This month, we’ve been discussing Brand Empathy, the most important modern tactic for B2B marketers to master in the digital age. While you may be convinced that this step is necessary, development and implementation of Brand Empathy can be daunting. The key is to convince your customers, through conversation and engagement, that you care deeply about their problems. After establishing this culture of empathy, it can be positioned to positively impact your business in a variety of ways. Here are two real-life examples of Brand Empathy success:
When Lou Gerstner became CEO of IBM in the 1990s, IBM was more often associated with arrogance than empathy. In fact, the company was in a serious state of decline. One of Gerstner’s first initiatives was “Operation Bear Hug,” a program that sent top IBM managers to meet face-to-face with customers. They were instructed not to try to sell at these meetings, but instead, to listen to customer problems and think of IBM solutions. Lou Gerstner knew that the culture surrounding IBM had to change, and his theory worked. Operation Bear Hug managers discovered that clients were intrigued by the internet, but unclear about how to use it for business. IBM responded with a huge impact by creating the infrastructure needed to help large enterprises harness the power of the Web. This endeavor put the company on the path to long-term success, and it’s a clear example of empathy as a powerful driver of business growth.
After empathy is established, businesses have the opportunity to convince customers that because they understand the problem, they are best suited to solve it. vAuto, a company that markets inventory management software to auto dealers, has had great success with this strategy. After noticing an industry problem – diminished used car sales by local market price transparency provided to consumers by the internet- vAuto developed a solution. Instead of turning their head to the issue and offering their software as a band-aid fix, they started selling a philosophy. “Velocity Management” claims that live auto sales data is more powerful than historical, that ROI on used vehicles grows the faster they turn, and that therefore, an auto dealer’s online presence is more important than the physical one. vAuto offered auto dealers a way to transition to online success, using the very problem as part of their solution. The company offers software to make the transition seamless, of course, but once an auto dealer has found an answer in their philosophy, the deal is done.
Brand Empathy, as you can see, is highly beneficial for internal business growth and direction. Learning to establish it is imperative, and following up with a strategy to position yourself ahead of competitors is even better.
(Photo credit: Sartors)
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