3 examples: audiences seeking out ‘the human’
How do you stand out in a world of AI mediocrity and, more broadly, B2B same-ness? Where ...
I have no crystal ball. And it’s quite possible I could publish this same post in January next year. But I do know that right now too many companies, too many agencies – too many of all of us – are almost paralysed by uncertainty.
You could make a case for ‘uncertainty’ being the word of 2025, even. I’m talking about a world of not just budgets but whole trading strategies, for every kind of company, being in limbo.
I’ve never heard so many people “push the project to next quarter… we still really need to do this, though”. So, you’re not alone.
But some things will always remain true. Never stray from these must-haves:
- Creativity
In particular, always make sure you have access to creativity, originality and ideas. This can be in-house in marketing, wider in your org from all kinds of stakeholders, or from outside agencies and consultancies.
- Human connection
Call it ‘human to human’ or whatever you want to call it. We all need a certain amount of this contact, ideally in person. I’ve heard several people use the line ‘People do business with people they know, like and trust’, a line that goes back at least to the 1990s.* And this can’t just happen through emails, social posts or content like this. Not even Zoom or Teams.
- POVs
We’re forced to be apolitical and non-offensive. But want to know the secret? Everyone knows that everyone else has positions, however much they’re playing it safe. So don’t be vanilla. Have points of view (POVs). Show you’re different – unique, even, if you’re lucky. Be you.
- Relevancy
Lastly, ‘show me you know me’, as the saying goes. Be relevant to your customers/clients/prospects. Make it undeniable that you get their industry, their company, their team dynamics and their work and career challenges. This will lead to what we call ‘trust through understanding’. And trust is that rarest of things.
This isn’t an exhaustive list. We could add more. But the above points feel essential for the year ahead.
Last thing. You probably just wondered to what extent AI can help with any of this. And I reckon you probably know that while AI can help in places, humans lead the above, and you need to make sure AI doesn’t degrade your very human thinking.
*This could go back as far as Bob Burg’s Endless Referrals and his Golden Rule of Networking.
