From B2B and B2C to H2H: How to Humanize Your Marketing Strategy

Marketing is not just about selling products or services to businesses or consumers. It is about connecting with people, understanding their needs, emotions and values, and creating meaningful relationships that benefit both parties. This is the essence of H2H (Human to Human) marketing, a new paradigm that challenges the traditional B2B or B2C classifications and focuses on the human element behind every marketing interaction.

In this article, we will explain what H2H marketing is, how it differs from B2B and B2C, and what strategies you can apply to implement it in your business. We will also share some examples of brands that are using H2H marketing successfully and what you can learn from them.

What is H2H and Comparison with B2B and B2C

H2H marketing stands for Human-to-Human Marketing. It refers to the fact that every marketing interaction, between businesses and consumers or between businesses and other businesses, is an interaction between humans1. It is a development from the traditional B2C, B2B or more recently B2H marketing models.

B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing is the type of marketing that targets individual consumers who buy products or services for their personal use. B2C marketing typically focuses on emotional appeals, personalization, convenience and customer satisfaction.

B2B (Business to Business) marketing is the type of marketing that targets other businesses or organizations that buy products or services for their operational or professional use. B2B marketing typically focuses on rational appeals, value proposition, efficiency and trust.

B2H (Business to Human) marketing is a hybrid type of marketing that recognizes that both consumers and businesses are made of humans who have both emotional and rational needs. B2H marketing tries to balance both aspects and appeal to both the heart and the mind of the buyer.

H2H marketing goes beyond these distinctions and emphasizes that regardless of the type of buyer, there is always a human being behind every decision. H2H marketing aims to create authentic, empathetic and meaningful connections with people, not just transactions with buyers. H2H marketing is not a new concept, but rather a rediscovery of the core principles of marketing: understanding your audience, delivering value and building trust.

5 Strategies to Apply H2H Marketing

How can you apply H2H marketing to your business? Here are five strategies that can help you:

1. Talk like an actual person. One of the simplest ways to humanize your marketing is to use natural, conversational and easy language that reflects how you would talk to someone face to face. Avoid jargon, buzzwords, clichés and overly formal expressions that make you sound robotic or impersonal. Instead, use words and phrases that resonate with your audience and show your personality.
2. Tell stories. Stories are powerful tools to engage your audience, convey your message and evoke emotions. Stories can help you illustrate your brand values, showcase your customer success stories, share your behind-the-scenes insights, or educate your audience about your products or services. Stories can also help you differentiate yourself from your competitors and create a memorable impression.
3. Show empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. Empathy is essential for H2H marketing because it allows you to put yourself in your audience’s shoes and address their pain points, challenges, goals and aspirations. Empathy can help you create relevant, useful and personalized content and offers that match your audience’s needs and expectations.
4. Be transparent. Transparency is the quality of being open, honest and accountable for your actions and communications. Transparency is crucial for H2H marketing because it builds trust, credibility and loyalty with your audience. Transparency can help you admit your mistakes, share your challenges, disclose your sources, or invite feedback from your audience.
5. Be social. Social media is not just a channel for promoting your products or services. It is also a platform for engaging with your audience, listening to their opinions, answering their questions, addressing their concerns, or joining their conversations. Social media can help you humanize your brand by showing your human side, expressing your emotions, using humor or emojis, or sharing user-generated content.

Examples of Brands Using H2H

Many brands are using H2H marketing successfully in different ways. Here are some examples:

• Mailchimp: Mailchimp is an email marketing platform that helps small businesses grow their online presence. Mailchimp uses H2H marketing by using friendly, humorous and quirky language that reflects its brand personality and appeals to its target audience of creative entrepreneurs. Mailchimp also uses stories to showcase its customer success stories and inspire its audience with tips and best practices.
• Slack: Slack is a collaboration platform that helps teams communicate and work together. Slack uses H2H marketing by using simple, clear and conversational language that explains its value proposition and benefits for different types of teams and industries. Slack also uses stories to share its own culture, values and vision, as well as its customer testimonials and case studies.
• Dove: Dove is a personal care brand that promotes self-esteem and body positivity. Dove uses H2H marketing by using empathetic, inspirational and empowering language that resonates with its target audience of women of all ages, shapes and sizes. Dove also uses stories to share its social impact initiatives, such as the Dove Self-Esteem Project, and its user-generated content, such as the Real Beauty Sketches campaign.

Conclusions

H2H marketing is not a new trend or a buzzword. It is a reminder of the fundamental purpose of marketing: to connect with people and create value for them. H2H marketing is not about B2B or B2C, but about P2P: People to People.

To apply H2H marketing to your business, you need to adopt a human-centric mindset and approach that focuses on understanding your audience, delivering value and building trust. You also need to use strategies and tactics that reflect your human side, such as using natural language, telling stories, showing empathy, being transparent and being social.

By doing so, you can create authentic, meaningful and lasting relationships with your audience that will benefit both your business and your customers.

Bibliography

[1] P. Kotler, W. Pfoertsch and U. Sponholz, H2H Marketing: The Genesis of Human-to-Human Marketing. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2020.

[2] A. Woodbury, “What Is H2H Marketing and How Can You Apply It to Your Business?”, Precision Marketing Group, 2018.

[3] P. O’Reilly, “What is H2H Marketing? Meaning and Best Practices”, Increasily, 2021.

[4] J. Kuehl, “What is H2H Marketing & How To Use It Successfully”, wpDuo, 2019.

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