Humanize Your Brand: Marketing Your Technology Business With Human Touch





Manage your expectations

Most, if not all companies, know how important managing the expectations of their customers are. It makes customers happy which, in turn, increases sales. The sad reality, however, is all the strategies for management expectation barely gets done.

Are they difficult? No, but they can be challenging because it requires a change in whatever wrong you’re doing in your marketing strategies.

Managing expectations has primarily three essential components – provide more solutions, be transparent, and provide clear timelines. These simple components are what give your marketing solution a human touch.

Now, expectation management does not start when you negotiate the purchase. It begins at the very touchpoint – on your landing page, when you reach out to your clients first, and even when clients are talking to your customer service support.

When everything is evident at the beginning, especially the pricing, your customer will trust you. And that can translate into sales.

Related: Becoming an Online Entrepreneur: The Expectations vs. The Reality


Tell better stories

Stories are an integral part of culture and society. People connect through stories. People relate to stories. In other words, stories give your marketing a human touch.

Stories are abundant, even clickbait advertising has a story. Your competitors also have their stories to tell. Your challenge, therefore, is to create better stories. Observe great and long-lasting brands – what kind of stories do they show?

These stories usually provide a solution to their target audience’s pain point, an idea that impacts the lives of their clients, or simply showing your client an exciting side of your business or company.

What kind of story do you want to tell? Better yet, how do you want to consume information? Use this to tell a compelling story packed with emotion.

Related: A Complete Cheat Sheet to Social Media Branding for Consulting Firms


Create a contrast

What makes an exciting story? One which has conflict or contrast.

Not only are these stories exciting but they also stick to your brain. That’s because it affirms what people are already thinking in their minds. Your clients or customers might have liked your product already, but they still have reservations in their minds. Contrast allows you to reframe any objectionable element in your product, such as price or product features that might be unclear to them, so that your audience will proceed to purchase your product.

If you don’t believe that, consider this example:

A person who has plans to go on vacation to a tropical island might be dreaming of getting a tan and reclining on a lounge chair, sipping some piña colada, and reading their favorite book. However, that might change if he or she learns the statistic saying that falling coconuts kill 150 people each year than shark attacks.

One SaaS company that has nailed this strategy is Miva. They created contrast by talking how downtimes happen every time there’s a software update. They used that pain point and created a difference by saying that they don’t break on upgrades.

By creating contrast, they show their difference from their competitors.


Make your product appeal to humans

Even if you are a tech company, you are still selling and talking to humans. Thus, it makes sense to give your marketing solution a human touch. You might be offering to solve a technical problem, but you don’t need to sound like a robot.

Humanizing your brand is very simple – think about how you interact or talk to your friends. If you notice, each of you has their unique voice. The same goes true when you communicate with your customer. Find your unique voice and maintain it when talking to your customers and prospects.

Another way of creating a human touch to your strategy is by putting a spotlight on your employees. It tells your audience that they are dealing with humans, who grow the brand. Do this by sharing stories with your employees or sharing the story of an employee on social media. Not only will it humanize your company but it will also boost the morale of your employees.


It’s not easy to market your product

The tips given above should guide you towards making a more thoughtful marketing campaign.

Why thoughtful and not successful?

A thoughtful marketing campaign builds trust as people realize you understand them and their pain points.

Eventually, you will increase your ROI rate as they trust you more and more.


Author Bio:

Judy Caroll




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#1: Malaysia Airlines: Bucket List

Still reeling from two tragic disasters in 2014, Malaysian Airlines tried to make it three in a row by launching a promo called “My Ultimate Bucket List Contest”.

Worst Branding Failures

If  you recall, more than 500 people perished when two of Malaysian Airlines’ planes crashed within months of each other. One disappeared midflight on the way to China, while the other was allegedly shot down flying over Ukraine.

Now the genius who came up with Malaysian Airlines’ “Bucket List” contest has a lot of explaining to do (Not if he’s been fire already. In that case, good luck looking for another job in marketing.) In a competition, the airline asked their customers to answer the question “What and where would you like to tick off on your bucket list, and explain why?” The competition was open to participants in New Zealand and Australia, who would be eligible to win iPads or economy class tickets on the airlines.

