The most human company wins, said Mark Schaeffer, successful author of the book carrying the same title. Whether you´re an entrepreneur starting a new business or a well-established company, local, regional or international, being human applies for all of them. And why is this important? Because people have a stronger impact than companies, strategies, plans and other non-personal issues – people trust people.

To build a brand for the future You need to be human. To succeed, your product or service need to be close, relevant and for the target audience; «a part of me». So, we need to act and be ourselves. Being ourselves is after all the most unique about us. People need to relate to Your business and to You – talking to the heart and the head. And If you in addition to that can act and operate local, you have a clear competitive advantage. If it’s not local it’s over, as Schaeffer says.

People trust people

The importance of being human and local applies whether You’re a local, regional, national or an international business. People do not do business with company, brands and strategies, they do business with You, because people have a stronger impact and people trust people. It’s actually quite simple, but still very difficult to build the trust You need in order to build a relationship with your existing and potential clients.

And the size of the company doesn’t matter. Big international companies also try to build a close relationship with their clients. They are searching for ideas to get closer to the heart of the client. Brands like Apple, Coca Cola and Unilever are examples of this.

Building a strategy for the future

So, what can You do in order to apply this human touch in Your business model and plan? Schaeffer give us some guidelines:

  1. Be clear on Your values:
    • This is all about the big WHY and your value proposition. Why does your business exist, what problem are you solving and why should the target audience choose You?
  2. Create a rock-solid alliance
    • Deliver what You have promised and be true to your values.
  3. Make a calculated risk
    • Be true to the position You have chosen, and don’t change direction. Sometimes that means taking a risk staying in the position you have chosen.
  4. Involve in local society and be a “localvist”
    • Show You care, and get involved in the local life and your local stakeholders. Be visible and helpful.
  5. Give up control and let the client be the hero
    • It’s the client that rules the communication and they are in control. Social media has a strong voice and the clients know how to use them. So, it’s not about You telling the clients the story, it’s about You and the client creating and making the good story together.

Win the battle of attention

It’s a continuous battle for attention and in order to win that battle, you need to differentiate both yourself and your business. And perhaps the easiest way of doing so is just being Yourself? We live in challenging times and the margins are narrow. Establishing a business for the future is challenging. But no matter what business you have or is trying to build, it’s important to keep focus on being human. That will in the end differentiate you and your business.