By Lynne Arrowsmith, Co-MD at Goldbug. Lynne leads internal communications and content strategy across employee engagement and brand campaigns.
Here’s why:
Faceless brands are on the rise.
Think of an app you recently used to buy a product or deliver you a service, from shopping through to travel and information.
Now think about the human face behind it. What interaction did you have with a person?
That’s right, often none at all.
What we want is a quick, digitally smooth, perfectly practical and transactional experience. Although soulless.
Yet behind the scenes are likely to be scores of invisible employees making the magic happen.
Without seeing the people behind the curtain, the brand becomes easier to dislike, to criticise, to kick.
Simply put, human connection = more positive headlines.
It makes sense on the most instinctive level.
If someone’s just been helped with their packing at a supermarket, or been given great face-to-face customer service, or had a pleasant chat on the phone – or even (with an actual person) online – they’ll feel warmer about the brand as a whole.
Meaning they’ll be more likely to remain loyal and use it again.
The companies that can champion the people in their business and show them off will be the ones with the strongest brand with the highest employee engagement and external engagement.
So make this year the year of the Empfluencer.