While it would have been brilliant under normal circumstances, the company’s recent history is far from normal. The marketing genius who came up with the ploy might have been too excited about the promo he/she forgot to take into consideration the fact that a “bucket list” is nothing more than a list of things people want to do before they die. Needless to say, the campaign reeked of a lack of sensitivity, empathy, and plain common sense. Fortunately, the promo was changed to something like a “to-do list” not long after it was launched.

Related: What Marketing Lessons We could get in Steve Harvey’s Gaffe at Miss Universe

#2: Coors Rocky Mountain Spring Water

Worst Branding Failures

It’s just not wise to sell a non-alcoholic version of one of the most recognizable beer brands in the US, if not in the world. And yet, somebody from Coors was able to convince somebody that it might actually work. So out came the *drum roll* Coors Rocky Mountain Spring Water!

According to the company itself, Coors has brewed its iconic American lager with Rocky Mountain spring water since 1873. Even if it’s 100% true, it doesn’t mean it will translate to revenue once you remove the alcohol from the spring water. No, it doesn’t.  Apparently, the customers were so used to the alcohol in Coors they just couldn’t accept other flavors like lemon-lime and cherry.

#3: American Airlines Fly First Class Free Forever

Worst Branding Failures

Because of the stiff competition in the airline industry, American Airlines decided to up the ante: target customers with money to burn. So in 1981, American Airlines unveiled a special offering: for just *choke* $250,000, privileged customers get to fly first class for the rest of their lives. And that’s unlimited – meaning the customers can fly as often as they want. And not just that. For an extra $150,000, they could bring anybody along — family member, friend, colleague, even a stranger. Great, right? For the customer, yes.

For American Airlines, it sounded like a brilliant marketing magnet, until they realized they lacked foresight. Remember, a first-class ticket isn’t inexpensive, and some people had the brains to use the special American Airlines pass as often as their health permitted to, uhm, have a quick ROI.

For example, there was a guy who flew to London 16 times. In one month! It’s like waking up in the morning and you got bored and decided to have breakfast in near Buckingham at 9:30, maybe have lunch in Amsterdam at 1 pm, fly to Paris for dinner and return to New York just before bedtime. Sweet.

Soon, the company had enough. Research showed there were customers who literally used up a million dollars in free airfare every single year. After more than a decade, it stopped the promo. No reports came out as to how much profit AA gained from the promo.

#4: Pepsi’s Grave Mistake

Worst Branding Failures

If competition on the airline industry was stiff, it was cutthroat in the carbonated beverage industry. You’re familiar with the Cola Wars, right? In a move that Pepsi Co. hoped would widen its global reach, it expanded to – where else? – China. However, when Pepsi went into the Chinese market, they failed to do their research on the meaning of their slogan, which at that time was, “Pepsi brings you back to life”. Apparently, the English and Chinese languages aren’t a perfect fit when translations are done, and so Pepsi’s cool slogan, when translated to Mandarin said something like, “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave”.  It was so bad even if it were a Halloween promo, the Chinese customers still wouldn’t get a Pepsi. Unless it’s free.

Related: Why Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is “King of the World” After his Speech at Oscars

#5: New Coke Doesn’t Mean “Better”

Worst Branding Failures

Most people, even those with no idea about marketing, are familiar with the maxim “If it aint broke, don’t fix it.” Yet, there’s somebody from Coca Cola who must not have heard of this morsel of wisdom. That, or he’s just a hard-headed maverick.

See, in 1985, after almost 100 years of being in the business and doing really good, Coca Cola decided to launch a ‘New Coke’ – new logo, new font style, and best (or worst) of all, new flavor! What it didn’t take into consideration was how its loyal customers would react for with the drastic change. To make the long story short, customers boycotted the “new” drink. Fearing the worst, Coca Cola wisely reverted to the tried and tested original flavor, packaging, and branding. Somebody from Coke must have scribbled a note on his notebook that says “Not all change is good.”

Related: How Coke Beats Pepsi: Top-Of-Mind-Awareness in Marketing

#6: U2 and Apple: Forced Download

Worst Branding Failures

There are no scientific studies to back this, but everybody seems to believe that people love free stuff. Perhaps armed with this belief, Apple embarked on a mission to give away free music on their iPhones and iPads and Macbooks. Yes, free music courtesy of U2, one of the more popular bands in the world.

