As 2021 drew to a close, the most significant enquiry received from businesses was, “how I will encourage people to come back in person to bring joy?” Leaders were thinking about creating a space for connectedness to help their business and communities flourish.
The 2021 World Happiness Report found that people who experienced an increase in connectedness with others during the pandemic had:
Greater life satisfaction
More resilience
Better mental health
So why is this human connection important to know?
People are naturally drawn to human connection to seek positive energy, build trust and form new relationships.
In a business, it encourages us to exchange knowledge, ideas and skills, it’s one way we learn and grow. Connection stretches our existing capability and seeks us to improve or up-skill. Therefore, it’s an important human element to include in your marketing strategy.
In 2022, connection is going to be HUGE given the last few years. So it’s time to reinvigorate and provide opportunities for people to come together and feel a sense of belonging.
As part of your marketing strategy, you want to ensure that there is an opportunity for people to connect in an easy, stress-free way that excites and delights.
So, what are some marketing activities you can do?
From virtual to IRL – create opportunities to meet people in real life. Think about the people that you meet virtually over the past two years and make time to meet in person to share expertise and explore how you could work together.
Partners – it’s time to strategically assess your partnerships and ensure leverage is occurring authentically for the better good and mutually beneficial. Your time needs to be rewarded in nurturing these relationships. Seek new partners that share similar values and vision. For example, if you are a health care provider, have partners to work on a project together or refer clients to each other. These take time to build and are a valuable asset.
Collaborations – is there a business or partner that can add value to your service or product for your customer? Can you both promote a service or product to grow further reach? Not only will it add value to your customer, but build business relationships for future work.
Go to networking events – this is an old strategy, but one that is important to re-establish. Seek out events that like-minded people or potential clients may be attending and be generous in listening and sharing ideas
Educate – give opportunities for potential new clients to test your product or service for a reduced rate or for free. While testing, educate them on new ways of working or using a product. By doing this, you show them a snippet of why you would purchase in the future.
Create events – do something fun that will draw people in to connect. We have all suffered from ‘stay at home’ syndrome, so do something that people enjoy. For example, host a morning tea celebration, invite a coffee van to a space and encourage people to come for a morning coffee to start their day. Food always brings people together and brings happiness! People will remember your kindness and welcoming environment and naturally seek further information.
If you want other ideas of growing your business through marketing without the icky sell, I welcome a chat anytime.