411 Locals

If you look back at the last decade in marketing, one thing is crystal clear — things move quickly these days. Trends come and go. It was Instagram yesterday and it’s TikTok now. Some of these trends have transformed the way lead generation and marketing, in general, works (e.g. automation), while others have failed spectacularly like Google Glass (remember that?).

And yet, one thing has remained the same. At the heart of marketing has always been people. After more than 25 years in the industry, I’ve seen that the most efficient lead generation “trend” of all is to humanize your strategy as much as possible. Here’s what I mean:

Human to Human Marketing Always Works

I encourage every marketer to humanize their approach and message to reach audiences and remain relevant. My experience supports this approach. As the Chief Marketing Officer at 411 Locals, a leader in providing SEO and Digital Marketing services to small business owners, I see this every day.

It’s not just about brand building anymore. It’s about being authentic and genuine with the customer. When you are truly helpful to your customer addressing their real needs and not just treating them as a number on a spreadsheet, they feel that. They connect with you, they trust you, they convert… and they stay with you. That’s how thousands of small U.S. businesses continue to place their trust with 411 Locals.

“People have always been the heart of marketing. The most efficient lead generation trend of all is to humanize the strategies as much as possible”

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a difficult concept to explain to a small business owner, and our customers don’t always understand all the “heavy lifting” that stands behind getting their website on the first page of search results. But that doesn’t mean we are not giving it our 100% each time. In my experience, if you keep showing up for your customers (and prospects) with the goal of simplifying and solving their problems, they will keep showing up for you.

A few tried and tested ways to humanize your marketing strategy include:

Use visual content like videos and infographics to explain terms and processes in a fun and digestible way.

Include meaningful links in your content to provide further explanation, tips, or guidance. Those links don’t always have to be from your own blog. The goal is to offer quality content that is useful to your audience.

Take a step back from selling. Offer value first. Nurture your leads, and they will come to you to convert themselves. 

Data Isn’t Everything. Communication Is

Of course, when it comes to scaling and growing, marketers will continue to use data and algorithms to make informed decisions and streamline processes. However, we must also account for human qualities in our strategies. Our audiences are tired of marketing pitches and tactics. They have learned to ignore messages. The only messages that get through to them are human messages. Ones that show care beyond completing a sale or filling up a form.

If I have to offer one last piece of advice, it would be this—pace your marketing evolution. Drastic changes in your marketing strategy can backfire, so you might want to opt for a more gradual change. Start small and build from there. You’d be amazed at how humanizing your strategy can also positively impact your team and company culture altogether.