However, there’s a difference between giving something for free and giving something for free inside a device that a customer paid hundreds of dollars for. A device such as a desktop or a tablet or a phone is a personal thing. As such, the owner has all the right to choose whatever he wants to put there as much as he has a choice what NOT to put there. The last idea must have been alien to some people at Apple.

Related: What IT Leaders can Learn from (the fall of) Nokia

#7: Sheet Energy Strips

Worst Branding Failures

“She takes a what, where?” “Pitbull takes a ****** on stage?”

If that’s your reaction upon seeing and/or silently reading the ad, I do not blame you. It is so funny one would wonder if it was made on purpose.

Clearly, the people behind this marketing stunt did this on purpose. I am prepared to congratulate them for that because it may have gotten some mileage courtesy of the humor, but I still think it has done more harm than good. I don’t know, but it just reeks of foul taste, pun intended.

#8: #susanalbumparty

Worst Branding Failures

This next one should be a poster for everything that’s wrong in social media campaigns. We all know the exponential reach of social media and how a simple hashtag can create a huge ripple in the virtual world. And such a humongous ripple did this hashtag create! Imagine two related words, maybe cousins, in one hashtag that smells funny?

You can’t blame people for making it the butt of all hashtag jokes! I just hope it didn’t have a huge negative impact on Susanalbum sales.

Related: The Number One Mistake on @Twitter by Gary Vaynerchuk

#9: Gap putting a gap on itself and the customer

Worst Branding Failures

When you say comfortable everyday clothing, only a handful brands come to mind. One of them is Gap. The company isn’t happy with just that, so they did something about the well-loved and famous logo.


What they ended doing was probably break the record for the shortest logo being officially used ever.

The change made the customers feel a loss of connection with their beloved brand, and so after just two days, Gap quickly put the old logo back into place.

While bad marketing campaigns aren’t necessarily the end of your business, it is a waste of money and effort. It could also spell the difference between a good legacy or a tarnished reputation. In order to avoid marketing disasters, it is always wise to exercise due diligence, do a lot of market research research, consult the customers, and if you’re still not sure, stick with what you know has always worked. 



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For a lot of B2B commercial cleaning enterprises, building a rock solid brand can be very demanding. Since the kind of image you want to assume determines your next cleaning contract, you will need to take extra care in creating messages that sum up the value of your services.

Christopher Ryan for Future Marketing Partners suggests giving your brand a fresh face by undertaking these key steps.

Step 1: Take a brutally honest assessment of your current state.

Why exactly are you thinking of upgrading your brand and what do you hope to accomplish? Are you doing it for less than stellar reasons: e.g. you are personally tired of your brand, or can you show how the company will benefit economically from the time-consuming and expensive rebranding exercise?

Decide where you want to be in five years.

This is an important question because the best brands have a timeless quality. What sounds good today may not work well in five years, so encapsulate a future perspective on what customers will buy today as well as into the future.

Step 2: Validate the congruence and market readiness for the new brand position.

This is a step where you may benefit from outside help. Make sure what you are proposing resonates with both the target audience and online searchers. Yes, you want to validate your new brand with the Google search algorithm.

Bonus tip: Enhance your Brand in Google Plus

Step 3: Strategic Messaging platform

Create a strategic messaging platform that consists of a brand promise, value proposition, About the Company statement, and key messaging statements. Make sure this messaging shows you as being unique, remarkable, and most important, extremely beneficial.

Bonus tip: How to attract Millenial in Investing

Step 4: Gain agreement from all stakeholders.

Let everyone, especially your existing customers, know exactly why you are updating the brand and what it will mean to them.

Bonus tip: Elaborate A Successful Customer Service Strategy

Step 5: New Brand Position

Launch the new brand position with a new website, new content, new look and feel, and new panache.

Bonus tip: Generate Leads with Google Plus

Step 6: Be relentless and persistent in promoting your B2B brand.

