to make things right. Owning your mistakes also shows authenticity and vulnerability, which can be refreshing in a world plagued by polished corporate images. It humanizes your brand, making it more relatable and approachable to your audience.

Mistakes should be viewed as valuable learning opportunities that can help your brand grow and improve. By owning up to them and analyzing what went wrong, you can identify areas for improvement and prevent similar issues in the future. Taking steps to rectify these mistakes also shows that you value your customers’ experiences and are committed to providing excellent service. This strengthens relationships with your audience and can turn a negative experience into a positive one.

11. Use a Real Name in Emails

Email marketing can quickly become spammy and overwhelming for users, often leading to messages being left unread or deleted immediately. The goal is to stand apart from all the other messages so users actually want to read what you have to say. Using a real name instead of a generic company name can make a significant difference in how your messages are received.

Addressing recipients by their first name creates a personalized and friendly tone, making them feel valued and respected as individuals rather than just another email address on your list. It also helps create a sense of rapport and connection, laying the foundation for building stronger relationships with your audience over time. When recipients see their name in the subject line or body of the email, they’re more inclined to pay attention and engage with the content.

Using a real name rather than a company name also adds a human touch to your emails. It shows there are real people behind the emails who are genuinely interested in connecting with the recipient. Having a real name as the sender also reduces the likelihood your messages are flagged as spam. Recipients are more likely to perceive these personally addressed emails as legitimate and relevant rather than unsolicited or spammy.

12. Establish a Natural Relationship With Your Customers

Building a natural relationship with your customers is essential for long-term success, and there are several ways to make this happen:

• Listen and Understand: Take the time to listen to your customers and understand their needs, preferences, and pain points. Actively seek feedback through surveys, social media, and customer support interactions. You can tailor your products, services, and marketing efforts by listening attentively to better meet their needs.
• Be Authentic: As previously discussed, authenticity is key to building genuine customer relationships. Be transparent about who you are and how you can help them. Avoid overly salesy or manipulative tactics and focus more on being honest, genuine, and empathetic in each interaction.
• Provide Value: Focus on providing real value to your customers at every touchpoint. Whether through helpful content, exceptional customer service, or innovative products and services, strive to impact their lives positively. When existing customers feel valued when interacting with your brand, they’re more likely to trust you and remain loyal.
• Communicate Consistently: Stay in touch with your customers regularly, but avoid being overly communicative with irrelevant or excessive communication. Find the right balance by providing timely updates, helpful tips, and exclusive offers that are genuinely useful and interesting to them.
• Build Rapport: Take the time to build rapport with your customers and foster a sense of connection. Address them by name, remember their preferences, and engage in meaningful conversations. By treating them as individuals rather than just numbers, you show that you value and respect them as people.
• Go the Extra Mile: Surprise and delight your customers by going above and beyond their expectations. You can leave a lasting impression by offering personalized recommendations, sending handwritten thank-you notes, or resolving issues promptly and empathetically.

13. Use the 5:3:2 Rule in Social Media Marketing Efforts

When it comes to social sharing, you need to be confident you’re striking the right balance. Enter the 5:3:2 rule. This rule states that for every 10 posts:

• 5 should be curated content (content from other sources that are relevant to your audience)
• 3 should be created (content you’ve created that is relevant to your audience)
• 2 should be humanized (personal, fun content that humanizes your brand to your audience)

Concentrating on the two humanization posts, which are too often forgotten, companies have an opportunity to connect with larger, diverse markets. Scroll through your personal social media sites such as Instagram, X, and Pinterest. It is more likely than not that you scrolled by a post that has nothing to do with your personal interest, career, or hobbies, but you still stopped scrolling and laughed at that baby goat doing parkour on other baby goats. Why?

It’s your time to make a move.

At a time when digital noise has become louder than ever and advertising feels impersonal, humanizing your brand has become critical. From storytelling and community engagement to authenticity and empathy, humanizing is about more than just marketing — it’s about building genuine relationships based on trust, respect, and understanding.

Don’t be afraid to step out of the advertising comfort zone. Staying in the status quo may have you missing out on opportunities or worse… make your business irrelevant.

Thanks to our decades of experience, Timmermann Group knows what marketing content works and what doesn’t. We’re also pretty relatable, fun people. If you need help creating engaging, humorous, and memorable content, get in touch with us today.