Here’s Why Empathy in Marketing Matters Immensely

Here’s Why Empathy in Marketing Matters Immensely

Let’s start by answering the question of what exactly is empathy? Empathy is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions.”

Effective human interaction requires some form of empathy to work – marketing is all about personal interaction and engagement, so it’s no wonder that empathy is a key skill to incorporate into any marketing content or campaign. By putting yourself into a person from your target market’s position, you can see the world from their lens to firmly grasp what matters to them, and how your company’s products and/or services can organically fit into their lives. Being able to articulate marketing messages that resonate with potential customers, and putting aside your ego and personal style to accommodate their needs and problems is key – it all goes back to empathy. 

Empathy Makes an Impact

Stewart Butterfield, CEO of Slack, came up with a simple yet powerful quote – “it’s very difficult to design something for someone if you have no empathy.” He certainly seems to have a great idea of what people want in a product and puts himself in his user’s shoes with regards to design as Slack is now worth more than $15B. Empathy in marketing can’t be understated or underestimated. 

Customers, at times, need to be decoded to understand exactly what they want from us, and we as marketers have to respond in a way that they will comprehend and appreciate. By letting prospects and customers dictate where they want conversations to go – they guide and tell us what matters to them and are looking for replies that show we get them and are on their side. 

Empathy Builds Stronger Ties

If a prospect is very much into dogs and shares a story about their dog – they are looking for you as a marketing or sales associate to give your input about your understanding of dogs as it relates to the point that they are trying to make. Far too often marketers are just thinking about their own key performance indicators (KPIs), and aren’t focused enough on truly connecting with someone who might go on to become a very loyal and profitable customer – empathy has to shine through with every touchpoint, no matter what channel it may be. If someone tells a personal story, they are looking to see how you can relate to them and if they can get to know, like, and trust you – the three pillars of marketing according to marketing guru, Seth Godin. 

Empathy Humanizes Marketing

You don’t ever want to feel like you are being sold to, you want a marketer or salesperson to help you solve a problem or address a need that you have and all within a friendly interaction. Thinking about a potential customer’s problem or need as it relates to what your company offers, and connecting the dots to provide them with an ideal and timely solution is marketing at its finest. The best measurement for marketing efforts is increased sales, and marketing professionals who exude empathy tend to also be the best at what they do – pure and simple. 

Integrating empathy into marketing requires you to treat every prospect as being unique, being human, listening more, deeply understanding them, and delivering happiness to their lives.