And if you have changed the company or product name — other than the fact you want to redirect anyone looking for the old brand name to the new content — it is best to banish the old naming and messaging from your vocabulary. Don’t have one foot on the old brand and the other on the new.

Bonus tip: 4 Effective Ways to Make your Brand Standout

Step 7: Live the brand position.

Your brand is about much more than what you say in your promotional messaging. Whatever you are telling the world that you are, make sure it is congruent with how you operate in every part of your company.

Bonus tip: Add some Sauce to your Storytelling

Commercial Cleaning

The Cat is a Lie! Branding Lessons from Sanrio’s Shocking Hello Kitty Revelation

The Cat is a Lie

As if the world hasn’t had enough of political and social problems, Japanese company Sanrio has recently announced that the phenomenal pop culture icon we know and love as Hello Kitty is in fact — pause — not a kitty!

(Cue dramatic music, thunder and the Seven Horsemen of the Apocalypse)

That’s right, folks. The character that has permeated items from purses and lunchboxes, to cartoons and video games is not what she appears to be because she is actually “a little girl with a heart of gold,” says Sanrio.

But people who have been well acquainted with her catlike whiskers and catlike nose and catlike ears since 1974 are having none of it. We might expect Kitty-related riots in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the B2B marketing world has also felt the impact of this (childhood shattering) announcement that sheds light on how companies develop their brands for a more efficient lead generation campaign.

Indeed, the Sanrio Revelation was shocking, but somehow reflects important insights into the nature of modern product branding and content marketing.

Efficient storytelling.

So, despite her name and physical features, Hello Kitty is actually a girl living in England who goes by the name of Kitty White. Plus, she owns a pet cat, which is a fact that aggravated talks over her possible fondness for slavery. While we could spend sleepless nights thinking it over, we can only assume that Sanrio has put in a lot of effort in giving Kitty (or Ms. White) a personality and a relatable backstory to boot.

Viral potential.

“The plot twist to end all plot twists” was first picked up by an American anthropologist and then by an LA newspaper. After the latter posted an online version of the story, the issue instantly sparked off outrage and existential debates in various social media platforms. This only demonstrates the minimal amount of time it took to turn simple product declarations and ideas into trending topics and there is a constant need to leverage such immediacy.

Consumer affinity.

Sanrio has made compelling reasons why it calls Hello Kitty a human. In fact, they might have a point in wanting her to transcend animalistic dimensions. Sanrio believes that Hello Kitty is not just a brand or a face on a wallet. It simply wants to point out that, given her loyal fanbase, she deserves the same affection as we do for pets whom we call our equals. Effective branding entails such a close relationship between seller and buyer. The same goes to targets for both inbound and outbound marketing campaigns.

The storm over Hello Kitty’s true nature may not stay for long. We could get used to it. But we can never deny the strong impact and appeal that the adorable character has nurtured over the years.

What the storm demonstrates is that we have already revered her as an icon and a human heritage treasure that brand marketers can look up to.

Image branding: 5 Laws of Attraction

Image branding - 5 Laws of Attraction


Young businesses and startups may think that investing on a “brand image” may not be a top priority. After all, majority of the efforts should be put on selling and making quality products, right? True. But if you take your brand image just as seriously, you would find that the “selling” part of your business becomes much easier.

When people see your brand, they see the representation of your entire venture: your company, your history, your products, your visions, your reputations and your future. If you’re not taking care of your brand, you’re not taking care of your business.

Here are 5 laws in making your brand attractive to your audience:

Know yourself – Before you start worrying about what people think about your business, try to see how well you and your marketing team know about the company you work for. Having a clear sense of your business identity can help you make certain decisions in creating an image: will you stick to your brand persona? Or will you introduce a new company identity?

Be precise with your goal – You would notice that the world’s most popular images have a clear definition of what they do.  Disneyland: The happiest place on earth. Nokia: Connecting people. FedEx: When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. Barrack Obama: The change we need. Identify what your brand’s purpose in the industry is, and build an image around it.

Choose your brand partner carefully – There are countless success stories of companies who became an overnight sensation after partnering with a creative marketing or advertising agency. It’s important that your collaborator shares your goals and vision so your partnership will blossom in coming up with ideas, logos, slogans, and methods to market your brand into the public.

Choose a path and stick to it – On the other hand, you’ve probably heard about some companies making drastic changes to their brand identity, ultimately causing shock and dismay among their avid supporters. When Yahoo! recently changed its image, the public went ballistic – not only that they didn’t like the new logo, but they also felt insulted and confused. Unless absolutely necessary, don’t abruptly shift to a different brand image.

Protect your brand –Somewhere along the road, your business might encounter mistakes that could cause people to (hopefully temporarily) judge, criticize or hate your brand. It’s part of the game, and as a marketer or business owner, it’s your job to rehabilitate your brand image. Don’t fight back; provide official information to dismiss rumors and humbly apologize if need be.

King of Hype: What Elvis can teach us about creating a brand image that lasts

King of Hype - What Elvis can teach us about creating a brand image that lasts

“Do something worth remembering.” ― Elvis Presley

From the moment Elvis entered the music scene in the 50’s, his Hollywood venture in the 60’s and up until now, 36 years after his death, no one has dared to dethrone the King of Rock and Roll.

And most likely, no one ever will.

Elvis became famous not just because of his voice or his charming looks. It’s not even because of his sexually provocative dancing style. He was well-loved because he made a connection with people – a bond that made him to become one of the most significant cultural icons in the US and the world.

For your brand to present itself to the public just like Elvis did, there must be passion to put the audience above all, and everything else will follow.

Be true – Elvis stuck with his genres (gospel, blues, country, rock and roll) throughout his career. He never tried to be someone else but himself, and it worked. People appreciate entities that are consistent despite society’s pressure. A true brand can act naturally according to its own terms without it having to pretend or mislead. As Elvis once said, “Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t going away.”

Stimulate minds – To prove your worth, sometimes you have to show what you can do that makes you unique. Elvis did that by his own style of performances, from his pelvic gyrations (which made conservatives raise eyebrows – at least at first) to his meditative singing (like he was in a trance). It got people thinking and talking about him, and his mark would become one of music’s most popular signatures. Does your company have a unique signature?

Take risks – His transition to film was a great risk to a music career at its peak. His hiatus from concerts was a great risk (and even angered the concert-going public). His preference for what was called “race music” during a time of racial discrimination was also a risk. But these threats didn’t stop Elvis from doing what he loved best. Is your company willing to take risks?

Great covers, classic interpretations – Elvis didn’t write any of his songs. But when you listen to him, you would feel the emotions behind the words. He was such a marvelous interpreter that his cover versions became more popular and artistically preferred than the original. This tells us that whether in content, social media or print, we don’t have to be original all the time – we just need to know how to convey the message in our own, spectacular way.

Live your values – Elvis was outspoken in terms of his devotion to God, his willingness to serve the army just like everyone else, and his respect for the African-American community. He carried his values with him wherever he went and nothing made it falter. Think about the values your company upholds, and assess whether it’s doing a good job of sticking to them.

Marketing Terminologies crash course: What is Brand Equity?

Marketing Terminologies crash course - What is Brand Equity

In April of 2013, a crime fiction novel entitled The Cuckoo’s Calling was published in the UK and eventually went its way to the US. The author’s name is Robert Galbraith.

Critics were quickly impressed by the novel, saying it was very compelling and well-written. Most of them couldn’t even believe that Galbraith is just a rookie writer. Everyone was excited about the “new kid” with a keen eye for detective stories. But despite its critical acclaim, the book only generated humble sales.

Three months after its release, the literary world was suddenly rocked by surprise. The Sunday Times revealed that the real author hiding behind the pseudonym Robert Galbraith was actually a world-renowned contemporary novelist – definitely not a rookie.

The real author’s name was J.K. Rowling.

And in just a couple of days after the revelation, the book surged from the 4,709th spot to the 1st best-selling novel on Amazon, increasing sales by a whopping 500,000%. Even Harry Potter himself couldn’t conjure something that big.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the power of brand equity.

Brand equity is the privilege of having a popular brand name, and, along with it, the notion that its products can generate more sales compared to lesser-known brands.

People remember brands, logos and the prestige that they carry. It’s the reason why, despite of a clear advantage in terms of specs, iPhones still outsell Samsung devices. Consumers recognize “Apple” as a more esteemed brand, and they would support anything that it launches.

Before The Cuckoo’s Calling, Rowling released a novel entitled The Casual Vacancy. This book was published under her real name, and even though it was not favorable to critics (some even evaluated it as amateurish), it was a commercial success, reaching the #1 spot in just a few hours. All because Rowling’s name is on the cover.

What does this tell us?

Taking care of a company’s brand is the same thing as taking care of the company itself. Having a certain reputation comes with a great deal of obligation to maintain, if not to enhance, the value of the brand. The competitive advantage and the perks of having brand equity make it a valuable, intangible asset.

Although this respect for certain brands usually develop over long periods of time, it could be extinguished just as quickly by misuse and poor business decisions. The burden lies on marketers – they should protect the balance between gaining attention and preserving the value of their brand as they put it out on the market.

Why Branding Matters In Lead Generation







Going Global In Lead Generation The Coca-Cola Way






3 Branding Mistakes In Lead Generation

Branding practically means everything in business. This is the face and soul of your company. Your brand will also influence your effectiveness in lead generation campaigns. It is the first thing that prospective B2B leads will hear from you, and it has to be one that will stick to their minds the most. Of course, in the quest for creating memorable brands, many entrepreneurs often make the mistake of producing catchy names. Later, these turn out to be huge headaches, reducing their ability to effectively generate sales leads from the market. You should not make the same mistake. So, how should you go about it?

  1. Research – you might have come up with a catchy brand, but you may not be the first one. To avoid legal, and costly, arguments with rights owners, you should research the existence of the name. Check the internet or the patent office; see if your brand name is there already.
  2. Applicability – some entrepreneurs create brands that work well in only a small area. If you have plans of expanding, or using broad marketing mediums like telemarketing, it is best that you create a brand that anyone will understand or remember better.
  3. Relatedness – this part may be a bit tricky, but the rule of thumb here is to use a brand that is related to your business. If you insist on doing different, then fine, go ahead, you got nothing to lose. But you have to make sure you can connect your brand to your business properly come appointment setting time.

Simple enough, right? But these are sure to help you avoid lead generation troubles associated with branding.


How To Create A Positive Business Image In Lead Generation

A good business image is everything, let no one say otherwise. Think about the companies we know today, like Apple, Microsoft, Walmart, Ford, Pfizer, and even Gucci. When you hear their names, you recognize them immediately, right? That is the power of image. And that is a quality that bring in the sales leads. For a lead generation campaign to be successful, you need to create a powerful image in the minds of your business prospects. Now that is a challenge that a lot of marketers are trying to solve. It can make all the difference in their ability to generate qualified B2B leads in the market. So, where should you be starting?


First of all, you need to consider what your image in the market should be . Remember that your image must contain the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, opinions and visions customers and business prospects have about you. It must also represent the  products and services that you or your company bring to the market. Take note that your company image is based on what your market thinks of you, not how you think of yourself. The most successful company images are those that have customers thinking exactly of what you wanted them to think of your business. This alignment of market expectations and company capabilities is what makes an appointment setting campaign easier to do.


Also, do not forget that creating a positive company image requires the use of various marketing mediums. Whether it is by email, print ads, telemarketing, or any other medium, you have to ensure consistency and accuracy of the message you convey. Effective image building is an important step before you start any significant lead generation campaign. For example, start with your company logo. Is it attractive enough to business prospects? Does it reflect on the nature of your business? How about your taglines? Do the words used best state what your company is all about? Look into your employees as well. Do they follow the spirit of your company? Do they attend to customers with a smile? These are just examples of what you can do to improve your company image.


Another point to consider would be the products and services that you offer your business.  You can praise your offering all you want, but if they fail to deliver, you get a negative customer response that is worst than you handle. If you cannot do anything about your products, you might as well be honest about it. Even if it means losing a potential sale, if it can keep you from committing a major marketing blunder, then it is worth it. You have your brand’s image to protect in the long run. Your image, when properly nurtured, will be strong enough to get you your B2B leads.


By cultivating a positive image, you ensure that your business will prosper in the long run. Lead generation campaigns would be much more rewarding, as long as you have a positive image in your market.